This guide will help you find all the hidden secrets in Team Evolve’s campaign for Quake II: Zaero. Using screenshots, we’ll show you exactly where to look so you can uncover every secret in the game. Get ready to level up your gaming skills!
Foreword
Here is an image copy of TeamShambler’s detailed review posted back in August of ’99, if you want to read a Quaker’s thoughts about the add-on.
Knowing that the add-on was made available for free over at Team Evolve’s site a few years after its retail release, I decided to make a repack of it which can be downloaded here.[drive.google.com] Be sure to check the included zro_info.txt for packaging details, installation instructions and the remaining technical issues.
Since Zaero uses a custom .dll, it is not compatible with ND’s remaster. Either run it through the original client or a vanilla-friendly alternative. Yamagi[www.yamagi.org]is highly recommended.
This guide has been created to serve as a clean-cut visual aid for getting all 30 secrets in Team Evolve’s 14-level campaign. You are encouraged to play at least on Hard difficulty (for maximum monster population) and discover all the secrets on your own. Better refer to the guide only to find out what you are missing instead of following it step by step.
Of the two shots provided for the secrets, the first one covers the area it is to be found in while the second one shows a particular detail, which, in most cases, is the trigger itself. As with my guide for the PSX campaign, this one also features items of note that are to be found outside of secrets (‘EX’). Likewise, the items laying around the secrets are once more left untouched for the sake of having more visual cues in the shots.
For those interested, a repack of Juggernaut can also be found here.[drive.google.com]
Unit Select / Tips
Defense Shield / exec zunit2.cfg
Water Treatment / exec zunit3.cfg
Tombs / exec zunit4.cfg
Boss / exec zunit5.cfg
As with the base game, the add-on defaults to Medium difficulty unless it is changed by using the skill variable. To start playing on another difficulty, be sure to type in the appropriate command (given in italics) from the list below before executing the command for the unit.
Easy / skill 0
Medium / skill 1
Hard / skill 2
Nightmare / skill 3
—
Zaero does not utilize the additional monsters, weapons or inventory items from the MPs, yet adds a fair amount of such content of its own into the mix. Here are some notes about them:
Visor: An inventory item found in most of the levels that grants access to the sec-cams in the area for 30 seconds. Activate it as soon as you find it to get an overview of the upcoming encounters.
IRED: An explosive device that is pretty much the tripmine from Freeman’s classic arsenal. Place it on a corridor wall and wait for the enemies to trigger its laser beam. Though pretty slow for Quake II’s pace, it still has its uses in the earlier levels that are lacking in explosives.
EMP Nuke: Hand grenade that lets out an AoE attack which disables nearly all of the ranged attacks (apart from yours, of course) for 30 seconds. An invulnerability alternate that is best utilized against groups of sentiens, EMP nukes are found rarely in the first half of the campaign, yet are given out more generously in the second.
Sniper Rifle: As the name suggests, yet it directly goes for the scope view once it is equipped. Needs a three-second charge time before every shot, which in turn needs three slugs. Cumbersome, yet effective in select encounters throughout in Unit 3. Railgun remains the better choice.
A2K: Suicide vest with a five-second countdown that is more suited to DM then SP, yet every ammo pack you get in the campaign also provides one if you do not have any in your inventory. Although it is possible to couple an A2K with an invulnerability power-up and walk away from the explosion unscatched (two chances for that in Unit 4), it is still not that effective as one would expect.
Sonic Cannon: Cell-based weapon with a hitscan explosive shot that gets more powerful the more it is charged. Hard to control and drains the cells quickly, yet capable of one-shotting all of the common monsters. Make use of it throughout Unit 3, until you get a hyperblaster in the next one.
As a side note, medics and mutants from the id roster are also not utilized in Zaero’s campaign.
Unit 1: Mining Complex
This unit consists of 2 levels that contain a total of 2 secrets.
—
OUTER PERIMETER
EX – Before going into the base proper, check the opening to the left to get an early shotgun.
1/1 – Stepping out of the first elevator, turn around and wait for it to go down. After that, drop on top of it to reach the hidden tunnel (indicated by the sparks) that leads to a shot of adrenaline.
—
INSTALLATION
EX – Pick up the super shotgun, then drop down to get the shot of adrenaline waiting beneath it.
1/1 – Crawl through the opening located at the far corner of the courtyard to find a power-up.
Unit 2: Defense Shield
This unit consists of 4 levels that contain a total of 9 secrets.
Manage your ammo wisely through this unit as the next one is severely lacking in that respect.
—
SHIELD CONTROL
1/2 – Past the initial courtyard, shoot the damaged grate next to the stairs to reach the overlook where a suit of armor, an EMP nuke and some grenades are to be found.
2/2 – Right after disabling the lasers with the red key, shoot the window around the corner and utilize the light fixture to the right to reach the megahealth in sight.
—
MINING DEPOT
1/3 – Before leaving the entrance hall, shoot the cracked panels by the door to reveal a path that leads to the power-up residing above.
EX (A) – Following on from the previous secret, take the elevator in the second hall and get the rather hard to see security pass found by the consoles in the corner.
2/3 – After being ambushed from above by a flyer, shoot the damaged grate found where it was awaiting to get the suit of armor in sight.
3/3 – Following on from the previous secret, get the power cube then shoot the panel found in the adjacent room to reveal another shot of adrenaline.
EX (B) – Deactivate the emergency power via the console found in the same room with the above secret and clear out the following hall. Considering you have the security pass from before, push the console by the double doors to gain access to the side room where an early chaingun and a visor are to be found.
—
SHIELD CONTROL (Continued)
EX – After taking care of the ambushing hellhounds, get into the opening by the left corner to find a power shield in advance, as well as some cells to boot it up.
Better get an EMP nuke ready before going through the next door.
EX – Before stepping onto the bridge over the lava, check around the ledge to get another shot of adrenaline.
—
ADMINISTRATION CENTER
1/2 – Right after using the security pass, take the left door and shoot the panel with the strobing light fixture above it to reveal an elevator to the upper floor. Take it, reprogram the auto cannons via the console found at the very end, then activate the visor you get along the way for the show.
Better take advantage of the vantage point to clear out the heavy opposition from above.
—
RESEARCH LAB
1/2 – Get into the laboratory and push the console found within after clearing it out. Return to the previous hall, push the other console and take the newly-revealed ladder to collect the early grenade launcher and the power-up residing on the upper floor.
EX – Following on from the previous secret, take the stairs around the next corner and get the bandolier found by a bunch of crates to the back.
2/2 – Stepping onto the second floor of another control room, take the seeming dead-end to the right and look for a button on the ceiling. Shoot it to reveal a platform over the slime which you can safely drop on to get the supplies awaiting below.
—
ADMINISTRATION CENTER (Continued)
2/2 – Reaching the airfield, take the elevator to the upper floor, then turn around and drop on top of it. From there, shoot the button on the ceiling to gain access to a side area full of supplies, one of them being the first ammo pack.
Unit 3: Water Treatment
This unit consists of 3 levels that contain a total of 8 secrets.
—
PIPELINE JUNCTION
1/3 – Just before moving on to Flow Control Station, drop down to the lower level and shoot the damaged grate to get the suit of armor residing on the other side.
—
FLOW CONTROL STATION
1/2 – Clear out the initial room, then shoot the barrels around the next corner and approach the grate behind them to find a suit of armor and a bunch of shards.
2/2 – After disabling the yellow force fields, push aside the white-colored crate in the vicinity to reveal a button behind it. Push the button in question to gain access to a nearby hatch, where an early sonic cannon, an EMP nuke and a couple of cells await.
—
PIPELINE JUNCTION (Continued)
2/3 – Once you reach the storage area past the security door, jump on top of the crates stacked on the corner to get the out-of-sight visor.
—
EXTRACTION PUMP
1/3 – Right at the beginning, crawl underneath the set of stairs to collect a bunch of shards.
2/3 – Following on from the previous secret, check under the next set of stairs for some IREDs.
3/3 – Following on from the previous secret, drop down onto the duo of pipes and make your way to the damaged panel beneath the walkway. Shoot the panel in question to reveal an EMP nuke.
—
PIPELINE JUNCTION (Continued)
3/3 – Instead of taking the ladder up, drop down to the lower floor and shoot the button in sight to open up a path that leads to an early railgun, as well as lots of shards and stimpacks.
Unit 4: Tombs / Boss
This unit consists of 4+1 levels that contain a total of 11 secrets.
Better make full use of your weapons and inventory items before stepping onto the teleporter that takes you to the final level, Filtration System, as doing so rips you of all possessions.
—
THE GATEWAY
1/2 – Getting near the sonic cannon on offer results in an ambush. Deal with it, then return to the connecting corridor and shoot the cracked Zaero symbol in one of the newly-revealed alcoves to get an ammo pack and a power-up.
2/2 – Clear out the bridge over lava, then jump into the second alcove from the left and shoot the button in sight to reveal a path that leads to extra rockets and a power-up.
Either save the invulnerability power-up found in this secret or in Waste Combustion’s fourth for The Gathering, as the sole secret of that level can not be reached without the help of one.
—
From the top of the stairs in the central atrium, the path to the west leads to Waste Combustion, while the one to the southwest exits to Energy Transformation. The door to the east leads to The Gathering, while the opening to the north leads to the teleporter platform serving as the hub exit.
Even though any of the three levels mentioned can be visited at this point, the guide opts (and recommends) to go by the filenames, as ordered below.
—
WASTE COMBUSTION
1/5 – In the initial area, shoot the angled panel right across the hyperblaster on offer to reveal a path that leads to the invulnerability power-up residing on the ledge.
2/5 – Following on from the previous secret, take the first path you come across after the next corner and drop down onto the light fixture seen through the opening on the floor. Turn around and cross the semi-invisible bridge to find extra rockets and a power-up.
3/5 – Following on from the previous secret, activate the invulnerability power-up from the first secret then drop into the slime pit through the opening by the next corner. Follow the path laid out before you and take the ladder at the very end to get a BFG10K and a couple of cells.
4/5 – Reaching the slime pool, take extra care to avoid blowing up the barrels to the left. Clear out the immediate area, then utilize three of the said barrels as stepping stones (see the second shot) to reach the power-up in sight. Note that even though the first jump can be made without them, the second one surely needs the help of a barrel.
5/5 – Shoot the cracked part of the floor by the hatch controls, then step on the newly-revealed button to gain access to the upper floor where loads of shards await.
—
ENERGY TRANSFORMATION
1/3 – Halfway into the pillared room, a gunner spawns behind you. Deal with him, then return to the previous corridor and shoot the grate found in the newly-revealed alcove to discover a side area offering assorted ammo, a suit of armor and another BFG10K.
2/3 – Following on from previous secret, pass through the next corridor then simply collect the supplies residing in the alcove to the left.
3/3 – In the room with the laser controls, step out through one of the openings to the right of the duo of consoles to find a shot of adrenaline on the other side.
—
THE GATHERING
1/1 – Going through the initial hall, activate the invulnerability power-up you brought along and drop into the lava stream to find an alcove below the corner. Collect the supplies and make haste to the ladder found at the end of the stream before the active power-up runs out.
Return to The Gateway, place the three keys you have in possession onto the pedestals before the teleporter platform and hop in to access the final level.
—
FILTRATION SYSTEM
EX – Stepping into the arena proper, first take the right corridor and make a running jump at the end of the tunnel to get the environment suit residing on the crates next to the boss. After that, take the other corridor and look for a ladder to the left as you exit the tunnel to get on the pipe.
Get to the other end of the said pipe, step on the button and make haste to the timed ladder that leads to an otherwise unreachable tunnel. Once in, activate the suit and dive into the slime to get the invulnerability power-up. Back out, dive into the central pool to also get the BFG10K residing in there before the suit runs out.
Other than these two items of importance, this level has no secrets.
Boss Tip: Once he uses an EMP nuke, only the super shotgun and the grenade launcher remain usable for the next thirty seconds. Thus it is better to attack him with highest tier weapons first, i.e. BFG10k and the railgun. After he loses most of his HP and the said nuke goes off, activate the invulnerability power-up, close the gap and finish him with the super shotgun.
—
Guides for the original game, MPs 1/2, CotM and N64/PSX following the same format seen here are also available to accompany this one. Check them out if you are in for a completionist’s run:
And that wraps up our share on Quake II: Quake II: Zaero – Visual Guide to Secrets. If you have any additional insights or tips to contribute, don’t hesitate to drop a comment below. For a more in-depth read, you can refer to the original article here by erc, who deserves all the credit. Happy gaming!