Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday Walkthrough (Genesis)

Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday Walkthrough (Genesis)

~By tankMage (July 2018)

Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday Home PageSega Genesis Game Catalog

Introduction

Thanks for checking out our Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday for the Sega Genesis Walkthrough! This guide includes step by step instructions for each mission, a bestiary, and a collection of tips. For information on stat mechanics, classes, and skills, visit our Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday Character Creation Guide. Many of the missions that appear in Buck Rogers are not necessary to complete in order to progress through the game. Such missions are labeled “Optional” in this walkthrough and the player can compete them in almost any order or skip them altogether. Many scenarios can be solved in number of ways, or may turn out differently depending on the player’s decisions and party composition. For the sake of brevity I generally provide the most direct method of completing a mission or solving a problem.

This is a companion to my Buck Rogers Countdown to Doomsday Character Creation Guide, which can be found here: https://retromaggedon.com/index.php/buck-rogers-countdown-to-doomsday-character-creation-guide-genesis/

Contents

1. Walkthrough (Part 1)

2. Walkthrough (Part 2)

3. Walkthrough (Part 3)

4. Appendix

   a. Tips

   b. Zero G Maneuvering Check “Armor Class Bug”

   c. Enemies

   d. Space Combat for Fun and Profit

5. References

1. Walkthrough

Part 1: Chicagorg Spaceport

ItemsExplosive Grenades x2

Your party will start out at the Chicagorg NEO Base. A brief intro will take place and the base will come under attack soon afterwards. Once the attack has begun, a dying officer will tell you to reactivate the missile defense system in order to drive away the Terrine invaders. The missile defense control is located in the southeastern portion of the main building, take a few steps south, then west to enter the main building (two dead NEO soldiers flank the door). You’ll probably be attacked by some Terrines the moment you enter. Luckily, NEO soldiers will join you in these battles. Take advantage of them by moving any that fall under your control to the front line so they can catch bullets for you. There’s not a lot to see here, but you can find some Explosive Grenades by visiting the medical officer’s room in the southeastern most end of the building twice. An orderly will force you out the first time you enter the medical officer’s room, return to it to get the grenades.

Head over to the room in the northeastern section and prepare yourself for a tougher battle before entering the door that leads to the missile control room. You’ll be surrounded by 6 Terrines and a Terrine Leader. Use one of the explosive grenades you found in the Medical Officer’s room on the largest cluster of Terrines to soften them up and even outright kill them. If you don’t have any explosive grenades, use a dazzle grenade to blind them. Try to back up against the northern wall to keep the enemy from getting rear attacks. Concentrate your attacks on the leader if he is still alive, then systematically kill the others. Use first aid to bring back anyone who dies.

The guy operating the missile console will begin shooting at you after the battle. You’re given three choices:

1.Shoot

2.Charge

3.Take Cover

Select Charge, because the other options will end in failure.  After choosing Charge, select the “Dive on grenade” option and have someone with high HP perform the act. The grenade will do roughly 12 damage to the character you had dive on it. This will complete the mission and you will be given 2000 Experience points as well as 1000 Credits.

Part 2: Salvation III

Carlton Turabian, commander of Salvation III will tell you to report to him for a briefing. There’s a hallway to the east which leads to the rest of the space station. You may be prompted with a question asking if you want to launch upon approaching the door to the hallway, just choose “Exit” and take a few steps west to get through the door. Here’s a brief list of the Salvation III’s services:

Launchpad (Rocket Sign): Enter this area to hop in your spaceship and travel the solar system.

Lounge (Martini Glass Sign): Stop here to get a drink.

Medical Facility (Red Cross Sign): Enter this room for free healing.

Depot (Gun Sign): You can buy and sell weapons and armor here.

Headquarters (HQ Sign): Come here for briefings.

Buy some antidotes (you’ll need them for the next mission), new weapons, armor, and anything else you need, then sell your old junk. Talk to Carlton who will give you a new mission: investigate some debris around Earth. He will also offer training to heroes who have earned enough experience to level up, be sure to boost the Zero G Maneuvering skill in preparation for the next mission. Buy a few antidotes from the shop as well. Make a backup save, this next mission can go horribly wrong, then walk back to the launchpad and blast off.

Part 3: The Derelict Ship

ItemsAntidote x5

Note: You may notice changes in the AC and THAC0 scores of some of your party members. This comes from falling a Zero G Maneuvering check. See Appendix B for more information on Zero G.  

If you haven’t made a backup save, do so the moment you enter this area, there’s a real possibility of failure here and you probably don’t want to have to start over. Messages warning the player that something is wrong with members of his or her party will pop up as the party moves around here. Eventually an affected character will become comatose. After some time the comatose character will rise up and attack the rest of the party. Hit them with everything you have if this happens. It’s best to hurry forward and not explore, because of the time constraint.

You’ll encounter Gennies and RAM Robots here. Both enemies have a large and small variant, with the larger ones being tougher. Watch out for the Gennies, because the small ones can make your heroes dizzy (which lowers their ability to hit and dodge) with their attacks. The large Gennies can poison you, luckily both types can only use melee attacks. It’s worth noting that the L.D. and H.D. RAM Bots use lasers and the H.D. Robots seem to resist attacks from Rocket Pistols.

Deck 2 (Starting Point)

Go into the room that is just southwest of the entrance. There’s a body and some tape floating around here, walk around the room to pick up the tape; it holds an important clue for later. Go up the ladder in the northeast.

Deck 3

Go up the ladder a second time after reaching this deck.

Deck 4

Directly south of the ladder is the medical room. Enter the first door and use the computer you find inside, then take it. You’ll also find 5 antidotes. Go into the next room and use one of the automated surgeons. It’ll ask you for a password, select “Williams” and the surgeon will remove the parasites from your party. You’ll also gain 500 Exp and be inoculated against the parasites, yay! Come back here for healing anytime.

You can do some exploring now that those pesky brain parasites have been removed. The room to the north has a few clues about what happened here and the room next to the medical bay has some empty canisters in it. There’s a console in the southwest corner of the room, operating it will cause a Large E.C. Gennie to attack. Watch out for it’s poison and focus your fire on it. Go over to the air vent north of the console and climb up to floor 5*.

*Battles can take place in these vents. You’ll be attacked by three E.C. Gennies and the character at the front or back of the party must fight alone. Killing the Gennies will net the entire party a nifty 375 Exp and 200 Bonus Exp for the character that fought the battle. This is a great way to build your party’s levels up, but you’ll have to swap heroes around in the party line up if you want them to get the bonus Experience. Weak characters run the risk of dying here, luckily the enemy will retreat if you lose and you won’t get a game over.

Deck 5

Just south of the vent is the main security console. You can shut down the security robots in the next room if you have a Rogue. Your Rogue will get 250 Exp if she/he succeeds, but the robots will attack if your Rogue fails. In that case, you’ll have to fight 6 H.D. RAM robots that attack from two sides. The battle is not too challenging if you use sound tactics and concentrate your fire to burn them down one at a time. Enter the room east of the vent and talk to Dos by approaching the computer near the door, then use the second console. Dos will tell you to find argon gas on deck 1 or 4 and pump it into the ship’s ventilation system. You cannot enter deck 6 at this point, so head down to deck 3. Scot Dos will update you on the ECG’s behavior from time to time, but don’t worry about his warnings.

Deck 3

Enter the room just south of the vent and inspect the body in the southwest corner of the chamber. You’ll find a diary in the next room over and a folder containing notes about the ECGs in the third room along the southern portion of the ship. There’s nothing in the room to the north, so go down the ladder to deck 2.

Deck 2

Go into the room west of the ladder. You’ll be attacked by a plant and given three options:

Attack- kills plant, but attacker takes about 10 damage. Earn 250 Exp.

Watch- not a good choice, ends in death.

Flee- another bad choice, also ends in death.

Choose attack, take the Experience and move on. Note the room that is accessed via the door in the southwestern corner of deck 2. All the way back at the end of the hallway is the console that you have to hook the argon up to.

Finding the Argon (Deck 1 or 4)

Go down to deck 1 and check the room in the far southeast corner to find the argon. The game seems to suggest that the argon could also be on deck 4, but I have never found it there nor did the writer of the guide I used as a reference (see “References” at the end of this walkthrough).

Deck 2

Go through the door south of the vent and follow the path. You may get attacked by a large ECG here, kill it and keep moving. Walk up to the console at the end of the hall to hook up the argon and get 500 Exp. Now you’ll have to head down to deck 1. You may get attacked from behind by a large ECG while leaving the room, have everyone back away and blast it.

Deck 1

Return to deck 1 and have someone with high jury rig your Rocket Jock work on the console on the eastern wall. Enemies will attack and you’ll be given two choices:

Stand- This buys your Rocket Jock just enough time to jury rig the system and the enemies will go down without a fight. You’ll be awarded 1000 Exp.

Retreat- The ECGs will swarm you and a battle with about 7 Large ECGs and several smaller ones will commence. This battle is designed to kill the player, but good tactics and some luck can save the day. I was able to beat the ECGs using a party that had a Medic,  3 Warriors, a Rocket Jock, and a Rogue. The Warriors all had Needle Guns and I used Dazzle as well as Explosive Grenades on clusters of ECGs for the first two turns to soften them up. The rest of the party used Rocket Pistols and I focused on killing one Large ECG at a time. While I managed to win, it was a close call and half the party was poisoned. The reward for winning this fight is 700 Exp, so it is not really worth the time in my opinion. You’ll also get the 1000 Exp for fixing the system after the battle.

Deck 6

Start heading up to deck 6 after fixing the ventilation system and you’ll get a message from Scot Dos who will tell you to hustle up to deck 6. Go straight to deck 6, because the ship will explode after you take 20 steps.  Climb the ladder and go through the door to the south once you get to deck 6. The computer will likely start counting after you enter the room. The computer console is in the northern end of the room, save your game before waking up to the computer and shutting down the self destruct.

An enemy will emerge from the airlock and shoot someone in your party dealing a small amount of damage after you abort the self destruct. Two Stage 3 E.C.Gs will emerge from the airlock and attack. They are armed with Martian Needle Guns, Martian Monoswords, and Martian Smartsuits, which make these guys tough customers. Stay out of melee range and try to flank them to get around their high AC. Have your weaker heroes back away to keep them out of range (Needle Guns have a max range of 18 spaces). You have the advantage of numbers here, so use first aid to revive any fallen allies and keep the pressure on the enemy. Use a Dazzle Grenade on the enemies if you have any to slow the ECGs down a bit. Defeat them to get 120 Exp and get Martian Monoswords, Needle Guns, and Smartsuits.

The party will step into the airlock only to find yet another Stage 3 E.C.G. setting a bomb. You’ll be given two options:

Shoot- Kills enemy and the party escapes.  The game awards the player 1000 Exp and the derelict ship becomes yours.

Flee- The bad guy will chuck the bomb at you and everyone in your party will take massive damage. You will get the same rewards if you manage to survive.

Part 4: Salvation III and the Inner Planets

Use Salvation III’s services if need be, then talk to Turabian at HQ. Apparently there are three RAM installations that need “investigation”: Ceres, Gradivus Mons on Mars, and one on Venus. The commander will tell you to visit Ceres first. The game opens up at this point and the player can explore a number of areas now. Enemy spaceships will attack you while you are in space, so be careful. Players should consider engaging in some space combat and boarding enemy ships in hopes of capturing them. A captured enemy ship can sell for several thousand credits (unfortunately these go into a special ship repair fund) and the gear you can loot off of the slain crew is worth a pretty penny too. See Appendix D for more on space combat.

Recommended Purchases

Below are some items that you should consider buying while exploring the various space ports floating around the solar system. Many of the things on this list can wait, particularly the Battle Armor with fields, but players should at least buy the ECM packages and Venusian Laser Pistols.

New Elysium (Venus)- Venusian Laser Pistol 2680 Credits

Thule (Asteroid)- Martian Rocket Pistol 2000 Credits

Hygeria (Asteroid)- Grenade Launcher 1000 Credits

Juno (Asteroid)- Stun/Chaff Grenades 200, ECM Package 200 Credits

Aurora (Asteroid)- Battle Armor W/Fields 12000 Credits

Tycho (Earth)- Lunarian Monosword 32000 Credits

Part 5: Ceres Asteroid Base

Items2 Antidotes2 Aerosol Mist
2 Stun GrenadesECM PackageDazzle Grenade
Explosive Grenade

**Warning**

It is possible to become stuck in this area with no means of escape. Players should not enter this base until they have 2 ranks in Fast Talk and Demolition. The first floor (B1) should be explored thoroughly by the player before he/she descends to B2.

Floor B1

Save your game upon entering, then follow the hallway. A RAM official will appear and ask if you are with the emergency response team. Choose the Bluff option and the RAM official will let you pass, you’ll also get 500 Exp. It is best to load up your save and try to bluff again if your first attempt fails, because you’ll be attacked by RAM guards frequently on this floor and have a hard time exploring otherwise. Go west and talk to the soldier who will tell you to visit the room north of where you are standing. The man in the briefing room will tell you to use the elevator to the south, but why not have a look around the current floor a bit?

Go down the hallway near the briefing and check out the rooms on your left. One is a communication room with nothing significant inside, another holds a woman who asks about the lost children. It is unclear if she is important in anyway, but she leaves the room no matter how you answer. Enter the corridor that runs laterally across the base and check the rooms to find 2 ECM Packs (good for disrupting guided weapons), 2 Stun Grenades, and a Dazzle Grenade. There’s also an Autodoc in the room to the north. Guards will stop you if you try to go further east, so return to the hallway and walk south.

Another soldier will speak to you at the end of the hallway, he’ll give you 2 Demo Charges (hold onto these!), an Explosive Grenade, and two Antidotes. Turn east and walk past the elevator room to the south and into a room with poisoned worker Gennies. Have your Medic heal the Gennies to get 2500 Experience, then go back to the elevator. Save your game and enter the elevator.

Floor B2

ItemsKey Card2 Demo Charges

The elevator shaft will be blown up once you reach B2, so you’ll have to find another way out. You’ll also be attacked by Hyper crabs, snakes, and scorps down here…fun! Head west, then turn north. You can check the rooms to your left for tidbits of information, but there’s nothing important in them. Computer rooms line the northern wall, enter one when you reach it. You can reprogram these computers if you have someone with a few points in the computer skill in your party to get the info you were sent here to retrieve and 750 Exp. If you don’t have a computer whiz, you’ll have to find the keycard and password in another room.  

There should be a hallway that leads south near the first computer room you see, walk down the hallway and enter the second door on your left to get the Key Card. Go further down the corridor, past the intersection, and a dying guard will appear. Just south of him is another room that should be on your left (or to the west if you’re facing a different direction) with the password “DNA” in it. Now you can return to the computer room and get the intel. Or you can finish exploring this hallway to find a barricaded door to the south. Use a demo charge to blow the door open for a cool 750 Exp. You’ll find some children and one will tell you the DNA password, which you already have.

Go south from the room with the kids to find a chamber to the east, inside you’ll find the Doomsday Laser plans and 250 Experience. You’ll also find a Doomsday Laser prototype in the next room. Return to the intersection, walk east, and enter the first room you see to the north at the next intersection to find two demo charges. Take them, they may come in handy. You can check out the other rooms to the north and south in this hallway to find plot related stuff if you like.

Walk back up to the northern intersection, then go east to find the final hallway. Once again, you can explore the rooms to the north to get some plot dialogue if you wish. When ready, check the first room to the west (in the southern section of the area) in the final corridor to find some trapped Rabbit Gennies. Some hyper Gennies will attack, kill them to get 750 Exp. There’s not much in the other rooms in this corridor, aside from some Hyper Gennies in the last room on the left hand side. Kill them to get 500 bonus Experience and Milo Philips’ ID card from one of the kids. Head west after you reach the end of the hallway and enter the elevator room. One of the children will hand you a rope when you enter the shaft, which will allow you to return to B1.

Floor B1

Walk east, then north past some rooms to find an overturned cart for some Aerosol Mist Grenades and Antidotes. You can check the cluster of rooms to the south to find someone’s grandfather if you like; in fact you may want to, because finding him seems to result in more bonus experience later on. It’s possible to explore the first floor entirely, but there isn’t much of interest here aside from some info on Gravidus Mons in a room near the center of the floor. Go northeast to find the evacuation ship when you are ready. The rabbits, kids, and old-timer will hop on the escape ship and you’ll get 1500 Exp.

Part 6: Pirate Ship

A pirate ship will attack you as soon as the party leaves Ceres base. You can Hail, Ram, or Flee the enemy, but they’ll attempt to board you no matter what you do. The game will then give you option of fighting the boarding party or surrendering. It doesn’t matter which option you choose, since your party will end up in a cell either way. Surrendering will save time, but some players may want the Exp and loot from fighting three waves of pirate leaders\warriors.

A guard will let you out of the cell after you are captured, you can follow him or run, but both choices lead to the party being taken to see Talon, who will challenge you to a duel. The fight with Talon is probably unwinnable, since you have no weapons or armor, and seem to always fail the Zero G check regardless of your skill. It’s also possible to decline the challenge, which will save time and ensure that your entire party has full HP going forward. Back at your cell, the game will prompt you to bypass the security, reprogram it, or simply wait. Once again, it doesn’t matter what you do, because Buck Rogers will show up and save the day.

Floor 3: Cell block

Items2 Stun Grenades2 Demo Charges
ECM Package2 Antidotes

Go east from your cell and enter the last cell to find 2 Stun Grenades, 2 Demo Charges, and an ECM Package. Head through the door to the north to find a ladder. Cabins are on either side of the ladder and you’ll be attacked if you enter them. North of the ladder is a room with an Autodoc inside. It is possible to reprogram the Autodoc to heal you, but failing the skill check will result in a battle with more pirates. A small room is located on the western side of the medical room. Enter it to get 2 Antidotes. Return to the ladder and go up to reach floor 2.

Floor 2

ItemsRocket Launcher2 Demo Charges2 Explosive grenades
Mercurian Cutlass5 Heat Guns10 Cutlasses2 Grenade Launchers
8 Stun Grenades5 Heavy Body Armors5 Needle Guns

Visit the armory to the west of the ladder and attack the guards within. Buck will tell you to loot the armory, which holds a Rocket Launcher, 2 Demo Charges,  2 Explosive Grenades, a Mercurian Cutlass, 5 Heat Guns, 10 Cutlasses, 2 Grenade Launchers, 8 Stun Grenades, 5 Heavy Body Armors, and 5 Needle Guns. Hang on to the Rocket Launcher, it’s an excellent weapon. Visit the dining area to the south if you are looking for a fight. Head up to the northern door here when you are done with this area. Buck will point out that the door is trapped. Bypass the trap yourself and get 1000 Exp if you have a rogue or have Buck do it. Enter the room and have someone check the computer for a cool 1000 Experience. Now head over to the galley to the south and fight the pirates in the mess hall if you haven’t already. The galley is a small room in the north eastern part of the mess hall, go in and place the charges to cause havoc and get 5000 Experience. Now head down to floor 4.

Floor 4

Charge the guards and get ready to fight some tough enemies. Have your group spread out to make it harder for the robots to hit you with grenades. This is a great time to use the Rocket Launcher if you can position your heroes so they are out of the way.  Concentrate on the robots with your warriors and mop the other enemies up with the rest of the team. After that, go into the room to the west and walk up to the computers to destroy them. Another set of computers is along the back wall in the room to the north and a final set of computers is on the eastern end of the same room. Once that is done, Buck will tell you to go to the tube on floor 2, but you can fight Talon on floor 1 of you want. There isn’t much of a reward for the fight with Talon and the 2 Pirate Robots that assist him are dangerous, but Talon himself is a push over. At any rate, go over to the eastern door on floor 2 to leave and get 10000 Exp when you are done!

**Warning**

Stronger enemy spaceships like RAM Heavy Cruisers and Pirate ships will start appearing after you clear this portion of the game. Use caution when engaging these enemies, because some of them can easily destroy your rocketship.

2. Walkthrough (Part 2)

Part 7: Psyche (Optional)

Preparation

Unload any loot you have back at Salvation and level up. Get your Rocket ship repaired while you’re at it, then head over to the bar at Pallas. Enter Rhonda’s Bar and select the mingle option. Garrity should give you the password to Talon’s base, which will come in handy later.

Psyche Floor 1

Items8 Explosive Grenades

Set out for Psyche for now, which is in the northwest quadrant of the solar system…. usually. You’ll get a distress signal when you reach Psyche, so select the “asteroid” option to investigate. Go east, then south and enter the first room you see. ECGs will attack, take ‘em out and go through the door to the east that leads to some passages. Follow the northern passage as it leads east and you’ll find 8 Explosive Grenades at the end of the hall. The game will also give you the option to set the rest of the explosives that you found here to blow, hold off on that for now. Go back to where you entered this hallway and head south. To the west you will see a small alcove, ECGs attack if you go up to it,  but they drop good loot, you’ll also perform a public service by destroying the brood they were protecting. To the east is a similar alcove.

Walk east upon entering the base, then go north when the path splits and enter the first door you see on your right, which should be the comm room. Some ECGs will attack, destroy them. You’ll meet a dying miner here who will fill you in on some plot stuff. Go back to where you found the explosives and set it for at least 30, then high-tail it back to the entrance. Some ECGS (a few large ECGs and stage 3s) will try to stop you from leaving, defeat them. Leave the asteroid and it will explode.

Part 8: Thule Prison (Optional)

Items3 Chaff GrenadesStun Grenade

Note: Many of the enemies in this area use powerful area of effect weapons and are resistant to Rocket Pistols as well as Lasers. Players may want to double check their gear before entering and buy some Monoswords or Needle Guns. Chaff Grenades work well here too.

Tip: It is possible to leave and re-enter Thule Prison to heal up without losing progress. All of the robots the party has defeated will remain defeated when you return. This makes this area much less difficult. Special thanks to the anonymous visitor who shared this tip.

Fly over to Thule after making preparations and save as soon as you enter; the enemies here are quite deadly. Go through the door south of the entrance and fight the RAM Combat Bot. Try to spread out if possible to minimize the damage you take from the robot’s rocket launcher. Consider leveling up a bit of this enemy gives you trouble. Continue south along the hallway and pass through another set of doors. Another robot will attack the party, this time your enemy is a pair of RAM Assault Bots. Use similar tactics and maybe some Chaff grenades to defeat them.

You’ll find yourself in a midsized room with a door to the west and one to the south, enter the room to the south, then destroy the robot that attacks you. Go through the door to the east and fight yet another robot, then walk over to the computers, the one on your right can be reprogrammed, which will deactivate the hostile robots, the team will also get 500 Exp for reprogramming the defense system. Now go back into the room you came from and reenter the room with two doors, then go through the western door. Walk south and you’ll find a man crushed between some boulders; the party will find 3 Chaff Grenades and a Stun Grenade on the body.

Head back to the computer room and go through the door to the north, then check the first cell you see to find Jason Dupre. There are other prisoners in the cells, but none of them seem important. Go back to your ship with Jason in tow to complete the mission. Visit Salvation III to get a thank you and resupply the team.

Part 9: Hygeria RAM Communications Base (Optional)

Items2 Explosive Grenades4 Chaff Grenades

You’ll need someone with at least two points in library research to find the location of this mission, luckily this portion of the game is optional and it’s not the end of the world if you cannot find the hidden base. Pay Juno a visit by flying over to earth and selecting the planet as you would if you were going to Salvation. Walk north in Juno to find a library and search the stacks until you find info on a hidden base located on Hygeria.*

* This section may contain an error and the library may be in Tycho, not Juno. Try both Juno and Tycho if you are having trouble finding a library.

Fly over to Hygeria, a large asteroid, and select the option to enter the communications center. A robot will attack the moment you enter. By now you should be familiar with RAM Combat Robots, so deal with this one as you would the rest. Move east, then take a few steps south to find some cages. Desert Apes (about eight in total) will attack once you reach the cages. You can check the cage to the southwest if you want to fight some more apes and get another 800 Exp, but avoid the cage to the east. The apes inside the eastern cage will throw rocks and damage the team, so there’s no use in visiting them.

Go back to the area where you fought the first set of apes and head up the hallway to the north, then walk east to find a door to a room full of communications equipment and another robot. The party will automatically smash the backup equipment once you defeat the robot. Return to the hallway and enter the door to the north. The base commander is in here, but will flee, leaving you to fight some guards. These guys should be pushovers at this point, since they are garden variety Rocket Pistol wielding RAM Warriors. There’s also a RAM Martian Gennie that uses a Laser Pistol with the rest of the guards, which shouldn’t be a threat. Approach the panel in the northern part of the room to contact NEO and smash the panel. Next walk through the door to the west and fight the RAM Combat Robot. The party will destroy some more communication equipment after the battle.

Head through the door to the north and you’ll see the commander flee yet again. Enter the door to the northeast and fight the technicians, take them down and face the commander, who you do not have to fight. Now go back to the entrance area and take the hallway to the north. Turn east at the end of the hallway and fight the Sand Squids as well as their RAM Warrior trainers. Now go down the hallway just south of where you fought the squids and walk east. Turn south and you’ll come to a dead end with the entrance to the base on the other side of it. The party will find a cache of grenades (2 Explosive Grenades, 4 Chaff Grenades) hidden at the dead end. Leave the base after grabbing the loot.

Part 10: Mars High Desert and Desert Runner Village

ItemsHoming RadioExplosives

Make sure both your party and your ship are in top shape before setting out, then go to Mars and pay the High Desert a visit. A RAM Scout Cruiser will intercept you the moment you try to land. Use Bluff to avoid a fight. If bluff fails you’ll have to destroy the Scout, which should be an easy task. After the battle, the party will land on the High Desert and you can explore using the landing vehicle. Scott mentions a nearby village, travel southeast to find it and watch out for enemies on the way. Enter the village and some Desert Runners will approach. You’ll have to fight to prove yourself and you’ll be given three choices:

1) Step Forward: The best choice, you’ll have to fight a robot, however.

2) Attack: The worst option. The player will end up killing off the Desert Runner Warriors who would otherwise be helpful in coming battles.

3) Talk: You’ll still have to fight the combat robot and it will go first.

Choose option 1 or 3 and defeat the RAM Assault Bot (an enemy that should be familiar at this point) to move along with the game. Remember to spread your party out as much as possible when fighting the bot so it can’t inflict large amounts of damage on clusters of your characters. Defeat the robot and you will be told to see Tuskon in the main square. Walk east until you come to a door. Approach the door and Tukson will pop up.

Some RAM Soldiers will attack after you speak to Tuskon, luckily you’ll have some Desert Runner backup in this battle. Use a Rocket Launcher or Plasma Thrower to thin out the enemy if you have one since there are a lot of attackers. Go south through the doors near Tuskon’s house and fight some more troops. Next walk around town as you wish fighting the random enemies that pop up. The random battles will cease after the third battle and the party will be called back to the town square.

Enter Tuskon’s house in the center of town to get some free healing. RAM will renew their attack on the village, this time with robots as well as soldiers. Try to explore the houses this time around to find some randomly placed demolition equipment. Be careful and save your game, because some of the buildings are booby trapped. You will also have to deal with RAM Assault Bots in this phase as well as Martian Combat Gennies. Destroy about three waves of RAM troops and you’ll be called back to the town square again.  

Tuskon will tell you to find the demolition items I mentioned earlier. It is generally held that the items are randomly generated and placed in the town, which means the placement of each item may vary from game to game. The locations of where I found these items are listed below:

Homing Radio: Small room along the northern half of the eastern wall of the village.

Explosives: Southeastern corner of the village in a rectangular room.

Return to Tuskon’s house and have someone with the demolition skill set the bombs to get 1000 Exp and the radio to get another 1000 Exp. The party and the Desert Runners will escape the village, ending the mission after the trap is set.  

Part 11: Gravidus Mons

ItemsStun Grenades x5ECM Package x4Battle Armor

Entrance and First Floor

Head north from the ruined village, then go east to find the blue door Tuskon mentioned. You will be asked if you will accompany Tuskon to Gravidus Mons, say yes. If you refuse, Tuskon will die and Gravidus Mons will be much harder to clear as a result. Tuskon joins you and the party will automatically travel to Gravidus Mons. Guards will attack the moment the party enters the base, take them out quickly or they will trigger an alarm that will put the entire base on alert. Follow the hallway to the door to the north and open the ape cages in the room to cause some chaos. Do not worry about the apes attacking the party, Tuskon has a way with animals and they will be peaceful once freed. The easiest way to do this is to walk up to the console and open all of the cages at once.

Proceed through the door to the north and go into the first room you see to the west. You’ll find some apes clustered around a RAM Technician, choose “stay” when prompted and you will find some Stun Grenades. Next, enter the room to the east, which has been kindly emptied of guards by the desert apes. Go into the next room to the east and walk down the hallway to the south. You’ll go through another door to an abandoned guard post. Head through the door on the western side of this room, then through the door just below you to find a room with a ladder leading up.

Second Floor

Climb up the ladder, then walk through the double set of doors to the south. Take a few steps east and go through the door to the south to find some info on the Doomsday Laser and Venus. The rest of the rooms in this passage hold about four Guard Dog Gennies and nothing else, so they are not really worth searching. Instead head over to the eastern end of the hall and go south to find a medical room. The Autodoc controls are unfamiliar, but it is possible to operate it safely, just save before attempting to use it and have someone with the programming skill perform the task.

Leave the medical room and go into the room to the north, then walk up to the machine on the northwestern wall of the room. Choose the “Create false alarm” option to trick the remaining guards into deserting the base. Return to the intersection where the medical room is located and go through the door to the west. A group of Martian Gennies and RAM Warriors is waiting for you on the other side, blast through them and operate the console to the north to open the doors. Desert Runners will pour in the facility and some RAM troops will come to its defense. The enemy only consists of four Guard Dogs, so take them out and get ready for your next task.

Go back to the area where you entered this floor, but this time enter the door to the south and walk west. Atha will meet you here and inform you that your target is on the next floor. Use the elevator in the southwest corner of the room to get to the next floor.

Third Floor

Walk through the door north of the elevator and then walk through another door to the east to find the Mini Doomsday Laser. It is possible to self destruct the laser now, but go through the door in the northern part of the room and then enter the small room to the east. A pile of equipment is in this room, search it to get 4 ECM Packages and a Battle Armor. Now go to the console in the laser room and activate the self destruct. Get ready to leave the base and check out the locked door east of the elevator. Have your rogue pick the lock to save a demo charge (the door can be re-attempted if you fail) and go straight through the hallway, ignoring the empty side rooms. The room at the back has an intercom, which Tuskon will use. Return to the elevator, use it to get back to the second floor, and go east to the entryway where you will see Atha. She’ll give you some passcards and the team will get 10000 Experience for destroying the base!

Part 12: Dave’s Diner (Ceres), Hexaburger (Fortuna), and Pavonis (Mars) [Optional]

Two RAM Cruisers and another ship will likely zip past the party on the way to Ceres. Dock at the Ceres Spaceport and visit Dave’s Diner, then choose the mingle option to overhear two RAM officers chatting who will mention Fortuna. Get back in your rocket, head over to Fortuna and land in the Spaceport. Check out Hexaburger and mingle a few times. Eventually some RAM troops will grab a technician, which is your cue to attack. Only about six RAM Warriors stand in your way, so the battle should go in your favor. Justin Robeno will ask your to take him to Pavonis and the team will earn 1500 Experience.

Fly over to Mars and enter Pavonis, then head over to the library. Select the research option and some more RAM Soldiers will rush the party, this time they’ll surround you. ..oh no! Fortunately these guys are wimps and you’ll wipe the floor with them. The party will automatically try to flee after the battle, but yet more enemy soldiers will block you. Grease these guys and the party will jump on their rocketship. Head back to Salvation III and the commander will congratulate you on a job well done. The team gets a handshake and 2000 Experience.

3. Walkthrough (Part 3)

Part 13: Talon’s Base (Aurora) [Optional]

Remember Talon? You can actually visit his base which is located on Aurora. Several RAM Soldiers and Guard Dogs will greet the party as soon as they enter, dispatch them. Enter the room to the north and the commander will send yet more soldiers after you (Do these guys ever learn? ) that will surround you in battle. Luckily they are just more RAM Warriors and Guard Dogs that will wither under your firepower. Go through the door to the west after the fight and get attacked again, this time by some Guard Dogs. There are about seven Gennies in this battle, but they shouldn’t prove dangerous.

Walk north from the door and enter the first door you see to the west. Some technicians, warriors, and Guard Dogs will attack in a large group. Check the consoles in this room after the battle to get 500 Exp for each console. You can check the small room to the northeast of the one you just explored, but the only thing inside is an inactive weapons console. The hallway opens into to a larger room to the south east of the weapons console room. The commander will appear when you approach it. More guards will attack, so get ready to defeat some warriors and dogs.

There is nothing else in the room where you just fought, so go through the door to the east. Some troops may attack (the battle seems random) so be ready to fight. Once you are done with the bad guys, head south to find a door. Enter the room and you’ll see the commander again, this time he’ll throw some Martian Combat Gennies at you along with the usual RAM Warriors. Keep your distance from these troops, because they have grenades. Be sure to check the loot after doing away with the enemy to get a Grenade Launcher as well as a few Explosive Grenades.

Check the console to the west and a robot will emerge from a hidden panel. The robot is a RAM Combat Robot, so make sure you have your Needle Guns ready. Destroy the robot and the mission is complete. Watch out for RAM Combat Robots on your way out, they will randomly attack. Go back to the door you entered the base from to get to safety.

Part 14: Venusian Lowlands and the Lowlander Village

Venusian Lowlands

Next stop, Venus! Select the Venus Lowlands once you fly over to the second planet from the sun. The rover or whatever it is called will get a work out here. Watch out for the enemies on this planet, they are a bit stronger than the beasties that live on Mars. Odds are you will encounter some Venusian Lowlanders while cruising around the planet. They will talk to you, be nice to them and explain that you are with NEO, because they will help the party out if you do so. Agree to drop your weapons as well or the Lowlanders will attack. RAM forces will attack after you drop your weapons, intruding on your conversation. The Lowlanders will join the party in this fight, giving the player a massive advantage, though you should prioritize the RAM Venus Gennies, because they can do a lot of damage with their Grenade Launchers. The leader of the Lowlanders, Leander, will ask to join you after the battle, say “Yes” and get a cool 2000 Exp.

Head north until you reach the purple outlined acid lake. Some Acid Frogs will approach the party and the player will be given the option of fighting, leaving, or befriending the frogs. Choose befriend and have a Warrior with high leadership skills perform the action. The frogs will now help the party fight on Venus. The player will also get 5000 Exp.

Go south and west along the edge of the screen, you should meet another Lowlander who asks if you are with NEO. Answer “Yes” and the creature will tell you that RAM has been harassing it’s family. Suddenly, some RAM troops will attack, choose to fight them. You’ll be pitted against about six Venus Gennies, focus your fire on one Gennie at a time and disperse your party or the Gennies will chew you up with grenades. With any luck the Acid Frogs you befriended earlier will draw some of the enemy fire. The family will thank you after the battle and head off towards the acid lake.

Lowlander Village

ItemsDemo Charges x2Venusian Needle GunVenusian Heavy Body Armor
Antidotes x3Mercurian Rocket PistolVenusian Mono Sword

Return to the area where the party landed and drive north to the Lowlander Village. Enter the room just east of the entrance to find a sleeping officer. The officer has some keys that can be stolen by someone with a decent stealth score. You can also kill him, but he will wake up before you are able to do so and attack. Several RAM H.S. Robots and Venus H.S. Robots will come to the officer’s aid. The battle shouldn’t be a problem for the party at this point. Be cautious in this area, RAM Assassins and Venus Combat Gennies will randomly attack here. It may also be a good idea to switch to weapons like Needle Guns and Lasers, because the Assassins use Chaff Grenades which block Rocket Pistols and Plasma Throwers.

Check the door to the west and let the Acid Frogs lose, they will stampede and cause chaos by attacking the RAM forces. A small room can be found at the back of the Acid Frog pen. Inside is a bag the contains food for the frogs, pick it up.

Note: According to DHomer’s Walkthrough (the link for which can be found under references) the player should be able to feed the frogs somehow and get 5000 Exp. Unfortunately, I was unable to replicate the event and am not sure how it is triggered.

Walk north to the grey building and enter it. A Lowlander is waiting inside, he’ll ask you to identify yourself, select the “Talk” option and he’ll describe the location of a RAM base to the southwest. You’ll get 500 Exp as well. Just northwest of where you met the Lowlander is another grey building, enter the room with the Swamp Hornets and slay them to find some Demo Charges. Visit the large building in the northeast to find a crying infant in a small room. Take the child with you. Zane, the infant, can actually engage in combat, though it is best to move him to a safe spot in battle, because he has the martial prowess of a potato and 4 HP.

Several surviving villagers are waiting in the northeast corner of the village, just above the house where Zane was hiding. The corner looks empty, but you’ll find some Lowlanders hiding out once you step into the corner. The survivors will ask you to find some medical supplies which are hidden in a large grey building near the center of town. You’ll need the keys to enter, so get them off of the officer near the town entrance if you haven’t already. The survivor will also tell you the passcode for the door, which is 683. The party will be given a Venusian Needle Gun and Venusian Heavy Body Armor.

Walk over to the large complex of rooms to the southwest (you will know you have the right place if you get a message saying it was a government building at the door) and make your way through its maze-like corridors until you hit a dead end. Your party will automatically open the locked door, inside you will find the medical supplies along with Antidotes x3, a Mercurian Rocket Pistol, and a Venusian Mono Sword. Take the supplies back to the survivors in the northeast corner and they will show you a map of a hidden room in the RAM base. You’ll also get 3000 Exp.

Part 15: Space Elevator and Secret RAM Base

Space Elevator

Leave the town and go southwest. Do not go back into your ship, Leander and Zane will leave the party if you board your rocket. A ring of buildings should be on the other side of the swamp, just watch out for the acid lakes when looking for it, they damage the party when touched and can down Zane in a hit. Dos will tell you this place was once a space elevator when you enter. A ladder is positioned just south of the entrance, don’t use this ladder unless you want to fight a bunch of Ursadders. Instead, follow the hallway south and go down the next ladder you see to reach the secret base.

Secret RAM Base

ItemsExplosive Grenades x4

A hallway lined with doors is to your south, walk down the hallway and enter the fifth door. A RAM Technician is in the room beyond the door, you’ll get three options. Choose to “Interrogate” him, the other options lead to bad outcomes. The tech will give you a security card and 1250 Exp. You can tie him up or kill him afterwards, just don’t let him go or he’ll sound the alarms. Leave the room and go through the door to the south, it’ll open now that you have the security card.

Follow the path east, then north as it bends. A computer console is waiting at the end of the hallway, the console can be used to sabotage the base, but you need a Detonator Box. Enter the room to the west, which turns out to be a hangar. There’s nothing of use here so go through the door in the northwest corner of the hangar. Check the computer in the western end of the next room to find the Control Box and four Explosive Grenades. At this point you will be prompted to use the Control Box to destroy the hangar. Do so to get 5000 Experience, just watch out for the Ursadders that enter the base through the wrecked dome.

Barracks

There’s a door in the eastern section of this area, go through the door that looks like a gate to enter a tunnel, which will lead the party to a barracks. Walk through the doors to the west and follow the hall north, then go through another set of doors to the west.* Head south after going through the door and turn west when the hallway ends. You’ll come to another bend in the road after walking a bit. The hallway will turn north, on the western side of the hall are barracks that only contain the occasional random battle. A large room can be entered through a door on the eastern side of the hall, go in and say “Hi” to the RAM soldiers waiting inside. They won’t be happy to see you. You’ll be given the choice to surrender, fight, or flee. Pick the fight option, the other two won’t end well. You’ll end fighting a bunch of warriors, who are a joke by now.

*There’s a small room on the eastern side of the hallway that can be explored, but the only thing inside are some RAM Assassins that try to kill you.

Third Floor

Leave the room and follow the corridor north, then east to an elevator. Go down to the third floor and go over to Computer Room 1 in the southwestern corner of the floor. Some RAM Soldiers are in here, choose the “Intimidate” option, then select “Show Mercy” (trust me here). The party will tie them up, throw them in a closet, and earn a nifty 1000 Exp. There’s not much else to do here aside from freeing the Lowlander scientists, who are imprisoned in a room in the northwest tip of this area. The Lowlanders tell you one of their friends escaped to the fourth floor and give you a “victory code” that he will respond to. Return to the elevator and hit the fourth floor button.

Fourth Floor

Get off the elevator and walk south past the doors. The party will automatically tap the code on the wall and Landon will appear. Zane will leave with Landon and the party will get 1500 Exp. Landon will tell you that a retinal lockpick is hidden under the floor in Laboratory 2 on the first floor.

First Floor (revisited)

Lab 2 is located in the northwestern corner of the first floor. Enter the lab and walk towards the southern wall to find the lockpick. Head back to the fourth floor.

Fourth Floor (revisited)

Landon is waiting in the same spot as before, this time he’ll ask you to find a secret door on the current floor. Return to the elevator, but enter the door to the west instead of getting on the elevator. Check out the room to the north and fight the Acidicium inside, then search the west wall of the room to find a secret passage. Report to Landon who will tell you to fetch the other scientists…sigh…time to go back to the third floor.

Third Floor (revisited)

Visit the room in the northwest and the scientists will scurry off to Landon. Whelp, time to go back to the fourth floor and talk to Landon again.

Fourth Floor  (re-revisited)

Return to the spot where you spoke with Landon who will bid you farewell and give you 2000 Experience. Leander will also leave and Scott Dos will contact the party to tell you that your work here is done. Take the elevator back to the first floor and go through the door on the far western side of the floor to leave the base quickly. Board your ship, which is waiting on the eastern side of the map, and fly back to Salvation.

Part 16: Salvation III

The boss will inform the party that Atha has been kidnapped and is being held on Juno. He’ll also urge you to complete your mission instead of saving her. Train your team and make preparations for your next mission.

Part 17: Tycho, Chez Luna (Optional)

ItemsMercurian Needle Gun

Sooner or later the party will receive a call for help while flying around the solar system. Fly over to Tycho Earth and check out the local bar, Chez Luna. Mingle until Wilma Deering contacts the party. Wilma will give you a Mercurian Needle Gun (which should be equipped ASAP) and ask you to destroy a nearby security bot. Leave the bar and walk west a few paces to attack the robot, which is a RAM Assault Bot. Wilma will leave after the battle and the party will get 1000 Exp.

Part 18: Juno Rendezvous Point (Optional)

ItemsRocket Launcher

Preparation: Some tough battles lie ahead. Buy some Chaff Grenades at the Juno outpost and make sure each member has three or four of them. A Grenade Launcher will come in handy in the coming battles as well.

Take a trip over to Juno and land at the rendezvous. A RAM Combat Bot and several RAM Martian Gennies will attack you the moment you enter the base. These guys can put a real hurtin’ on the party, so try to fan out in order to decrease the effectiveness of the Gennies’ Stun Grenades and the Combat Bot’s Plasma Thrower.

**********

The following section is optional and is only really good for a challenge and some Experience. Those who want to finish the mission quickly should skip to the the “Direct Route” section.

Turn west from the entrance and watch out for the sniper fire that comes from the hallway to the north. Keep moving west. More RAM Combat Robots will attack once you reach the end of the hall, this time you’ll be surrounded by two RAM Combat Bots and an Assault Bot. This is the toughest battle in the game, but some Chaff Grenades and a little luck make it doable. Throw some Chaff Grenades at the two robots closest to the team right away to buy some time and start cutting them down with Needle Guns. Hit the lone Combat Robot as well in order to minimize the damage these machines can inflict on the party, because you won’t get far if everyone is low on HP.  To the north is a small room that contains yet more robots and their Gennie friends. Same goes for the room beyond it that has a console in it. A battle with a single RAM Combat Bot is waiting at the very end of the hallway. Go back to the entrance once the area is clear to explore the rest of the base.

**********

Direct Route

Follow the hall west for a few paces, then turn north once you get to the intersection where snipers fire on the party, sometimes damaging your characters. Turn north and go up the passage until you catch up to the snipers. The snipers will turn and attack the party from two sides. This battle consists of two RAM Assault Bots and several Gennies. Use Chaff on the Bots or you’ll be in big trouble. Do not bother going north after fighting the snipers, the hall is a dead end lined with mines that can do up to twenty damage. You’ll also be attacked by Martian Combat Gennies after stepping on the first mine.

Enter the door to the east of where you fought the snipers and take down the Gennies and Robot that attack, then go in the next room to the west to confront Gilbert. The commander will toss Atha in a cage and sic a final robot on the party. The Combat Bot should be easy pickings and it’ll drop a Rocket Launcher upon dying. Things won’t turn out well for Gilbert after the battle and Atha will ask you to take her to an outpost. There do not seem to be any rewards for this mission aside from the Rocket Launcher and a few challenging battles.

Part 19: Mariposa 3

Preparation: This is it: The Final Battle! Do any questing, shopping, or level grinding now,  because the credits will roll after this. Most players should be able to clear this area at level 7-8 depending on party composition and equipment.

Area 1: The Market

Fly over to Mercury and dock at Mariposa 3. Enter the door to the northeast, you’ll see Wilma Deering who will tell you that the Doomsday Laser is at the top of Mariposa and you’ll have to go through the station’s core to get to it. She’ll also take your security badges and tell you to avoid the security gates. Patrols will pop up from time to time, try to evade them or select wait which will give you a chance to talk your way out of a fight. Fighting the patrols will put the entire base on alert, so beware. Go south and turn east. You should pass “Johji’s Footwear” and meet a Mercurian who says “One if by land.”. Select the “Speak” option and he’ll ask if you are the dancers, say “Yes”. The man will tell you the Sun King is waiting up top and leaves. Be sure not to ignore, kill him, or answer his questions incorrectly or you’ll have problems down the road.

Walk north again until you find “Marat’s Bazaar” which is at the end of a long hallway on the far western side of the station. Inside the bazaar are some amusing items and a parrot located in a hallway leading east. Ignore the parrot, the other options will lead to him biting you, and walk into the alcove to the north to find an old computer from which Scott Dos will contact you. Walk south from the old computer and go through the door labeled “Rue De S.” at the end of the hall.

Follow the corridor as it winds north to another blue door that leads to a larger chamber with an orange door that can be found along the northern wall. Walk to the eastern side of the room then turn south when you see an orange door, then follow the hallway east. The hallway will end in a large room, but you will need to go through the orange door that is located where the northern wall of the hallway ends. You’ll get a message saying “The plaza is nearly empty. “ if you entered the right room.

Go through the blue doors in the northern end of the plaza, take a few steps north, then go through the blue door to the east. You should see an orange door lined in blue that leads to a tiny room just south of where you are standing. This room leads to the core. Enter it and say “yes” to proceed. You’ll need to search the core for three medallions.

Area 2: The Core, 1st Floor

A small chamber within a larger chamber serves as the center of this floor. Leave the smaller chamber and go through the door in the northwest corner of the large chamber. Follow the hallway along the northern end of the room and enter the elongated room to the south. A small chamber is located in this room behind a door to the south, go in to find a maintenance robot vacuuming the floor and almost sucking up a Medallion. You can either fight the robot, which pits the party against three Mercurian H.S. Robots, or you can simply have your rogue snatch the Medallion. Either way, you’ll have the Copper Medallion and can proceed to the next floor by going back to the entrance to this floor.

Area 3: The Core, 2nd Floor

Choose the “go up” option when you enter the central room on the first floor. This will take you to the second floor of the core. Select “leave core” once you reach the second floor and you can step into the larger room. Go through the orange and blue door to the north and go east, then south through a door. The room beyond is empty, so go to the blue door to the southwest. A small chamber is located in this room, enter it and search it three times to find the Silver Medallion.

Area 4: The Core, 3rd Floor

Take the elevator (or whatever it is) up to the third floor of the core. Go into the door to the southeast and you’ll find the Gold Medallion embedded in a plaque. Have your rogue bypass the trap attached to it. If your rogue fails or you don’t have one, the alarm will go off and some RAM Combat Robots will attack. Go back to the elevator and up to the fourth floor.

Area 5: The Core, 4th Floor

Exit the elevator and approach the southwest door. A guard will tell you the Sun King only takes visitors who bring gifts. Enter the door and head north, then turn east. You’ll have to pass through another set of doors before coming to a mid sized room. Enter the room to the north and you’ll be greeted with a plaque that reads “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here”. Another plaque will tell you that french is spoken in this area.

Continue north to another door, which is guarded. The guard will ask if you are there to see the Sun King.  Answer “yes” and the guard will take the Medallions. He’ll also unlock the door, so head in. The Sun King will ask several questions, with the first being “Do you speak french?”,say “Oui”. Next he’ll ask if you are dancers, give him another “Oui”. Finally he’ll ask if you are going to help him get the Doomsday Laser. Say yes…er…oui, then go back to the elevator.

Area 6: The Doomsday Laser

Have the elevator ascend to floor 5. Weapons line the walls of this floor and several others, but they are deactivated, so keep going up. A countdown will begin when you reach the top floor. Scott Dos will contact you and tell you to cut the power in the laser control room. Go over to the hallway in the northeast and walk west a bit to find an orange door labeled “emergency stairs”. Ignore the alarm and open the door, then go up the steps twice to reach weapon control. Walk south down the hallway near the steps until reach a room labeled “Power Room”. Save the game, go inside, and have someone with the climb skill attempt to cut the wires.

The countdown will cease once you cut the power, but the laser must be dealt with to fulfill the team’s mission. Return to the hallway, go east, then go south when you hit a dead end. Two RAM Assault and one Combat Bot will attack, when you get near the door at the end of the corridor. This is a tough fight, so spread out and hit them with everything you have. Enter the room (the party will use the retinal lockpick from earlier) and head south and slightly to the east until you come to a blue door labeled “weapon control”. Enter it and some Mercurian Gennies, three RAM Assault Bots, and Mercurian Technicians will accost the party. Hit the Bots with Chaff if you have it and pick them off one by one, then mop up the other enemies.

The party will initiate the Doomsday Laser’s self destruct after the battle. More troops will enter the room, this time you’ll be attacked by about six technicians and an Assault Bot. Take them out and leave the room after a brief cutscene. You’ll have 65 turns to escape, so carefully make your way back to the steps in the northwest part of the area and save before trying to make your way back. Descend the stairs and enter the escape pod room. Go south, then east to to the far side of the escape pod room. You should see a blue door that leads to the pod control room. Enter it and Scot will appear on one of the monitors. He’ll get you cleared to use a pod. Pod four, which is next to the control room should be empty, hop in and zip away to safety. Congratulations, you have completed Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday!

2. Appendix

a. Tips

Turning Your Medics, Rogues, and Rocket Jocks into Killing Machines

Warriors are the primary damage dealers in Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday and the other classes tend to lag behind them. The Grenade Launcher (a 1000 Credit item that can be bought at Hygeria) can change this, however. A non-warrior with a Grenade Launcher can lob Dazzle, Aerosol, Chaff, Stun, and Explosive grenades over the heads of their teammates at key points in the enemy line. Grenade Launchers have a range of 12, which allows the user to debilitate or even outright kill baddies from a respectable distance. Even better, the subpar THAC0 of most classes has little impact on how grenades behave. The only downside is the expense associated with buying dozens of grenades for expeditions, but money is easy enough to come by in this game.

Plasma Throwers and Rocket Launchers are also great in the hands of Rogues, Medics, and Rocket Jocks, though they come with drawbacks. Both of these heavy weapons take a full turn to reload and can be rendered less effective by Chaff. They also can hit friendlies with their wide area of effect (a major problem for the Plasma Thrower) making their firepower difficult to bring to bear in close quarters. This is a trade-off for the ability of these weapons to cut down or severely injure entire groups of enemies in a single blast. Rocket Launchers and Plasma Throwers are hard to come by, but can be found in certain missions or in the hands of Mercurian Leaders which sometimes appear aboard Mercurian cruisers.

Save Early, Save Often

Those who have read other guides I’ve written will have heard this before, but it goes doubly for Buck Rogers. Things can go wrong very quickly in this game, so get used to saving every now and then. It also helps to keep a backup save on hand in case you make a mistake and need to revert to an earlier point in the game to fix it.

Don’t Use the Pregenerated Party

While the pregenerated party is capable of completing the game and some players may want to use it, a party you create yourself will be far more effective if you understand how the game works. So take a look at our character creation guide (see the link in the Introduction to this guide) to learn more about building a custom party.

b. Zero G Maneuvering Check “Armor Class Bug”

Players may notice their AC and THAC0 scores fluctuating in certain areas. This is a result of a character failing a Zero G check, which penalizes movement, THAC0, and AC. The penalty for failing Zero G seems to persist until the character succeeds in another Zero G check, so players will see the effects of a Zero G penalty even outside of battle or on planets that presumably have gravity. One way to safeguard against this problem is to train everybody up in Zero G so they are less likely to fail a check. A Zero G Maneuvering skill rating of about 8 is sufficient to minimize the impact of this bug.

c. Enemies

Acid Frog: Among the more dangerous animals found on Venus, Acid Frogs can spit acid long distances at the party. They are also capable of inflicting a fair amount of damage in melee combat. Despite their respectable offensive capabilities, Acid Frogs have middling AC and HP.

Acidicium: Slug-like monsters that can be found on Venus. Acidicium aren’t much of a threat, since they can only fight up close and have poor AC. However, their ability to negate roughly 50% of incoming damage profoundly increases their life expectancy in battle.

Desert Ape: Massive genetically engineered apes with swords grafted onto their arms. Capable of dealing large amounts of damage, but lacks accuracy and armor.

E.C. Gennie (Large): Capable of inflicting party members with poison, effectively downing them in a hit. Like their smaller counterparts, large Gennies can only use melee attacks and can move great distances.

E.C. Gennie (Small): These critters can only engage in melee combat, but they can move long distances even after failing a Zero G check. Their attacks can inflict dizzy status on your heroes, lowering their hit rate and AC.

Hexadillo: These heavily armored creatures attack in large numbers and can be difficult to damage thanks to their AC. Skilled warriors and characters with high quality weapons can punch through the Hexadillo’s armor reliably, however. Hexadilloes also have average attack power and can move great distances since they must rely on melee to fight.

Hypercrab: High AC with weak offensive stats, seems to be poisonous.

Hyperscorp: Not much of a threat, aside from the fact that they can poison teammates.

Hypersnake: Smart munitions, like those from the Rocket Pistol, do not work on these things, otherwise not much of a threat. Venomous.

Mercurian H.S. Robot: Fairly dangerous, well armored robots. Use Chaff on these things when possible.

Mercurian Leader: Kill these guys first of you encounter them, because they wield deadly Plasma Throwers.

Mer. Technician: These guys are just as wimpy as the RAM Technicians, but they use Lasers instead of Heat Guns,  which is arguably an improvement.

Mer. Warrior: Standard Mercurian troops that can be found guarding ships and the like. Mercurian warriors are better equipped and have more HP than their RAM counterparts. They also drop Martian Heavy body armor and a fair amount of EXP.

Pirate Combat Robot- Very dangerous. Resistant to both Rocket Pistols and Lasers. These robots like to throw Explosive Grenades. Hit them with Needle Guns and Rocket Launchers.

Pirate Leader: Uses Stun Grenades, but not a huge threat.

Pirate Warrior: Wields a Rocket Pistol and can be dangerous if you do not have ECM Packages.

RAM Assassins: Stealthy troops armed with Martian Laser Pistols. Among the most dangerous of the RAM soldiers thanks to their speed and decent stats. Assassins do not pose much of a threat to high level parties.

RAM Assault Bots: Much like the RAM Combat Bot, but uses a Plasma Thrower.

RAM Combat Bot: These robots are nasty foes that can destroy unprepared parties. They are also resistant to Rocket and Laser Pistol fire. Spread your party out on the battlefield so the blast from this robot’s Rocket Launcher can’t hit more that one or two of your heroes. Needle guns, Chaff Grenades, and explosives are very effective against these machines.

RAM G.D. Gennie: These creatures are not half as scary as they look. Low AC and middling HP make them easy targets.

RAM H.D. Robot: Uses a Laser Pistol type weapon, not very mobile. Has moderate HP and AC. Also nearly immune to Rocket Pistols.

RAM H.S Robot: Much like their L.S. cousins, but with very high HP.

RAM L.D. Robot: Smaller, weaker version of the H.D. Bot. Lower HP and not resistant to Rocket Pistol fire.

RAM L.S. Robot: Rather weak, uses rockets and is protected by an ECM field.

RAM Martian Gennie: Uses a laser pistol and heavy body armor.

RAM Mercurian Gennie: Armed with Martian Laser Pistols and Monoswords, as well as protected by battle armor, these are some of the best equipped enemies in the game. Their HP is rather average, though, so they are not a huge threat.

RAM Technician: These guys wear Smart Suits and Heat Guns, not much of a threat.

RAM Venus Combat Gennie: Troops designed to fight on Venus. Dangerous despite their middling stats thanks to the Grenade Launchers and Explosive Grenades they wield. Also a good source of rare Explosive Grenades.

RAM Warrior: Equipped with protective goggles, Rocket Pistols, Aerosol Mist Grenades, and Heavy Body armor. More dangerous than their Chicagorg counterparts. Bring something other than Laser Pistols along if you don’t want a hard time fighting these guys.

Sand Squid: Melee enemies that are not much of a threat. Low AC, damage, and THAC0.

Space Rats: Weak creatures that don’t pose much of a threat.

Stage 3 ECG: Wields a Martian Needle Gun and Monosword. Also wears a Martian Smart Suit. Dangerous early in the game.

Swamp Hornet: More of a nuisance than an actual threat, these insects attack in large numbers and can cause dizziness.

Terrine: Weak enemy soldiers that wear space suits and wield a laser pistol. Can be dangerous in large numbers early on.

Terrine Leader: Usually found among a group of Terrine regulars, leaders are equipped with dazzle grenades, smart suits, and a laser pistol. They can also use the warrior’s tactics ability. Prioritize these enemies as targets.

Usadder: Quite possibly the most lethal animal in the game. Usadders are swift and can close with the party in a single turn. With rather high HP and accuracy, these creatures can inflict significant damage on poorly armored targets. Well equipped teams have little to fear from Ussaders as long as they use sound tactics, however.

Venus H.S. Robot: Unusual robots that fire Needle Guns. Not very dangerous by the time the player encounters them.

Venusian Lowlanders (L.L. Warrior): These creatures will waylay the party in the Venus Lowlands from time to time. Fortunately they are reasonable and will talk before attacking. If the player chooses to talk to the Lowlanders rather than fight, they will assist the player in fighting another set of enemies. The Lowlanders are equipped with Venusian Laser Pistols and have a lot of HP, but their AC is a bit low.

Enemy Spaceships

Mercurian Medium Cruiser: About equal to a RAM Medium Cruiser, Mercurian Cruisers pose a minor threat. Players may want to board these ships, because they will sometimes encounter Plasma Thrower carrying Mercurian Leaders which are worth looting.

Pirate Medium Cruiser: Pirates are rare, which is good since they fly one of the more threatening ship types in the game. Try to keep your distance from these ships and neutralize their weapons ASAP. It’s safe to fight Pirate Cruisers at a range of 3, because their Pumped Lasers only have an effective range of 2.

RAM Heavy Cruiser: These deadly ships bristle with lasers, missiles, and various types of cannon. A Heavy Cruiser can chew the Maelstrom Rider up in a few turns if the pilot gets too close or has bad luck and gets outmaneuvered. Players need to maintain a distance of three and use Beam Lasers to destroy the cruiser’s weapons, before going in for the kill.

RAM Medium Cruiser: A relatively well armed and armored ship controlled by a halfway decent pilot. Should be avoided if you are not at all familiar with space combat.

RAM Scout Cruiser: Lightly armed ships that make for good practice.

d. Space Combat for Fun and Profit

Space battles can be intimidating at first, but they can actually yield a decent amount of money and a bit of experience if done right. The following is a step by step break down of how to properly fight (or avoid) a ship to ship battle. Players may notice that the credits awarded for salvaging enemy ships do not appear in their wallet, but are instead transferred into their NEO account. The money in the NEO account can be used to repair the Maelstrom Rider at spaceports.

Step 1: Encounters With Hostile Vessels

Space battles can occur at random while you’re cruising around the solar system in your rocket ship. You’ll be given 3 options when a hostile ship approaches: Hail, Attack, and Flee. Select Attack if you want to fight, but you may have places to go and may not wish to engage in combat. In that case, select Hail or Flee, which one you should pick depends on your Fast Talk skill and your Rocket Jock’s ability to pilot. If you have someone with a bit of Fast Talk skill (hopefully along with high Charisma) you can use Bluff after selecting hail to hopefully discourage the other ship from attacking. Selecting Flee will have a similar effect and may be tied to your Rocket Jock’s Pilot/Jury Rig ability.

Step 2: Battle Commands

The enemy ship will appear on screen if you choose (or are forced) to fight. This is the part of space combat that can be difficult for new players, because there are so many options. Here is a breakdown of what you can do in combat.

Fire Weapons- You can fire K-Cannons, Missiles, or Beam Lasers at the enemy as well as target different parts of the ship. K-Cannons have short range, but inflict a whopping 100 Damage, Missiles are a mid range weapon that deal 40 Damage, and Lasers are long range, but only deal 10 damage. Missiles and K-Cannons need to reloaded from time to time. Your party members will take turns, much like in a normal battle.

Reload- Refills the ammo for your weapons, best done only when necessary.

Maneuvering- This is the Rocket Jock’s job. Players can withdraw, which moves their ship away from the enemy one space or close, which moves the player one space closer. At Zero range the player can Ram or Board the enemy ship. Ramming will deal 125 damage to the hull of both ships and is generally not advisable unless it’s the only chance you have of winning. Boarding will place the party on the enemy ship, which functions like a normal dungeon. Your Rocket Jock’s Pilot/Jury Rig is of great importance in battle, because it determines the likelihood of your maneuvers succeeding. Pilots can also out maneuver each other, which results in out maneuvered ship losing a turn, so it is very important to have a skilled pilot.

Repairs- Rocket Jocks can fix damaged areas of their ship at the beginning of their turn. Weapons and Engines should get priority if multiple sections of the ship are damaged. Jury Rig only restores about 10 points to the ship’s systems, but it can save you in a pinch. Once again, the Rocket Jock’s skill is very important here, since it is possible to fail at repairs if your skill is low.

Step 3: Disabling/Destroying the Enemy Ship

Disable- Begin closing with the enemy ship and concentrate all of your attacks on the enemy’s weapons systems. Stay at a range of 3 so the hostile ship cannot ram you or use heavy weapons. Concentrate your fire on the controls next to keep the enemy from moving once they are destroyed. At this point you can board the ship once you close to zero range.

Destroy- It’s generally best to board and capture the enemy if you get into a fight, but maybe you don’t have time for a protracted encounter. Simply destroying the ship is acceptable in such cases. Destroy the weapons systems as you normally would, then focus on the hull. You’ll want to keep your distance so the enemy can’t ram you for 125 damage, potentially altering the course of the battle. The enemy rocket ship will explode once the hull is totally degraded, ending the battle.

Capture- This can only be done if you board the enemy vessel. The conditions for a successful capture seem to vary from ship to ship. Sometimes you’ll have to secure several areas on the ship before the enemy surrenders. Other times you’ll just have to secure one area and leave the ship to capture it. Guards will likely attack you as soon as you enter, deal with them, find a ladder, and climb to the highest deck of the ship. Approach the computer on the top deck and defeat the enemies guarding it. With any luck, the crew will surrender after the battle. If that doesn’t happen, go down to the lowest deck, engineering, and defeat the guards protecting the computer, which should end the confrontation.

Protip: Visit the Juno asteroid and buy some ECM Packs before trying to board ships. These nifty gadgets nullify Rocket Pistol fire for a measly 200 credits a piece, making raiding spaceships a sinch, since most of the guards use Rocket Pistols.

Step 4: After the Battle

You’ll get a some Exp from the ship battle once the enemy is destroyed or captured. Captured ships will be sold automatically for a few thousand credits; the reward seems to depend on the condition and type of ship. It is probably a good idea to stop at Salvation III for free ammo and repairs once the battle has concluded.

5. References

This guide is an original work, but I did check my findings against the work of DHomer, who is perhaps the only other person to have written a full walkthrough for this game. Feel free to check out DHomer’s walkthrough at:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/genesis/586081-buck-rogers-countdown-to-doomsday/faqs/9745

Thanks for using our Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday (Sega Genesis) Walkthrough!

8 thoughts on “Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday Walkthrough (Genesis)”

  1. When doing Part 8: Thule Prison (Optional)-I discovered that you can leave the prison and heal your team, then re-enter and your progress is saved, as in, you don’t have to fight the robots you already defeated. Makes it much easier than having to push through in one push.

  2. Would you mind reviewing this part?

    ” You’ll need someone with at least two points in library research to find the location of this mission, luckily this portion of the game is optional and it’s not the end of the world if you cannot find the hidden base. Pay Juno a visit by flying over to earth and selecting the planet as you would if you were going to Salvation. Walk north in Juno to find a library and search the stacks until you find info on a hidden base located on Hygeria.”

    Juno is not on earth, and nothing with a library was present when I landed on earth and went to salvation.

    I flew over to Juno, and there is no library there.

    I’m not sure how to locate the secret base on Hygeria.

  3. This looks like poor wording on my part. I was trying to describe how to find Juno, which is near Earth IIRC. It’s been years since I wrote this guide, so I’ll pull the save files to check and see where the library is located.

  4. I think I found where I made the mistake. The Library is on Tycho, not Juno. Let me know if that works and I will make the correction.

  5. Frog food xp…When you find the frog food, choose open to take it, not open it. When you go into the room with the demo charges, it asks if you want to feed the frogs. Do so and you gain the XP.

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