I decided to make this thread to totally review Infinity Ward's new Aliens map, "Nightfall". In it, I will go over what to expect in each area and my total review of the map at the end. Also, I'll include a list of all Cryptid species that we know of so far as to not confuse anyone during the review. I'm also going to express my opinions as to what is good and what is bad about this map. As always, there are MAJOR SPOILERS ahead, so please stop reading if you don't want to ruin the experience for yourself before playing.
Let me make something clear, the 'aliens' that we are fighting ARE NOT ALIENS. Their species are called Cryptids, and I will use that name instead of Aliens. I'll get into that more later on.
Cryptid Species:
Scouts: These guys are the first ones to attack you. They are generally small, and ranked the 2nd smallest Cryptid Species known to date. They are very easy to take down - killing them requires less than a full magazine of any pistol or 2 melee attacks (unless you are running the Tank Class).
Hunters: These Cryptids, you could say, are upgraded Scouts. They are larger, run faster, jump farther, have stronger armor, have increased health, and are more deadly. Hunters tend to go after items players put down more frequently than Scouts, such as sentry guns, grenade turrets, etc. They destroy them much quicker as well. The drill is not an exception, as Hunters will literally crowd around it and destroy it as fast as possible.
Scorpions: Scorpions are the species of Cryptid that have elongated tails which serve one purpose: to piss you off. Scorpions rarely, although they will, move around on the ground for prolonged periods of time. They most commonly jump across buildings and "snipe" players from elevated vantage points. If not taken care of, their constant onslaught of toxic liquid and gas can prove disastrous. The only way to escape the continuous damage of their toxic gas is to run the Medic Class. In Nightfall, running the Medic Class may prove beneficial.
Seekers: Seekers are the Cryptids that arrive in meteors. Known as "Suicide bombers", "Explodey-Dudes", or "Tickers", these Cryptid can be DEADLY. Their main focus is to run as fast as possible towards a player or item and explode themselves to cause damage. Their AI (artificial intelligence) is actually quite advanced, as groups of them will sometimes split up and flank around a player, attacking at all sides to cause maximum damage.
Rhinos: Just by the name, these Cryptid can be menacing. Ranked the 2nd largest species to date, Rhinos are the most deadly Cryptid to show up more than once in map progression. They have enormous amounts of health, their armor is tough as diamond, and they move, jump, and attack at astonishing rates. They are COVERED with armor, and their only weak spot is their face. Hearing a character yell "It's a Rhino!" will send players scrambling to each other for safety. Rhinos can be the deciding factor of mission success or failure, just because they are so deadly. In Nightfall, they have a new Tactic: forming into a ball and ramming the player like a bowling ball.
New Species introduced in Nightfall:
Phantoms: Phantoms are most comparible to the size and looks of a Hunter. Their agility is very high, and have the ability to "teleport" while jumping. During their teleporting period, they are invisible to all players unless feral instinct is active. When you are attacked by one, your damage will go down quite a lot. They have a damage per hit ratio comparable to a rhino, but instead of constantly attacking a player as a rhino would, Phantoms will hit you once or twice and then run away. They have a higher amount of health, somewhere between a Hunter and Rhino.
Breeder: The Breeder is the deadliest and strongest Cryptid known to date. As well as being the largest, the breeder can be very tough to defeat. It has quite a few attacks which all cause noticeable damage: It can shoot biologically produced matter at high velocities comparable to a machine gun at players, it can lay eggs every 40 seconds or so which hatch Hunters, it can shoot poisonous gas that covers areas of the map which cause alot of damage if the player is in it, and it can smash you with its two front arms if you get to close to it. The breeder can only be defeated by shooting one area: the face. With your second encounter with it, it has a sack on its side that can be shot to reduce almost 1/4 of its health.
First Area - Nightfall Facility's Security Area
The first area of Nightfall is very easy to most players. After spawning in a tunnel, a soldier will run up to the chain-linked fence at the opening of the tunnel. He desperately warns you to stay away, exclaiming that you don't know the extent of the Cryptid carnage. A rumbling can be heard, and the soldier pleads with you to let him in and he will tell you everything. Overhead, the Breeder will peek down into the tunnel, pierce the frightened soldier, lift him into the air, and drop him. In doing so, the gate will open and you will be able to enter the Security section of the Nightfall Compound. Before exploring, walk up to the soldier. He will have dropped some grenades and ammo for you to use.
Almost instantly, a Hunter will pop out of a holding crate. Knifing it won't kill it, so just shoot it. It will give you some money to be used later on.
After that encounter, explore! Search areas are located all around the first area, and you may find a new item: a locker key! You can use this key to gain access to lockers located around the map which contain a random weapon which is equipped with multiple upgrades. In the first area, there are only two lockers located behind the hive blocking the entrance to the inside of a little building.
NOTE: You may also find Intel in these search areas. Intel is fundamental in understanding the story to Extinction, so gather up! However, not all of the intel is located in the devices you find by searching search spots. There are laptops around the map which contain even more intel as well as a one-time $500 addition to finding them.
Like Point of Contact, you start off battling Scouts. However, by the third hive, Hunters will already be making appearances. At the third hive, seekers make their introduction. Along with seekers, a Phantom will appear for the first time. Killing it will a gun will give you $1000, a melee death will give you $1500, and assisting in the kill will reward you with $500.
After the fourth hive, a yellow symbol will appear located at the chain link fence separating the Security section and the Compound area of the Nightfall facility, your second location. Now is the time for you to prepare to battle the Breeder for the first time. Throw armor down, throw ammo down, purchase the turret facing the breeder by the building with the lockers, and get ready for an interesting fight.
Either approaching the fence or waiting for a period of time will spawn the breeder. It will rise out of the snow pile marked with the yellow symbol with a howl, and will flatten the fence which is separating the two areas. Wait until its health bar is up, as shooting it without the health bar up wont cause any damage to it.
Now it's time to fight. Shoot the breeder in the face! Shooting anywhere else during your first encounter will not damage the breeder. Use the turret you purchased to your advantage! It will cause alot of damage to the breeder. Purchasing the LSAT in the room with the lockers will also help defeat the breeder faster, as it has more ammo per magazine, is stronger, etc. Surprisingly, a shotgun to the the breeder's face will prove helpful as well.
Throughout the fight, other Cryptids will spawn to help the breeder. Scouts are easy to kill, but when the breeder lays eggs, destroy them immediately. They will hatch Hunters, and they will only elongate your fight with the breeder. Before shooting, a pinkish/purple mist will appear around the breeder. Also, your character may yell something to indicate that it's about to shoot. Hide behind something! It wont shoot for too long, but if you get caught up in its bullets without armor, you most likely will get downed. Also, watch out for the poison gas. It is purple in color and is even more deadly than Scorpion gas. You are able to prevent the gas from spawning, however. When the breeder shoots the pod which contains the gas, shoot it in the air. It will explode, and no gas will come out.
After your fight with the breeder, instead of dying, it will instead flee. Take care of the remaining Cryptids and take the $2000 reward located where the breeder stood. You're going to need that money, because it only gets worse from there.
Second Area - Nightfall's Compound Area
The Security section of the Nightfall Facility is only scratching the surface of the difficulty of this map. If you thought that the first area was difficult, you stand no match for this second area. The difficulty of this area is raised exponentially in the map progression, and the fact that you earn LESS cash with each Cryptid/Trap kill only makes matters worse. Before starting your drilling, as always, explore! Many search area are around this area. Also, a 'hidden' area is located here:
-In the Compound area, there is a electric trap which powers a holding crate. Jump onto the crate, and if you notice, the roof of the building next to it is visible. Line yourself on the opposite side of the crate to the roof, run, and jump! You'll need to press 'A' or 'X' to prevent yourself from falling, as the roof is too far away from the crate to simply jump on to. On the roof, there are search areas and a hidden laptop intel!
There is also another laptop intel location here. Climb up the stairs on your right side when entering the Compound area, and follow the path that goes towards the first area. There, on the path, will be the other laptop intel.
Right when you start drilling the first hive, the increased difficulty is clearly evident. This area is Hunters galore, and that proves to be difficult. Plus, earning less money will make it even more challenging, as supplies are even more tough to get by.
A rhino will make its appearance at the second hive. With Phantoms spawning more frequently, this makes the challenge of this area even more challenging. One thing you can do to give you a slight advantage is turning on the traps. In the first area, spending your money on traps is wasteful, but in this area, spending money on traps can be beneficial. For example, if a Phantom is on fire or is being electrocuted, it cannot (as I have been told) teleport. The faster you kill a phantom, the better.
At the 8th hive, you will most likely be exhausted and in need of a break. However, hold on for just a bit longer. The last hive of the Compound with 4 players will throw 3 rhinos at you, so work together to kill them as fast as possible.
Once done with that, you're going to get a surprise visit from the breeder. Don't worry, though, it won't attack you. All it does is open a barrier that now lets you into the third area, the Weapons Facility! Kill off the rest of the Cryptids and make your way into the the third area.
Third Area: Nightfall's Weapons Facility
Take a good break, because the Weapons Facility of Nightfall will give your confidence in finishing the map a run for its money. Beating the second area is a big accomplishment, but as the saying goes, it only gets worse from there. As always, explore before starting! There are laptop intel locations in here, and they are easily accessible. Lockers are everywhere in this area, so if you have a locker key or find one, use it!
I suggest that you start off drilling where a hive blocks entry into the room containing the new weapon, the Venom-X: A weapon that uses genetically modified Scorpion venom. This weapon, although low on ammo, is extremely tough. It MURDERS rhinos, and there are a good amount of them in this area. Ammo for the Venom-X can be replenished from scorpions. Sometimes, scorpions will drop an egg, which can be picked up to use for the Venom-X. It also adds an inventory slot to your weapons, so instead of swapping a weapon for it, it will just add it to your inventory, meaning that you will keep all of your current weapons.
This area is Scorpion palace. Scorpions are a major problem in this area, so getting rid of them is a necessity.
Interestingly, one of the hives has a cutscene behind it. Dr. Samantha Cross, a scientist who has proven invaluable to the Cryptid research by her advanced intelligence of decrypting codes, is stuck in a room. She tells you how Archers wants to use her, and then puts a gun to her head so no one could use her or find out information from her anymore. However, Archer shows up behind her and shoots her arm, causing Dr. Cross to drop her gun. Archer then tells the characters that he wouldnt be able to let them out from the facility now that they know what happened to Dr. Cross, so he presses a Lockdown button. As a result, the windows are now blocked, and the room now appears misty. Depending when you do destroy that hive, you could have one or a couple more hives left to destroy. The last hive, thankfully, goes by a bit quicker than the other hives in the area. It is located on the top floor of the Weapon Facility, and scorpions flourish up there. A rhino or two will show up, so get rid of them as fast as possible!
After you destroy that hive, an opening will show up on one of the walls of the Facility. Don't bother taking the drill with you, as you are done with that thing. However, your second confrontation with the breeder is fast approaching.
Fourth and Final Area: The Breeder Battle
Before entering this area, throw armor and ammo down. You'll need it.
When you run through the wall, your leader (Godfather) will contact you and tell you Archer is escaping with a vehicle. Run outside to see a vehicle driving away. Don't bother shooting it, because as you run towards it, the breeder will come up over the building to your left, climb down, and start attacking you right away. It will shoot right away, so try to find something to hide behind. After that, begin shooting it. The breeder is much tougher than it was, so its health will not go down as much.
Seekers, scouts, Hunters, and Scorpions will constantly show up to halt you from killing the breeder. Put sentries and vultures out to take care of them. In this battle, the breeder will sometimes fall over and appear to be stunned. Use this time to shoot two weak spots on the breeder's sides, which bring its health down by as much as 1/4 its entire health bar.
Halfway through the battle, the breeder will flee again. This is when rhinos show up. 2 or 3 will spawn and cause havoc. Use the Venom-X to kill them instantly.
After a short time, the breeder will return. However, it will start regenning health using seed pods which spawn at four locations next to meteor-looking objects on four corners of the area. Shoot these pods before the breeder can respawn health!
From here, just spam the breeders face with bullets and Venom-X ammo. When you finally kill the breeder, it will stumble around a bit and then fall over. Congratulations, you beat the map!
Make sure you don't go down when the breeder dies, because if you are down, the game will not count that you survived. There's a short amount of time after the breeder dies that you have to run around, so if anyone is down, hurry up and revive them!
Review
I like the idea of this map. I like the new boss too and new species as well. However, I do believe that this map can be nerfed. Its difficulty rises so much from the first and second area. Honestly, the only way to beat this map is to be higher leveled. I myself have not gotten past the second area yet because I play with people who aren't very high leveled/skilled.
After struggling with Point of Contact for a while, I now have beat it 7 times. Nightfall may be like that. However, I want to progress in the storyline, yet it's almost too hard at this moment to get through it.
No matter, I'll keep trying! Again, nerfing wouldn't be too bad. There are so many rhinos in this map, and killing them before the Venom-X is available is so difficult. Hunters are very annoying as well.
What do you guys think? If anyone has some good tips/tricks to do while running this map, please share
