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Level 4: Gardens of Theed
Mission: Reach the palace gates
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Let me start out by saying that this level and the next one are very
evil!! There will be lots of killing and dying (yes you will die!).
I would have cheated on this one but the cheat codes weren't
available yet when I played the game.
You start the level on the wrong side of the bridge to the palace.
On the balcony across from you a battle tank is shooting at you.
You'll come upon this same tank at the end of the level. But for now,
you have to navigate the outer gardens in order to reach the palace
gates that the tank is guarding.
Be careful, there's a huge waterfall to your left that will kill you.
You can try to take a running double jump onto the big pillar and jump
down onto the smaller pillars, but I found it easier just to swim.
Jump into the water, and quickly swim upstream (hug the right wall).
Eventually you'll reach some steps on the right. Go up, then you'll
find a small pond area. Jump into the water as far away from that
small waterfall as possible (or it will suck you into it and you'll
have to swim upstream again).
There are a couple of concrete blocks in the water that you can jump
onto for a little bit of relief from the big killer fishies. Against
one wall are 3 tiny waterfalls. Face it. One the left side of the
waterfalls is a small ledge and a set of stairs. That's where you
want to head. Once up the stairs and on the ledge against the wall,
you'll have to jump across the 3 waterfalls. Once past it, you come
to a seemingly dead end. It is impossible to do a running double jump
onto the next platform. But there is a tiny release lever (it's
black/silver) on the platform across from you, slightly to the right.
Shoot at it or use force push, and it will release a bridge.
Cross the bridge, go around the corner, and fight a few droids.
There's a pink forcefield surrounding a dam. To the left on the
other side is another control lever that you can shoot/push to release
the forcefield. The dam will now be about 2 inches under water
(relatively speaking). Jump down onto it, cross it (be careful not
to fall off) and don't forget the small health powerup once you're on
the other side. There's a lone droid patrolling the area as well,
so blast him.
Follow the path around a couple of corners, and you'll come to an
area with three Theed soldiers. You can run up the steps to the left
and let them take out any droids nearby, or you can help them. I
suggest wimping out, as you'll need all your health VERY soon).
After the shootout is over, a soldier should go up the stairs into
your hideout (go out and come back in if he needs a bit of coaxing).
Talk to him and he should give you a light repeating blaster with
300 shots.
Now is the perfect time to save your game. You'll thank yourself for
it in a couple of minutes.
Continue forward, and you'll come to an area that will make you cry.
A small in-game movie sequence reveals that battle droids, tanks, and
ships have commandeered the garden. On the right side there is a
battle tank, which will make bantha fodder of you in two seconds if
you try to take it headon. Instead, you are forced to take the left
path, and must navigate the garden maze to get back to the right side
near the battle tank. There aren't many words of wisdom for this one.
This is a shoot 'em up sequence! Either cheat or be quick and nimble
with the fingers.
There are 4 quadrants, or 4 main sections to the maze. Each quadrant
has a different entrance and exit point. Quadrants are easy to
identify because they have green grass. There is concrete pavement
between the different quadrants. The active battle tank and a few
droids will be patrolling the main path on the side. You must avoid
them for now.
After the cut scene, go left, and you'll be attacked immediately
by 2 droids. Whack them with your saber quickly. Go straight, and
you'll see about 7 droids in a corner area. If you have any flash
grenades or a thermal detonator left, now is a good time to use one to
take out this group (stand as far back as possible). Use your saber on
any strays. If you're out of grenades, use a few gungan energy balls
to temporarily disable the battle droids while you finish them off with
your saber. Or if all else fails, use the repeating blaster the Theed
soldier gave you.
A disabled battle tank is blocking your path forward. But to your
right is the first quadrant with a full health powerup, which you
probably need very badly at this point. Follow the maze and you'll
see the grass turn to concrete. This is the exit point of quadrant
one. To the right is the main path with the active battle tank and
a few battle droids. To the left is a disabled battle tank. You are
relatively safe from the tank's blaster fire behind the maze walls.
Cross the concrete pavement to the next quadrant, which is slightly
off center and to the left (look for the green grass).
In quadrant two, you'll have to fight more droids. They are spread
apart so whacking them with the saber should do the trick. Don't use
your flash grenades in this area because there are 2 Theed soldiers
here you want to keep alive. If you find a downed soldier that is
alive, talk to him and he will give you the password to open the
security gate you'll encounter later on. If he's dead, don't worry
about it, there's an alternate way into the plaza. There should be
a light repeating blaster with 300 shots in the corner near the
downed soldier. If he's dead and his body is not there, the weapon
may or may not be available for you to snatch.
After fighting the battle droids and talking to the downed soldier
(or finding his body), it is time to exit this quadrant. The concrete
pavement you see this time is the main path. You will be near a corner,
and the battle tank is patrolling the immediate area. Directly across
from you is a white fence. If you quickly run across and jump over it,
you can find a small health powerup (and two battle droids). There are
also 3 big blocks here. You can pull the middle block out, and you'll
find a room behind it hiding a proton missile launcher with 5 shells.
Now, look at the main path that the battle tank is on, and observe its
patrolling movements. You want the battle tank to pass you, and when
it's heading in the opposite direction that you want to go, run like
hell around the corner.
Continue forward, and there will be a disabled battle tank blocking
your path straight ahead, and another one to the left. Your only
option is to enter the third quadrant, where battle droids are already
attacking you. There is a small health powerup in one corner of this
quadrant.
Cross over to quadrant four. As you cross the concrete pavement, to
your right are a bunch of stacked crates, and to the left near the
entrance to quadrant four are 2 stacked crates. DON'T go to the right.
If you walk too close to the crates, it will trigger the release of
two destroyer droids hiding inside.
In quadrant 4 are a few more battle droids to kill. Exit the quadrant.
The path to your left is blocked by rubble. There is a small health
pack near the rubble. Go right, around a couple of corners, and
you'll come to some stacked crates on the right. Kill the droids near
the crates. You are now on the other side of crates the destroyer
droids are in, so they can't get you from here. There is a small
health powerup on one of the crates. Jump up and get it. From here,
you can take out any battle droids ahead of you from afar with your
blaster (and save some of your health).
All the droids should be dead now. On your left is a gazebo (the
little round building) with a small health powerup inside. Go
around the corner.
Continue forward, and you've finally come upon the security gates.
The soldier will ask you if you know the passcode. If you do, tell
him and the gate will open. Go through it, and you'll be at the dead
end of an abandoned plaza.
If you don't know the password, he'll show you another way around.
Follow him around the corner, past the gazebo, and up a set of covered
stairs. He'll open a door, but the droids inside will kill him.
Go inside and take out the 2 droids in front of you. Turn the corner,
and take out 2 more droids. Before you exit the hallway and go into
the main hall (look at the change of pattern in the floor) there is a
secret area on the right wall. Look for an uneven pattern. Pull the
block out and you'll find a full health powerup. Now go into the main
hall, and take out the battle droids on the ground. Once that's done,
run back to the small hallway for cover. If you have any flash grenades
left, run into the main area and force push the droids on the balcony to
disable them, then take them out with a grenade. Push the red button
and a door will open in one corner.
If you're low on health, and have any energy balls left, throw them
at the droids to stun them (or try force push), quickly use the red
button, and enter the newly opened door in the corner. Once you're
through on the other side, the door will close behind you and the
droids can't blast you. You are now in an abandoned plaza.
From the abandoned plaza, follow the only path forward. To your left,
you'll see a small walkway that leads to a tiny courtyard with a
starfighter droid and one or more downed soldiers. There's also a
full health powerup that's taunting you. The starfighter will blow
up if you get too close. If you're low on health, you may not survive.
But if you really need that healthpack, go back outside the walkway.
As far back as you can (so you're not hurt when it blows up), and with
the starfighter in sight, use your blaster to shoot it. When the
starfighter has been destroyed, grab the healthpack, and say your
apologies for killing those poor innocent soldiers, you murderer!
Head onward until you come to a small pool with a big fish and a
set of stairs on the left. There's a lone droid in the area. The
wall on your right (across from the stairs) has a small ledge with
some weeds (not that kind!) or flowers in it. Double jump on to it.
From here, you can jump into the bushes straight ahead. You'll find
a proton missile launcher with 5 missiles in this secret area.
Now, go up the stairs, press the button, and this will make the water
in the pool rise so you can swim to the other side. Make sure that
big fishie swims out of the pool through a tiny hole first. Then jump
in and swim around the corner. To your left you can see some stairs
and a button under water. Get out of the pool, go up another set of
stairs, and find another button. This will lower the water level. Go
back down the stairs and a button that was previously underwater is now
dry and accessible. Press it to release a bridge nearby.
Go up the stairs, head right, and look at the new bridge. This is the
small pond you were at near the beginning of the level. If you want
some extra goodies ignore the bridge for now, and keep going past it.
You'll come to a dead end courtyard with a bench, two balconies, and
a button. Press the button, and the windows in the balcony will open.
Pull and push the bench near one of the balconies and jump up. Don't
forget to snatch the proton missile launcher with 5 shells that was
behind the bench.
In one balcony, you'll find a thermal detonator (always handy). Cross
the vine to the other balcony (or use the bench again), and you'll get
a proton missile launcher with 5 shells (you need these to kill destroyer
droids) and a small health powerup.
Go back to the bridge and cross it. Shoot or force push the release
lever on the platform across from you to release another bridge.
Cross it, and watch out for the bomb on the ground (there are more
like it in the courtyard with the tank). An alternate way of getting
to this area with the bomb on the ground is to jump down from the
secret balcony that had the thermal detonator in it.
Around a couple of corners, there is a battle tank guarding the
palace gates, so you'll have to be quick. The palace has two gates
that must be opened before you go can through. The release levers
for both palace gates are up high in a window, there's one to the
left and one to the right of the stairs. There's also a concrete
block on each side of the stairs.
For now, run past the tank and cross to the far side of the stairs.
Jump on top of the concrete block and you should see a release lever
in the window near you. Force push or shoot it, but be quick because
the tank can destroy the block you're standing on. There is also a
small path off to the side with a full health powerup.
If you need another full health powerup, there is a low level OPEN
window to the right of the stairs. Jump up, kill the battle droid
inside, and grab the healthpack.
Now you need to move the second release lever. Go to the right
side of the stairs. There are two different ways you can to this.
The first is to jump up on the concrete block. Once on the tall
block, you will have to jump to see the release lever, it's in a
very high window. Jump and shoot, or jump and force push to release
it. I was very lucky. The tank managed to shoot the release lever
as it was aiming at me (because I was jumping up and down trying to
shoot the release lever).
The second way to get the release lever is to go into the corner
to the right side of the stairs (don't step on the land mines).
There is a closed window to the right that is low, and a closed
window that is slightly higher up to the left. You will need to
jump on the ledge of lower level window, then from there jump on to
the ledge of the higher level window. From this higher level window,
double jump into the open window above you with the release lever.
Shoot it or force push it, and the last door is now open. Go through
the gates, and the level ends. Whew!