Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader ********************************* The Ultimate Tech Upgrade FAQ Version 3.1 Written by ImaLilPissed ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Table of Contents ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I. Introduction II. Version Updates III. Terms You Should Know IV. Acquiring the Tech Upgrades V. Basic Tech Upgrade Information and Q & A VI. The Tech Upgrades a. Advanced Shields b. Advanced Proton Torpedoes c. Advanced Lasers d. Advanced Cluster Missiles e. Advanced Proton Bombs f. Homing Proton Torpedoes g. Advanced Concussion Missiles h. Spread Proton Bombs i. Homing Concussion Missiles j. Homing Cluster Missiles k. Advanced Targeting Computer VII. Contact VIII. Credits IX. Legal Stuff X. Conclusion ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I. Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------ It's not impossible to fully complete this game without collecting some of the tech upgrades, but it sure does help. This FAQ will tell you what the upgrades do and where to find them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ II. Version Updates ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 12/31/01 - FAQ created 01/01/02 - Added four new questions to the FAQ - Respelled "Millennium" right - The "Benefits" of the Advanced Cluster Missiles has been slightly changed. - Moved the "Version Updates" up - Added more to AT-AT description - Other minor updates 01/02/02 - Changed the Lambda Shuttle description - Specified the location of the Advanced Targeting Computer tech upgrade - Fixed up version stuff 01/03/02 - Changed "Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II" to "Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader" 01/05/02 - Added "How to Use" under all Tech Upgrades - Fixed some typos 01/10/02 - Added Jay (jfren484)'s Alternate Strategy of getting the Homing Concussion Missiles Tech Upgrade 01/11/02 - Fixed up a bunch of typos 01/14/02 - Fixed a question in the FAQ thanks to snooozer 01/16/02 - Changed "FAQ" to "Q & A" 01/22/02 - Added Mr. Cactus' Alternate Strategy of getting the Spread Proton Bombs Tech Upgrade 01/24/02 - Changed the "How to Use" and "Benefits" of the Homing Concussion Missiles - Added "Payloads" to all applicable Tech Upgrades - Added Gamefreak1's Alternate Strategy of getting the Advanced Shields Tech Upgrade 01/26/02 - Fixed up a lot of typos 01/27/02 - Fixed one typo 02/06/02 - Made some unnoticeable changes 02/16/02 - Fixed some typos 03/09/02 - Added kyl14's Alternate Strategy of getting the Homing Cluster Missiles Tech Upgrade 03/10/02 - Edited some things 03/15/02 - Fixed the "How to Use" of the Homing Concussion Missiles Tech Upgrade 03/21/02 - Added the All Tech Upgrades passcode to the Q & A 03/22/02 - Fixed a typo 02/25/02 - Got my old email back! YAY!! 05/29/02 - Put in Buick stuff ------------------------------------------------------------------------ III. Terms You Should Know ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AT-ATs - Almost invincible in Rogue Leader, these are the big walking machines in the Battle of Hoth and Vengeance On Kothlis. Their laser cannons are placed under their "chins." The only way to defeat them is to trip them with a tow cable which is the secondary weapon of the Speeder. The true pronunciation is "A-tee-A-tee", not "At-At" like you hear in the missions AT-PTs - These guys are pretty small in size and can be destroyed easily with lasers. You will first see them in "Prisons of the Maw." In this mission, they are in groups of three. It's very fun to destroy these groups with only one proton bomb command tower - The command tower is the large thing on top of the back of an Imperial Star Destroyer. The command deck is placed in the middle of the front of it. The two top shield generators are placed on top of it. And if it wasn't there, the Imperial Star Destroyer would look like an arrowhead communications relay - This is basically like a radar dish. There will be a dish on top, and a tower supporting it below. cut scene - There are several types of cut scenes. A cut scene will play before you start a mission. One will play if you fail a mission, and one will play when you complete a mission. Throughout this FAQ, though, cut scenes are the short movies that play in the middle of missions, usually because you have met one of the objectives of the mission damage indicator - Obviously, this indicates the damage that your ship has taken. When that ring is broken up, that means your shields are not at full strength. While in the X-Wing, Y-Wing, or the Naboo Starfighter, the breaks in the ring will grow smaller as your astromech unit repairs your shields. The ring will start off blue if you have acquired the Advanced Shields tech upgrade Imperial Star Destroyers - You will encounter these in "Razor Rendevous" and in section 2 of "Battle of Endor." They are big arrow-shaped capital ships. Taking them out properly requires destroying its three shield generators and its command deck in the center of the command tower Lambda Shuttle - This is triangular-shaped when viewed from the front or the back. The wings can be folded up to safely land. It can be unlocked on "Triumph of the Empire" and "Revenge On Yavin" after getting Gold medals on both level. Tyderium is a Lambda Shuttle, which you must steal in "Imperial Academy Heist" mission section - Most of the missions have cut scenes. When you first start the level, you are in section 1. After a cut scene, you are now in section 2 and so on. Razor Rendevous and Imperial Academy Heist are the only two of the tem primary missions that have no cut scenes, meaning they have only one section Rebel transports - These are oval-shaped transports. You must protect these in "Ison Corridor Ambush" and in section 3 of "Battle of Hoth." TIE Fighters - You will first encounter these in section 2 of "Death Star Attack." They are hard to see against the black of outer space, and have very weak shields. You can unlock the TIE Fighter in regular missions by stealing the TIE in "Imperial Academy Heist (Day)" and in "Imperial Academy Heist (Night)" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IV. Acquiring the Tech Upgrades ------------------------------------------------------------------------ First, you must do one of two things, which obviously is to grab the upgrade. To get the upgrade, you must fly through or near it. The upgrade will look like a glowing silver cone. You will know that you have acquired the upgrade when: 1. The silver cone disappears for the rest of the time you play the mission and 2. The narrator states that you've gotten the upgrade. The second thing you must do to fully acquire the upgrade is to complete the mission. It does not matter how your stats are in the end, you just have to complete the mission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ V. Basic Tech Upgrade Information and the Q & A ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tech upgrades upgrade your ships or your weapons in some way. Tech upgrades can compile on top of each other. For example, pretend you got the Advanced Proton Torpedoes tech upgrade. Soon after, you get the Homing Proton Torpedoes tech upgrade, but it doesn't replace the first upgrade you get. Now, you have Advanced Homing Proton Torpedoes. Here's the Q & A: Q: I died right after I got the tech upgrade. Do I still have it? A: Yes, you still have it. You can die another time and still have it. You just have to complete the mission. Q: How am I supposed to know what tech upgrades I have? A: To tell if you have a tech upgrade that affects all ships, such as Advanced Shields, press A to select a mission. You will now see the available ships that you can use for that mission. In between the two rows of wire frames of the ships, you will see your primary weapon and defense. To tell if you have a tech upgrade that affects a certain secondary weapon, such as Advanced Proton Torpedoes, walk up to any ship in any of the hangars. Below the name of the ship, it will tell you the secondary weapon. The only way to tell if you have the Targeting Computer tech upgrade is to use it in a mission. Q: Can I get rid of an upgrade? A: No, but there really is no reason to. Q: I still see the tech upgrade in the missions. Does this mean I don't have the upgrade still? A: The tech upgrades will still appear in the missions even after you've acquired them. Grabbing them again won't do anything but waste your time. Q: I can't find an upgrade. Where is it? A: Go to the appropriate section. Q: I just got the homing cluster missiles upgrade, but my X-Wing still has the proton torpedoes. How am I supposed to fix this? A: Certain tech upgrades only upgrade certain ships. Only ships which were previously equipped with cluster missiles will benefit from the homing cluster missiles upgrade or the advanced cluster missiles and so on. This will be elaborated in the rest of this FAQ. Q: I heard spread proton bombs lower your accuracy. Others say that the upgrade makes your accuracy higher. What is the truth? A: The truth is spread proton bombs neither lower your accuracy or make it higher. The only thing that affects your accuracy percentage is if you hit your target with the original bomb. The spread proton bombs that come after it don't count towards or against your accuracy. Q: I'm playing "Vengeance On Kothlis" right now, and I just got the Homing Proton Torpedoes tech upgrade in my X-Wing, but when I tap B, it still shoots regular Proton Torpedoes. Does this mean I didn't get this upgrade? A: Yes, it does mean you haven't fully gotten the upgrade. If you read "Acquiring the Tech Upgrades," it states that you must do two things to fully get the tech upgrade: 1. Grab the upgrade and 2. Finish the mission. Q: I don't feel like wasting my time searching for all of these tech upgrades. Isn't there a passcode or something? A: Yes, there is a passcode, but I pity those who use it since finding all of the tech upgrades is SO EASY...after you read this Ultimate Tech Upgrade FAQ of course. First you enter AYZB!RCL and then type in WRKFORIT. Speaking of working for it... Q: I heard there were more than 11 upgrades. Is this true? A: Nope, you heard wrong. There is an upgrade in each of the ten primary missions, two being in "Imperial Academy Heist." There are no tech upgrades in any of the bonus missions. Q: I want my Spread Proton Bombs. How am I supposed to change the time of day in "Imperial Academy Heist"? A: To change the time of day, you can do one of two things: 1. Turn off your GameCube and remove the mini-disc. Turn the power back on. You can change the time there. Note that it is military time. After changing the time, place your mini-disc back into the slot and play the game. 2. Before turning on the power on your GameCube, hold down A on your GameCube controller. Now, turn the GameCube on while still pressing down the A button. Hold it down until a cube appears on your screen. You can now change the time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ VI. The Tech Upgrades ------------------------------------------------------------------------ a. Advanced Shields Purpose: Advanced shields make your shields stronger. You can instantly notice this when you play a mission. The ring around your ship in the damage indicator will be blue. The blue really isn't another layer of green, because 4 or 5 shots from a TIE will take out the extra blue layer. How to Use: They will work right when you start a mission or come back after having your craft destroyed. Ship(s) Affected: All ships Usefulness Rating: 8/10 Benefits: This will help in situations where multiple TIEs are firing on you. The shield will protect you from four or five shots. Mission: Death Star Attack Mission Section: Section 2 Location: Right after the cut scene where the TIEs come in, you'll be able to see the upgrade if you turn left about 5 degrees. It should be very easy to find, since it's silver color is much brighter then the Death Star's silver. Alternate Strategies: Gamefreak1 said: "Right as you start the second part of the level, turn on your targeting computer. You'll see a turret right in front of you, and it forms a line slightly to the left with three other turrets. Continue to the third turret in the line, flying low, and you should see the upgrade right behind it and to the left." b. Advanced Proton Torpedoes Purpose: Proton Torpedoes cause more damage. How to Use: The Proton Torpedoes will cause damage when they hit a target. Ship(s) affected: X-Wing, Y-Wing (while playing "Death Star Attack"), B- Wing, Naboo Starfighter Usefulness Rating: 7/10 Benefits: This tech upgrade will be useful when taking out shield generators on Imperial Star Destroyers. Mission: Ison Corridor Ambush Mission Section: Section 1, Section 2 Location: Right when section 1 begins, pitch down and start flying towards the big piece of, well, I'm not sure what it is, but just fly towards that big thing under the Redemption. There should be a rectangular hole that you can fly in. Fly through it to acquire the tech upgrade. You can also do this in section 2, except this time, the big object will be below and behind the Redemption, since the Redemption and the Rebel transports are actually moving. c. Advanced Lasers Purpose: Your ships' lasers do more damage. How to Use: The lasers will cause damage when they hit a target. Ship(s) Affected: All ships Usefulness Rating: 8/10 Benefits: Taking out enemies will be much easier. Less shots to destroy a target means less time that the enemies will have to destroy you. This is especially true in "Razor Rendevous" and "Battle of Endor" since you go up against Imperial Star Destroyers that have multiple gun turrets. Mission: Battle of Hoth Mission Section: Section 3 Location: After the cut scene where an AT-AT destroys Echo Base's shield generator, fly back to where the shield generator used to be. The tech upgrade will be right there. Grab it and continue on with the mission. d. Advanced Cluster Missiles Purpose: Cluster Missiles cause more damage. How to Use: The Cluster Missiles will cause damage when they hit a target. Ship(s) Affected: Slave I, TIE Advanced, the Buick Usefulness Rating: 5/10 Benefits: Regular Cluster Missiles can take out TIEs fine. The tech upgrade will only be useful in "Revenge On Yavin." Mission: Prisons of the Maw Mission Section: Section 2 Location: When you are asked do go destroy the communications towers, follow the orange cone on your radar. On the way, you will see a dome- shaped building to your right. Drop one or two bombs on it. After the dust has cleared, swoop down and grab the upgrade inside. e. Advanced Proton Bombs Purpose: Proton Bombs cause more damage. How to Use: The Proton Bombs will cause damage when they hit a target. Ship(s) Affected: Y-Wing Usefulness Rating: 7/10 Benefits: Though taking out groups of AT-PTs won't be any easier, the tech upgrade will help when bombing the communications relays in the level "Prisons of the Maw." Mission: Razor Rendevous Mission Section: Section 1 Location: Right when the mission starts, speed over to the Imperial Star Destroyer and over it. You should see an Imperial Lambda Shuttle trying to escape. Some TIEs should be around protecting it. Destroy it before it gets away. If it gets shot down and spins out of control, the tech upgrade will appear where the the Lambda Shuttle started to spin. f. Homing Proton Torpedoes Purpose: Proton Torpedoes will home in on an enemy after you've locked onto it. How to Use: Tap the B button to bring up the homing reticule. A target close to the reticule will have a green ring around it. Once that ring turns red, tap B again to fire. Ship(s) Affected: X-Wing, Y-Wing (while playing "Death Star Attack"), B- Wing, Naboo Starfighter Usefulness Rating: 4/10 Benefits: It's really more annoying then useful. It can't lock onto an Imperial Star Destroyer's shield generator or its command deck. To dumbfire, you must tap B twice quickly. It will be useful when you want to destroy distant TIEs, but that's it. Mission: Vengeance On Kothlis Mission Section: Section 1, Section 2, Section 3, Section 4 Location: Throughout the whole mission, you are able to grab this tech upgrade. There is a hole in the right side of the command tower on the Imperial Star Destroyer when looking at it from the back. I have found that it is easiest to fly through the hole from the front. Some people can't seem to make it through with the X-Wing because of its wing-span, so play it safe and fly through with the Y-Wing during your bombing run. You can't get the upgrade while you're in the Speeder, though, because of its low flight ceiling do to the fact that it is a repulsor craft. g. Advanced Concussion Missiles Purpose: Concussion Missiles will cause more damage. How to Use: The Concussion Missiles will cause damage when they hit a target. Ship(s) Affected: A-Wing, Millennium Falcon Usefulness Rating: 5/10 Benefits: Almost useless, because if you enjoy using these craft, you wouldn't be shooting your Concussion Missiles anyway. You'd be happy with the speed. Mission: Imperial Academy Heist (Day) Mission Section: Section 1 Location: The Imperial Academy is set up like a "+" sign. The top of the "+" sign is where the Lambda Shuttle is. The right of the Imperial Academy will have a hangar. Fly through that to acquire the upgrade. h. Spread Proton Bombs Purpose: After the primary proton bomb's explosion, a cluster of weaker bombs will spring forward and cause damage to anything they hit. How to Use: Tap the B button to bring up the bombing reticule. After the primary bomb explodes, a weaker cluster of bombs will spring forward and cause damage to anything they hit. Ship(s) Affected: Y-Wing Usefulness Rating: 9/10 Benefits: The cluster of weaker bombs do not count towards or against your accuracy. This upgrade will be useful in both "Prisons of the Maw" and "Vengeance On Kothlis," because the targets are bunched together. Mission: Imperial Academy Heist (Night) Mission Section: Section 1, (Section 2) Location: You may or may not steal the TIE Fighter before approaching the Imperial Academy. The Imperial Academy is set up like a "+" sign. The top of the "+" sign is where the Lambda Shuttle is. The left of the Imperial Academy will have a hangar. Fly through that to acquire the upgrade. Alternate Strategies: Mr. Cactus said: "Here's a nifty little trick to make Upgrade getting in Imperial Academy Heist very easy. Start the level at night (in Snowspeeder) and steal the TIE Fighter. If you don't do anything too suspicious you can fly around the entire level and collect the Upgrade without TIEs shooting at you." i. Homing Concussion Missiles Purpose: Concussion Missiles will home in on an enemy after you've locked onto it. How to Use: One target lock: Tap the B button to bring up the homing reticule. A target close to the reticule will have a green ring around it. Once the ring turns red, tap B again to fire. Multiple target lock: Turn on the Targeting Computer. Tap the B button to bring up the homing reticule. A target close to the reticule will have a green ring around it. Once the ring turn red, continue to follow that target. Another target close to the reticule will then have a green ring around it. The red ring will appear. You can now tap the B button once again to fire your concussion missiles at those two targets. Or you can continue locking on to additional targets. You can lock on up to 4 targets. Ship(s) Affected: A-Wing, Millennium Falcon Usefulness Rating: 8/10 Benefits: So it DOES have a use. They're kind of like different cluster missiles, but you have to wait to lock on. Mission: Raid On Bespin Mission Section: Section 1 Location: Right when the mission starts, take out the balloon and tell your wingmen to go after the TIEs. Speed to the next platform and destroy that long rod-shaped ship. It will take out a good amount of those gas containers on the platform, but not enough to ruin your chances of completing the mission. After the explosions, you will see the tech upgrade on the platform. Fly through or slightly above it to acquire the upgrade. Alternate Strategies: jfren484 said: "I was able to get the upgrade on the Raid On Bespin without destroying the gas tanks. Two different ways, actually. It is possible (although very difficult) to fly under the tanks and get the upgrade. An even easier way is to fly down into the center of the tank platform from above, with the brakes on full, and circle the inside ring. You may not even see the upgrade, but if you stay close to the tanks and complete the circle, you'll get it and you can fly up and away without destroying friendlies." j. Homing Cluster Missiles Purpose: Each part of a cluster missile will home in on different targets after they are fired. How to Use: After firing the primary missile, it will split up into 6 separate missiles. They will home in automatically to enemy and sometimes friendly targets. Ship(s) Affected: Slave I, TIE Advanced, the Buick Usefulness Rating: 10/10 Benefits: This upgrade is the only reason why Slave I doesn't completely suck. With Slave I and this upgrade, a Gold medal in "Ison Corridor Ambush" will be a piece of cake. Homing Cluster Missiles is also essential in "Triumph of the Empire." Mission: Battle of Endor Mission Section: Section 2 Location: The upgrade will be located where the left Imperial Star Destroyer stops falling. You can get it before destroying the left Imperial Star Destroyer, but it is easier to destroy it first and then use it as a reference point. Once the Imperial Star Destroyer has stopped falling, it should be pitched down in an odd position. Fly towards the underside of it. You should see a rectangle of white stripes. That is the hangar. Almost fly into it, but get out of there once you hear the narrator tell you that you've got it. Note that you can't see it while the Imperial Star Destroyer is there, but you can before it starts falling. Alternate Strategies: kyl14 said: "A much easier way to get it is when you just finished destroying all TIE bombers and seeing the cut scene, you'll be in a different direction toward the Star Destroyer, but don't move. lLook between the Star Destroyer and the planet, and you should see a little shimmering light. That's the upgrade. Keep your eyes on it until you eventually run into it to get the upgrade." k. Advanced Targeting Computer Purpose: The Targeting Computer stays on without you holding down the Y button. You can also tell your wingmen to go after specific targets. How to Use: Tap the Y button to bring up the targeting computer. It will stay on until you tap Y again. To tell your wingmen to go after specific targets, tap left or right on the D-pad once targets on the screen appear with white arrows around them. You can also choose targets by moving the C-stick. Ship(s) Affected: All ships except TIE Fighter and TIE Advanced Usefulness Rating: 9/10 Benefits: You no longer have a reason to complain about not being able to fire while holding the Y button down. Telling your wingmen to go after specific targets is also helpful. Mission: Strike At the Core Mission Section: Section 2 Location: When you finally get to the straightway and you see the reactor core, fly low and to the right. There will be four or five brackets of four pipes. Fly under the last bracket to get the tech upgrade. Be careful not to crash, though. You won't lose the upgrade, but you will have to start section 2 all over again. I don't recommend doing this in the Millennium Falcon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ VII. Contact ------------------------------------------------------------------------ If for some reason you'd like to talk to me, read below: Email address: imalilpissed@hotmail.com Please follow these guidelines if you want to write to me: 1. Don't ask me questions that have already been answered in this FAQ. 2. I'll be glad to give you credit if you help me with my FAQ in any way. 3. Don't send me chain letters, or otherwise known as "Fwds" because they really piss me off. 4. Please title the email "Your RL Tech Upgrade FAQ" or something along those lines, so I know that it is concerning this FAQ and none of my other ones. AIM Screen name: ImaLilPissed If you have any questions that haven't been answered in this FAQ, you can sometimes find me signed on with this screen name. If you have any alternate strategies, feel free to send them in. If they actually do work, I'll put them here and give you credit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ VIII. Credits ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - I must thank you CJayC for allowing me to post my work on GameFAQs - I give thanks to CyricZ, since his FAQ was the one that helped me find all of the upgrades in the first place. His incredible FAQ can be found here: http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/file/rogue_leader_a.txt - I thank Jay (jfren484), Mr. Cactus, Gamefreak1, and kyl14 for their Alternate Strategies - I thank snooozer for making me realize one of my questions in the FAQ had a false answer - I thank TurnDragoZeroV2G for reminding me to add the Buick to the Ship(s) Affected of the Advanced Cluster Missiles Tech Upgrade section and the Homing Cluster Missiles Tech Upgrade section - I also must thank the many people who have tech upgrade problems and ask questions about them in this game. I wouldn't have made this FAQ without them - Finally, I thank Nintendo, LucasArts, and Factor 5 for giving people like me an incredible game to play ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IX. Legal Stuff ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I really do not mind if anyone alters my work, as long as you give credit where it is due. Don't plagiarize. If you'd like to post my work somewhere, please make sure you state that it is the work of me, ImaLilPissed. Thank you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ X. Conclusion ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This being my first FAQ, I'm very happy with it. Please use this FAQ to your advantage. Tech upgrades will help you tremendously in the missions of the great game: Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader. And it's good to be prepared if you want to become a true Rogue Leader. May the Force be with you.