* Metal Gear Acid 2 * Point Farming Guide * By CheapGamer (Chaoxytal@Gmail.Com) <------------------------------------------------------------> There've been an increasing number of topics on the MGA2 forum asking for quick/easy/efficient ways of acquiring points, and rather than explain the infamous Cargo Train Exploit over and over again, I figured that it would just be best to make a FAQ dedicated to describing it in detail, in order to not only remedy said problem, but to also contribute something to the MGA2 page as well, since it is rather lacking at the moment. :P <------------------------------------------------------------> The Cargo Train Exploit The Cargo Train Exploit is quite possibly the most efficient method of acquiring points in the entire game. Not only is it extremely fast and extremely simple, but you can do it with nothing but common cards as well. Basically, after you've cleared the Cargo Train mission (which is around 7 or so levels into the game), you can go back and select it for "Elimination Mode". On the train you will find yourself up against quite a few Sukiyaki Boxes (the armored mobile units with vulcan shots). There are eight Sukiyaki Boxes in total, and they are positioned as shown on the map of the train below. ----- | O O | "O" = Sukiyaki Box (70 Hit Points) | O O | "X" = Empty Tile | X X | "S" = Snake's Starting Position | X X | "V" = Venus's Starting Position ----- ----- | O X | | O X | | X O | | X X | ----- ----- | X X | | O X | | X X | | X X | ----- ----- | X X | | X X | | S V | | X X | ----- The main thing that makes this mission so easy is that no matter how much time you waste, the Sukiyaki Boxes will never move or attack, as long as you stay on the tile you started on, allowing you to effectively eliminate all eight boxes with ease. In order to destroy them without moving, you'll need some long-range weaponry, preferably the Stinger Missile class weapons (FIM-92 A/B/C). In addition to this, you can use a card called "Military Gain", which grants an additional +400 points per enemy killed while standing atop it. You can upgrade the Military Gains to Military Gain+, which give an additional +600 points, for a grand total of 1,000 points per kill. Furthermore, you can double both the points gained from completing the mission as well as the points gained from Military Gain+ by using the card "Big Boss". If you manage to kill all eight Sukiyaki Boxes while standing on the Military Gain+ card after Big Boss has been used, you'll be netting yourself a grand total of 25,600 points. At least that's the point total for extreme mode. It may be even more for easier difficulties. <------------------------------------------------------------> Setting Up The Decks Before entering the Elimination Mode, make sure to set up both Snake and Venus's decks so that they're capable of quickly dispatching machines. In order to maximize your efforts, it would be wise to set up the decks so that they're not only strong, but speedy as well. If you can, set up both characters with the following. 4x FIM92-A 4x FIM92-B 4x FIM92-C 4x Military Gain+ 2x Johnny Sasaki 2x Johnny Sasaki+ Of course your decks don't have to look exactly like that, but it helps to have an abundance of Stingers and/or RPG7s. Hell, you can even use Nikita Missiles if you want, or Grenade+, anything that has large area of effect damage works nicely. In addition, if you have any Big Boss cards, put as many of them as possible on Snake. Adding cost reducers would be wise as well, since if your final cost gets too high you risk getting your S-Rank bumped down to an A-Rank or B-Rank. <------------------------------------------------------------> Battle When you start the mission, take out the Sukiyaki Boxes in the following order. It's not necessary to do this, but it saves time as well as turns. ----- | O O | | O 2 | | X X | | X X | ----- ----- | O X | | 1 X | | X O | | X X | ----- ----- | X X | | 3 X | | X X | | X X | ----- ----- | X X | | X X | | S V | | X X | ----- Step 1 - Lay down a Military Gain+ card and then fire a stinger at the Box in position #1 on the above map. The impending explosion will be enough to take out both of the adjacent Boxes. Remember to only do this AFTER you have layed down your Military Gain+ card, otherwise you just wasted +3,000 points. Step 2 - If you're still in control of the same character, go ahead and fire another stinger at the box in position #2. Again, the impending explosion will take out the surrounding boxes. Likewise, do not fire unless you are standing on a Military Gain+ card. If it hasn't shown up in your starting hand, then either discard or use a Sasaki. Don't be afraid to gain a bit of cost as you can still get an S-Rank with under 40 to 50. Step 3 - After Box 1 and Box 2 have been shot, you should only have one Box left, Box #3, which is directly in front of Snake. Before killing this last Box, make SURE that you have used the Big Boss card (if you have it). If it hasn't shown up in your hand, simply wait it out, because it is worth it. Performing all of the above should have only taken you 1 to 3 minutes, tops, provided you have the necessary cards and know what you're doing. Once you get a hang of how the proceure works you'll be gaining points very quickly. Repeat as necessary, and make sure to check the card shop singles for any new rare cards that may appear after each run through. <------------------------------------------------------------> Closing Well, that's pretty much it. Hopefully you'll be able to rack up the points now. One thing I must note is that it's a bit easier to do during your second playthrough, because by then you have enough cards and a decent enough deck to begin tinkering around with it. Plus I'm sure you have an ample amount of points to serve as "seed money" for investing in the obtaining of the aforementioned cards. :P <------------------------------------------------------------> Credits/Thanks/Disclaimer/Legal/Etc Special thanks goes to the GameFAQs MGA2 forum community, as well as Konami itself for making such an extraordinary game. Credit goes to all of the dozens and dozens of people who helped many others with said information numerous times. This wasn't exactly anyone's own idea, but rather a collective of ideas regarding both the Cargo Train Exploit as well as the best methods to approach it. Metal Gear Acid 2 and it's related characters, weapons, terms, etc are properties of their respective owners. This is a non-profit guide created solely to aid those who are seeking info regarding said game. No copyright infringement is intended or implied.