*** Mercenaries Minigame Hints and Tips FAQ ***


Alrighty, I've been thinking about doing this for quite a while, and just 
decided, what the heck... I'm gonna do it.

This isn't by any means the know all be all as far as the Mercs. minigame is 
concerned, but these strategies did help me get to my ultimate goal, the 
Handcannon!

Sooo, here goes....


*** Level 1 - Village ***


General - For starters, you're going to start the map in various places, so 
it's best if you run around the villages parameters and grab all but two of
the time extention bonuses that are present. 

The two that I'd recommend holding off on at the moment would have to be...

1) The time extention bonus that's in the locked bedroom in the single story
  cabin (there's a 30 second Kill bonus in this room as well, as well as a barn
  facing the bedroom's window)

2) The time extention bonus that's inside said barn (across from bedroom 
   window of single story cabin).

I'd get both of these time extentions as well as the 30 second kills bonus
when you later comeback to this cabin...

After grabbing all the items the village has including the grenade and green
herb in the watch tower (minus the two time extenions mentioned above) make
your way back to the single story cabin thats going to be to the left side of
the two story barn (this barn will have a time extention as well as a 30 
second kills bonus on the top level).

When you get to this cabin, grab all the items that are present, if you 
haven't done so already, and jump out the window that's facing the Treasure
chest that's holding onto a 30 second kills bonus item. 

Grab the 30 second kill bonus, and turn around (facing the window you just 
jumped out of), by this time you should have quite a few of the Ganados 
tracking you down, and around 3 to 5 of them should be in the room that you 
just jumped out of...

While you've got the kills bonus up and running this is your chance to start 
racking up the combos. While the Ganados are trying to climb out of the cabins 
window, shoot them back into the room and start to gain some combos in this 
fashion. 

Repeat the process in this manor, but be aware that sometimes the Ganados will 
circle the cabin completely as opposed to going through it to get to you. 

Eventually you'll see that 1 or 2 of the Ganados will be totting around a 
stick of dynamite, make sure you use these guys as another weapon, if they're 
in the cabin that you're firing into, take them out as soon as you see them, 
this way they'll blow up everyone that's around them as well.

Keep firing into the cabins window, until you hear the sound of the Chainsaw 
Women. When you hear the Chainsaws this is your cue to make your way to the 
cabin that had the locked bedroom door and the time extention with the 30 
second kills bonus inside (theres also a few barrells in this cabin so smash 
them and grab the items inside if you've got the time. Otherwise, say heck 
with the barrells and just grab the time extentions and kills bonus in the 
bedroom).

After you grab the extention and kills bonus, jump out of the window, and run 
directly into the barn that's facing the bedrooms window. Grab the time 
extention in the barn and smash the barrell in the left corner, it has a red 
herb. By this time you'll have a few Ganados in the barns vacinity, while the 
time bonus is running on you, make sure to start racking up the combos...
When the Chainsaw Sisters show up, throw a flash grenade (you should have one) 
and blast them with the strongest weapon you have (Shotty, or another grenade 
if possible) while they're both dazed.

After you get rid of the first set of Chainsaw women grab whatever items 
they've dropped as well as the items that've been dropped by the other Ganados 
and start to make your way to the two story barn that's housing (or was) the 
time extention and the 30 second kill bonus on the top level.

When you get inside the two story barn, immediately make your way up to the 
second story and knock the ladder down... You'll notice that there's going 
to be an explosive barrell near the open doorway, DON'T shoot that yet. 
Wait until you've got alot of Ganados (I wait til I've got 2 or 3 chainsaw 
sisters and 4 or so ganados inside the room) then grab the 30 second kills 
bonuse from the chest, knock over the ladder if need be, and proceed to blast 
the barrell. You should get a minimum of 6 or so kills racking up your combos 
more.

While enemies are pouring in, keep the combos and kills rate high, the higher 
the combos rate, the more points you'll be awarded. I wait for the Ganados to 
lift the ladder up, and then when the first one tries to climb it, I knock it 
down, and it'll usually knock down 3 or 4 more as well. Try to get as many 
kills as you can while the 30 second bonus is still active, it's possible to 
get 20 or even more...

Continue dropping grenades in larger groups, and constantly knock the ladder 
down, however, DON'T jump down whatever you do... That could end really bad. 
When I'm on the barns top level, and using the grenades, I try to throw them 
at an angle so that it bounces back into the group as opposed to out towards 
the barnes double doors.

Continue this fashion and you'll end up with a pretty high combo rate. I'd get 
rid of the grenades and fire bombs first of all, then switch over to the 
characters weapons...


*** Village Level - Character Specific Tips ***


Leon - With Leon the biggest thing would have to be the Chainsaw Sisters, with 
only his trusty shotty, these two can take a heck of a lot of damage.
Make sure you blind the first set of them with your flash grenade (you'll be 
in the barn outside the bedroom window that had the time extention and 30 
second bonus), and constantly blast them with the shotgun, or throw a grenade 
at a downward angle and get them with the brunt of the explosion.

If you're lucky you'll have a Ganado or two drop some grenades, maybe a flash 
grenade if you're lucky.

After you get rid of the first pair of Chainsaw Sisters, grab the items that 
they've dropped as well as the items that've been dropped by the other Ganados
and make you're way to the two story barn to hold up in the top level.

Hunk - Again, the Bella Sisters are a bit of a drag, fortunately Hunk has his 
neck breaker. I'd go ahead and use the flash grenade and break the neck of one 
of the Chainsaw Sisters, then lob a grenade at the other one. Aim low with the 
'nade again, so that the sister takes the most damage. If you can get both of 
the sisters with the neck breaker, do it, but make sure you've got the room to 
work it.

When you get to the two story barn, make sure you start off with the grenades, 
but make sure you've got groups, angled throws will result in the grenades 
landing more into the crowd, as opposed to closer to the double doors...

After the grenades are gone, start with the TMP. However use this weapon in 
spurts, and aim for headshots... Keep the combos going, and that'll be enough 
to get you through it.

Krauser - Hmmm, what to say, this is pretty easy actually. Again, hold up in 
the first barn across from the bedroom, lob a flash grenade, then start 
picking enemies off with arrows. 

Use your special arm attack on the Bella sisters (especially when you have 
more then just them in a group). Let your special attack recharge, and then 
repeat the process. I'd use the attack whenever you've got the crowd stunned 
with the flash grenade, and crowds that are bunced together leave you with 
less of a chance of being attacked when the special attack is over...

As far as the two story barn goes, well, it's about the same as everyone elses.
Use the 30 second kills bonus to rack up combos, aim for head shots with the 
arrows, and knock down the ladder as always. 

You may also have some grenades as well, so use them again, at angled throws 
to take out the largest crowds.

If you jump down to the barnes first story to use your special move, MAKE sure 
the enemies are stunned or you will get your head cut off.

Ada - Ada's pretty easy to get through as well, when you hide in the first 
barn (across from bedroom that has time and 30 second kill bonuses) use your 
sniper rifle on the enemies as they climb through the bedroom window. The 
rifle will shoot through multiple Ganados, and thats a GREAT way to get your 
combos busted up really fast.

If you've got the room, snipe the first set of chainsaw sister, and then lob 
a flash grenade into the crowd to stun them. While they're stunned, pitch a 
flame grenade into the group and watch them all go up in flames...

When you get to the two story barn, use the fire bombs (again thrown in 
angles) to keep the combos coming, then switch over to the rifle ammo. Aim at 
the heads with the sniper rifle, and try to take out more then one at at time. 
After the rifle ammos gone (probably won't be though) switch over to the 
handgun, and go from there.

Albert Wesker - Well, Weskers, about the same as Ada, but he comes with a 
Killer7 magnum. Use that on the Bella Sisters, and thats really about the only 
difference that you'll find with him. Flash rounds, and grenades work great 
for groups as well... Keep the combos going.

When you get to the two story barn, do the same that you did with Ada, but 
you'll be able to spend the rest of the magnum ammo as well. Use the fire 
bombs, and grenades to keep the combos high, then switch over to the Sniper 
rifle to get stuff-a-rolling.

Hope this kind of helped for the first Mercs level...


*** Level 2 - The Castle ***


Here's a copy of my strategy for Leon on this level (Castle) that I posted in 
a thread that was on the great site Gamefaqs...

For character specific tips, besides Leon, see the section after the following 
walkthrough.

The Castle level in Mercs was without a doubt the level that game me the most 
trouble out of them all when I was trying to unlock my handcannon.

The thing that was giving me the most trouble was the fact that I'd always end 
up wasting TONS of ammo and resources on the Prisoner with the metal claws. 
Too much of a pain in the arse trying to kill him.

Here's a bit of advice that I used to get me through it...

Leon - Make sure you use the shotty as effective as possible, meaning don't 
use it when you've got only 1 or 2 of the monks around you. 

Instead pepper them with the Handgun, until you've got more then 4 monks 
around you then blast the entire group with the shotty.

In the beginning of the level you'll encounter a barrell that is to the left 
of the staircase when you reach the top of it, DON'T use that barrell until 
you've got a swarm of monks around you. Combos is the way to achieve HIGH, 
HIGH amounts of points.

Make sure you grab the time extention in the beginning of the level right 
away, I'd clear out all the enemies up to the point when the Monks with the 
blades start to show up (should be two of them). Dispatch them, and then run 
to the top of the balcony and grab the next time extention (as well as the 
goodies on the upper level). 

Jump back down to the lower level, by this time you'll have quite a few of the 
Monks waiting for you, bait all of them into following you to the barrell 
blow'em all up at once...

Remember, the barrell isn't a solid object, you can hug the wall that it's on 
and literally run right through it if the Monks start to swarm you.

After destroying the enemies that you used the barrell on make your way into 
the castles inner area (if you do this right, you'll leave the area and most 
of the time the Clawed Prisoner won't even show up).

Once you get inside the castle, use the shotty to blast through the shielded 
Monks, and make your way up to one of the other time extentions and 30 second 
kill bonuses that'll be waiting in the castle walls...

Make sure you use the 30 second kill bonuses to the best of your ability, 
combos, combos, and combos is the way to get the best out of this thing...

After the first 30 second bonus wears off, make your way to the second 
(whichever one you didn't use, either in the tower with the archers or near 
the walkway that leads to the top/outdoor area of the castle).

Once you get to the castles top level, you'll be fighting some of the purple 
robbed monks, as well as some archers... A cutscene will start up and you'll 
see a group of enemies walk out of the closed doors on the towers top level. 

I always save a flash grenade for this part right here, I run towards the 
stairs throw the grenade and while the Monks are blinded, I blast the barrell 
behind them, getting multiple kills..

Remember, if you enter the room where the Monks came from in the cutscene 
there's another time bonus as well as another 30 second bonus kills item as 
well... HOWEVER, you'll be faced with another Clawed Prisoner..

If you must enter this room (I got 60,000 plus twice without even worrying 
about this room or the other Clawed Prisoner so you may not need to) make sure
you grab the items and the first aid spray thats in the hidden room that the 
Clawed Prisoner comes out of, and try to use the grenades that you'll have on 
Monks as well as the Prisoner (bonus kills again are big pluses)....

Well, I hope this kind of helped, and I'll try to get another post up with 
some of the other characters soon.

Remember, combos, combos and again... Combos.


*** The Castle - Specific character tips (excluding Leon) ***


Hunk - The most important thing to remember when you're playing this level 
with Hunk is that you're going to want to watch the TMP's ammo very, very 
closely. If you sit there and go all out, you'll find yourself bare-boned 
before you know it... This is bad!

For starters, I went ahead and used his TMP to pepper groups of enemies 
(lightly tap the attack button), and the main area that I aim for was the 
lower body (resulting in less Parasites being exposed on the Cultists that 
you're attacking).

After you manage to knock down group of 3 - 5 Cultists, either finish them off 
with one of Hunk's many grenades, or simply complete the job with his TMP. 
MAKE sure you always watch you're ammo as stated above..

Hunks neck breaking move is a GREAT attack for one on one enemies, but if 
you're facing a group of them, you'll encounter trouble when the move is 
finished (leaving you open to attack on the backside).

Make sure you use the 30 second Kill bonuses to the best that you can, with 
Hunk, I'd go ahead and take out the enemies legs, then lob a grenade ontop of 
the fallen monsters... Combos, and more combos are needed to get the highest 
scores... 

The biggest thing that I ran into was the damn Wolverines, what can I say, 
they take way too much time and effort to kill as far as I'm concerned. There 
was a couple of times that I'd completed the map with 60,000 plus points and I 
didn't have to deal with any of them (I left the beginning area even before 
the Cultists with the dynamite showed up, and when I entered the Chamber that 
housed two Wolverines, one on each side of the room, I still had about 2 
minutes left to go. So, I think they are release only if you enter the room 
within a certain time frame... Have to look more at this though).

If you do have to fight them with Hunk, make sure you have a 30 second bonus 
kill activated, and use grenades on not only the Wolverines, but the cultists 
that are falling into the room(s) at the same time. This way, you'll be 
getting bonus points for the monks that are falling as well. 

However, I think you're better off not dealing with the Wolvies at all.

Ada - Ada's pretty easy to get through with this map, as long as you don't 
drain her TMP ammo, and keep the combos going with the sniper rifle when 
you've got the 30 second kill bonuses activated...

When the time bonuses are up and running, with Ada, I always took out the 
monsters legs (yes, again) and finished them off with a Fire bomb or two. 
The sniper rifle is also a GREAT addition to Ada's inventory as it travels 
through multiple enemies and really racks up the combos....

Something that really worked for me, was to stay inside the tower that 
contains the time extention as well as the 30 second kill bonus (you'll 
encounter two archers in this tower), and use the sniper rifle to get combo 
kills as your enemies cross the narrow bridge and make their way to you. 
This is great for getting larger combo kills. 

Always keep your eyes open for the cultists carrying the dynamite, make sure 
you use him as an additional weapon... Shoot him and watch his buddies go up 
in smoke... :)

Krauser - Again, this level's pretty nice to use Krauser on. For starters take 
a few of the Cultists out with Krausers arrow (use a flash grenade to stun 
them, then go ahead and finish them off with his bow). 

If you've got a whole slew of the baddies congregating around one barrell, 
don't hesitate to blow'em up! The barrells (explosive) again, can be ran 
right through if you get yourself cornered... They don't block you, so hug 
the wall and run right through it.

I always used Krausers special arm attack when he was either confronted by the 
wolverines, or had a large amount of monsters coming at you. This attack works 
wonders when you've got the 30 second kill bonuses running.

Don't forget about Krausers kick as well, it's a very, very deadly move. So, 
if you don't have access to the special attack yet, through a flash grenade 
and start kicking.

Albert Wesker - Weskers path should be about the same as Adas, except that he 
has a Killer7 at his disposal... Use that against the Wolverines, and you'll 
be scott free.

The sniper rifle again, is a GREAT way to get the combo rate going which will 
be a plus if you're going for the 5 star rankings...

I'd also go ahead and wait in Tower (has two Archers) with Wesker like you did 
with Ada. Grab that 30 second kills bonus, and watch the combos rack up. 

Flash bombs again, are a nice addition, so use them when you've got larger 
groups, stun them, then try to snipe or blow'em up with a 'nade.

Use Weskers pistol only if you run out of the magnum and rifle ammo, I don't 
think you'll have a problem though.

If you find that you need to face the Wolverines, blast them in the head with 
your Killer7, this will cause them to turn in confusion, leaving their backs 
open. Take out your sniper rifle, and blast the Plaga on their backs...

If you're faced with more then one Wolverine, try to use the grenades if you 
can, and snipe or magnum them when they're bent over...

Well, thats about it for this level, combos again are the best way to go, and 
they'll guarantee you a high score.

However, you WILL die from time to time... It just happens like that.. Sucks, 
don't it?

I'll get the Military Stage up shortly.

Hope this one helped.


*** Level 3 - Military Compound ***


Well, if you're needing to take a breather, this is definitely the level to do 
it on! Which is a bigtime plus if you ask me.

Now, with this, the third of the four Mercenaries levels, it's going to be a 
bit hard to do a set walkthrough because your character starts at randomly 
assigned places throughout the Complex. However, there's never really a place 
that'll pose too much of a threat if you use all the resources that are 
offered to you.

So without further adue, here we go...

For starters, I'd recommmend taking a lap around the Military installation and 
grabbing at least two of the levels many time extention bonuses that you're 
going to be running into. I'd also go ahead and find one of the 30 second kill 
bonus items that would be laying around the levels interior (there's going to 
be a total of 3 I believe), and try to get the combo rating started early...

Throughout the level you'll be faced with many of the Ganados that are either 
totting around the shock sticks, or the knifes so as far as opposition is 
concerned, well, they're not going to be to do a whole lot to stop ya. 
However, once in a blue moon, you'll find one that's either totting around a 
stick of dynamite or a ROCKET LAUNCHER! Make sure that you use the Ganados 
holding the TNT as an added weapon, if you can blast him while you've got a 
crowd, you'll see your combos rating go through the roof (usually 6 - 9 kills)
and if you have a 30 second kill up and running, then that'll just add to your 
enjoyment...

When you come incontact with the Rocket Launching goon, make sure you take him 
out ASAP!! They can do a heckuva number on you're health if you don't watchout 
for them, maybe even kill ya. I always blast those guys in the legs, then make 
my way up to where they fell, and finish the job.

The biggest threat you're going to be running into as far as this Merc. level 
is concerned is the fact that you'll be dealing with a couple of the Gattling 
Gunners (usually a pair of them, however, more can spawn). When you have to 
face these guys, I'd always recommend using a flash grenade so that you can 
stun them. While the Gunners are stunned, this is the time to dispatch of them 
in the quickest way possible. I either mow'em down with a few grenades, or my 
Mercs strongest weapon (more will be detailed later on). Kill each of the 
Gunners you run into, because 95% of the time you'll be rewarded with a First 
Aid Spray for your troubles.... Worth it? You betcha.

This level has many spawning points, like I said previously, so your best bet 
is to be on the move at all times. This way you'll be able to keep up with the 
time extentions and the 30 second kill bonuses if need be. The good thing 
about this spread out level, is that when you encounter your enemies, you 
encounter not one or two, but usually entire brigades full of them, making it 
much easier to keep your combos talling up to where you'll be needing them in 
order to obtain the 5 star ranks that people are trying to get now-a-days.

Another thing to be on the lookout for while you're running around blasting 
your way to the highest point value would have to be the caves that are 
connecting certain parts of the compound. Hiding out in these caves is an 
excellent way to get groups of enemies to bum rush you all at once. When they 
do this, throw a 'nade or two, and watch the entire group go up in one large 
boom! Single kills are okay, but try to stay away from those if at all 
possible.

In addition to the Ganados that are carrying around the TNT, you're going to 
have more of those explosive barrells at your disposal... So as always, use 
them ONLY when you have a group of more then 3 or 4 grunts running around it. 
I usually wait until I've got a good 6 to 7 baddies around the barrells, then 
I'll light'em all up at once.

So as always, keep those combos going strong, and you should come out with the 
points that you'll be needing to get the covetted 5 Star Rank that'll help you 
out with the quest for the Handcannon.


*** Level 3 - Military Compound Character Specific Tips ***


Leon - As always, Leons shotty is a GREAT way to keep the combos-a-rolling! 
I don't think I switched over to my handgun one time while I played this map 
with Leon. If you do use the Handgun, just use it to soften a few of the 
baddies up, then blast them both with the shotty when they get closer to you.

You'll also be finding that the enemies in this stage tend to drop a pretty 
healthy supply of grenades, use these to take out larger groups of Ganados 
then the shotty itself would be able to do. Either take out their legs, then 
throw a grenade to finish it off, or wait till they're all bunched together, 
aim low, and launch the grenade into the center of them. By aim the grenades 
low, they'll land directly in the center of the group and be more effective.

When Mr. Gattling shows up, either try to keep him dazed with the shotty's 
headshots, or better yet, throw a flash grenade and blast him while he's 
recovering. Another strategy that worked pretty well for me, was when I'd 
blast him in his face, switch to my grenades, then throw one directly under 
him... Usually, if the Gattling Gunner takes the 'nades full power, he'll go 
down after you repeat this a time or two. Always get the First Aid Sprays that 
these guys drop after you kill them.

Keep moving at all times, and blast the enemies when they're all grouped up. 
If the time starts to run low on ya, make sure you grab one of the Complex's 
many time extentions to keep it going strong.

Hunk - Now this is fun, you're strategy with Mr. Death is one that isn't too 
hard to execute at all. Alot of people love Hunks neck breaker, but if you 
don't watch it, you leave yourself open to attack when he's recovering. Fear 
not though, in this stage there's so much health to be found that you can use 
this and almost never live to regret it.

The biggest thing that gets Hunk in trouble is the fact that when you sit 
there and blast away with his TMP you chew ammo up like it's going out of 
style, so make sure you tap the attack button, and after you group of Ganados 
have fallen go ahead and lob a grenade into the pile, and blow the pile up. A 
big plus with this level though, is that the enemies seem to drop quite a few 
TMP ammo packs after you've killed'em. So that's not really going to be a big 
problem with Hunk in this level.

Grenades are another thing that show up quite frequently, so, don't hesitate 
to use them when you've got large groups of enemies making their way toward 
you. Just save a few for the encounters you'll be having with the Gattling 
Gunners that you're sure to be having.

As for the Gattling Gunners, the best thing to do with Hunk, in my eyes, would 
be to pitch a grenade underneath him while he's aiming, and after the blast 
stuns him bust out the TMP and start to pump him full of lead. Make sure you 
take cover if he starts shooting at you before the grenade explodes though, 
his attack can drain your life right before your eyes. Repeat the process, 
and before you know it, you'll be one First Aid Spray richer.

As always, barrells are your buddies...

Krauser - Heheh, good old Krauser. This level is a charm with Mr. Knife. When 
you've got single enemies advancing towards you go ahead and blast away with 
Krauser's powerful bow, make sure you grab the extra ammo that the enemies 
will drop, because running out of Arrows is a possiblity.

Krauser's another one that'll have quite a few flash grenades at his leisure, 
so use them when you've got a large group of Ganados around, and then either 
pitch a explosive into the mix, or better yet, wipe them all out with his 
special arm attack... Nothing works quite as good as that.

When you run into the Gunners, the special attack is the way to go all the 
way. No contest to that. If you want to take'em down the old fashion way, 
flash bang'em and then log a grenade. Repeat the pattern and they'll fall 
like a sack of potatos leaving you with some nice points as well as another 
First Aid Spray.

Hmmm, that's really about it with Kraus-man, he's a pretty good candidate for 
this level all in all.

Ada - Ada's another one that can handle this level pretty easily, the only 
thing that I'd watch out for would be the fact that she tends to take some 
significant damage from the enemies in this area. Good thing shes fast, and 
there's quite a few healing items that'll be found throughout this level.

The TMP, grenades and handgun are all pretty nice in this level, but I think 
the best weapon for Ada is going to have to be her Sniper rifle. With that guy
the combos keep on coming. With the sniper rifle the trick is to make sure 
you've got Ganados that are coming at you in a group, this way, when you shoot 
them it'll pass threw more then one, and keep the kills increasing. Just make 
sure you've got room between you and the group you're aiming at.

Once Ada has the 30 second kills bonus activated, I'd go ahead and blast the 
monsters legs, get a pretty good sized group built up, then lob a fire bomb in 
the middle of them. This seems to work really, really well. If you're inside 
one of the Compounds caves and a 30 second kills bonus is in motion, you might 
want to try the sniper rifle out. Since the caves are pretty narrow, you'd be 
amazed as to how many Ganados you'll be able to blast your way threw as they 
all pile into the cave's entrance to hack you to pieces... Just keep an eye 
out for monsters that'll appear behind you.

When it's Ada vs. The Gattling Gunners, I'd go ahead and snipe them from a 
distance. Ada takes a TON of damage from this guys weapon, and it'll kill her 
very, very fast. So get some distance between the two of you, and take 
headshots up to the point that it kills him.

Another thing that you can do is either flash bang him (if you have a flash 
grenade) and start to pump him full of TMP rounds, or you can use the barrells 
that are laying around the Complex to inflict MASSIVE amounts of damage when 
it blows up in his face. All in all though, I'd use the sniper rifle.

Albert Wesker - Well, good old Wesker's about the same as Ada Wong is in this 
level strategy wise, except that he has a Killer7 at his disposal. When you're 
facing only a few enemies go ahead and weaken them with Wesker's handgun (90% 
of the time you'll kill all that you shoot with the Handgun), and then pitch 
a grenade into the mix and match so you can get more then one kill.

The sniper rifle should be used in about the same manor that it was with Ada, 
grab the time extention and 30 second kills bonus, find a safe haven and start 
to snipe the enemies in droves. I'd either hold up in a cave and snipe as they 
make their way into kill you, or get to a high point and start to snipe them 
as they scurry around the bottom looking for ladders to make their way 
up to you...

With the Gattling Gunners, well, it's all about the Killer7 and its awesome 
stopping power. Save the rounds for them and you won't have anything to worry 
about. Heck, you might even have some left overs after you take out the pair 
of Gattling Gunners, if so, feel free to use them on any of the many oncoming 
nitwits. Nothing quite like blasting a lowly Ganado with a magnum... :) 

Well, that's about it for the Military Complex, if you find yourself running 
low on time, make sure you make your way into the Installations various 
structures and towers to get the time extention bonuses. The time extentions 
are usually somewhat grouped together, there's 3 or 4 of them on the Complex's 
large lookout tower (you'll also find a 30 second kills bonus on this tower as 
well), and then another 3 to 5 of them scattered throughout the trenches and 
caverns that are found near the Complex's ground level.

Next up, Water World!


*** Level 4 - Water World ***


Well, what to say? This level is fun, but at the same time this map has the 
most annoying, dreaded, and one of the AWESOMEST monsters to have ever 
entered into the Resident Evil series... The Dual Bladed Chainsaw Maniac!

For starters, this level, like the Military Complex has many randomly chosen 
starting points. In the beginning, I'd go ahead and make a lap around the 
levels lower outside area and don't worry about the inner parts of the 
buildings until later on. Grab two or three of the time extention bonuses, 
and any of the items that are going to be visible from the start. An important 
item to grab is going to be the first of the 30 second kill bonuses (found in 
a treasure chest near the center of the level in the outdoor area). Keep on 
circling the outer parameters until you've got a large enough group of 
Ganados, then open up with the strongest weapon that you have. Either throw 
grenades into the groups of enemies, or use a fire arm that inflicts damage 
to multiple targets (shotty, TMP or rifle).

With luck you'll run into a few Ganados that are totting around the TNT 
sticks, these guys are great when it comes to getting large numbers of 
monsters killed at once, thus boosting up your kills bonus points. Keep this 
up, until you hear the sound of the Maniac with the Chainsaw...

Now heres the fun part, for starters, in various locations you'll see 
explosive barrells, I know it's tempting to use them on the lowly Ganados, 
but I myself prefer to save them for the Dual Bladed Chainsaw enemies (a pair 
of them). The way I handle these guys, is by leading them to one of these many 
barrells, and blasting it right when he get's next to it... This will cause 
huge amounts of damage. Make sure you've got room between you and Mr. Saw 
before you do this, cause once in a while it causes the damage, but only makes 
him stumble, and if you're in his reach after he gets blasted it's off with 
the head... If he's stunned after you hit him with the barrell go ahead and 
blast him a few times with whatever powerful weapon's you have (grenades can 
be thrown as well, and work pretty good too). 

If you use all the barrells on the ground level, and Mr. Saw's still alive, 
head up to the roofs of the buildings via the ladders, and use whatever 
barrells you can find to cause more damage. While ontop of the roofs, you 
should have plenty of space to throw grenades directly into the maniacs path, 
and most of the time he'll walk right on top of them. It's very, very 
important to keep your distance when fighting these two very deadly enemies...

After the two Dual Bladed Monstrosites are down for the count, gather up the 
first aid sprays that they drop, and make your way into the buildings 
interiors. While inside the buildings you'll find quite a few time extentions 
as well as a 30 second kills bonus or 2. Use them, and start to get the combos 
coming. Make sure you use weapons that'll hit multiple targets, and if you 
have the grenades they're a GREAT way of doing it.

If you start to run low on time, head back up to the rooftops and grab the 
time extentions that'll be waiting up there for you... You'll need them.

All in all this is probably the hardest map out of them all, and it's mainly 
due to the Chainsaw twins. They can take a TON of damage and they hardly ever 
flinch when you blast them with your weapons...

Combos, combos and again Combos is the way to get the 5 Star Ranking with this 
level. And in the long run, the only way to do that is practice...


*** Level 3 - Water World Character Specific tips ***

Leon - Well, as always, the shotty's about the only gun that you'll be using 
when you're playing with Leon. It's very, very important to get the group 
kills going early in the game, and keep them that way if you're hoping to get 
the highest ranking available.

Whenever you're using the 30 second kill bonuses, make sure you get high, high 
kill rates... If you have one of these thigns activated, and only get 3 or 4 
kills, well, it's just a waste. Try to use the grenades when you have the Kill 
bonuses running, if you can get enemies into narrow walkways (some of the 
inner hallways are great for this) blast out the Ganados legs, watch them fall 
over, and then pitch the grenade into the pile of them. Keep the combos going 
strong.

When you're fighting the Chainsaw Twins, make sure you have space to turn and 
run if need be... They kill you, and they kill you alot if you're not ready 
for it. Try to get an explosive barrell inbetween you and him, and when he's 
right on top of it, fire. 90% of the time this happens, it'll cause him to 
bend over and grab his knee. While he's grabbing his knee go ahead and blast 
him a time or two with the shotty and start to bait him into the next barrell. 

Another thing that works really well is to make your way to the rooftop that 
has the cable cart that leads to the roof across from it, not only does this 
roof have a first aid spray, but it also gives you time to throw grenades at 
the Mr. Saw from a safe distance. If he bends over after you blast him, throw 
another one and see if that'll bring him down. When you have to use the 
shotty, try to take out his legs, and when this finally happens, start 
blasting him while he's recovering...

Never stay still when you're trying to kill these guys.

Hunk - Well, with Hunk its all about the 'nades. The TMP is a great way to 
take the Ganados down, but in the long run, go ahead and blast out their knees 
and toss an explosive ontop of them. If you're only fighting a few lowly 
Ganados, feel free to hit them with a headshot and then use the neck breakers. 
I wouldn't use the neck break if you have more then 3 or 4 Ganados in the area 
or if either of the Mr. Saws are around.

For Hunk, the best combos that I've been able to find were while I was inside 
the buildings narrow hallways. Grab a 30 second kill bonus, take out the legs 
and throw a grenade. After your enemies have perished grab up the items 
they've left behind and repeat the process. Make sure you get lots of combos 
when the 30 second kills are running, they need to be utilized effectively. 
If you're running low on time, head out of the buildings and grab any of the 
time extentions that are waiting on the rooftops or bottom levels.

Now for the Saw Brothers, as you've heard the neck snap doesn't work on them. 
So don't worry about it. Again, try to get them to follow you to the barrells 
and then blast them when they're right ontop of them. If they're stunned, 
throw a 'nade at'em and repeat the process. If you're forced to use the TMP 
against the Saw Bro's, make sure you do it in spurts, if you go all out and 
run out of ammo, they'll lop your head off before you know it.

Again, remember to use the roof top with first aid spray and cable cart for 
when it comes to scrapping with these guys if they're still alive after the 
barrell blasts. Toss a grenade while he's running towards you, and then repeat 
the process when he's recovering. Usually 2 or 3 (sometimes 4) grenades are 
all that it'll take to put them to sleep.

Keep moving with these guys... Very Important.

Krauser - Now, this guys pretty easy to work with... Start off by snatching up 
the the time bonuses as always, and make your way into one of the tighter 
corridors. I'd recommend getting into the building that has the room with both 
a time extention bonus and 30 second kills bonus (this room has a window that 
is facing a balcony that has another time extention bonus on it. You'll also 
find a Ganado with TNT here quite often). When you've found this room, grab 
the 30 second kills bonus and start picking off Ganado with your Bow. When 
you've got a big enough group (I wait till I've got 6 or 7) activate Krauser's 
arm attack and lay waste to all of them!

Make sure you get ahold of all the arrows that'll be laying around, and keep 
this up until you can use the special attack again. Also remember that 
Krausers kick attack has the capability to kill several enemies if they've 
already been wounded. So, if you've shot a few arrows into a group, go ahead 
and pitch a flash grenade and start-a-kicking.

With Krauser, I'd go ahead and use the barrells to take out large numbers of 
Ganados, remember, the barrells can be ran threw if you get too over crowded. 
Get a group of baddies together, and then blast away!

Now as far as the Swing Happy Saw Bros go... Well, this is simple.. Obliterate 
them with Krauser's special attack. Yep, it's never felt better, has it?

Ada - Good old Ada's another one that'll be about the same as Hunk, get into 
the narrow hallways, switch over to the TMP and take the monsters legs out. 
Once a group is formed, throw a flame grenade into the pile and watch them all 
go up in smoke. Heck, you can even back yourself into a corner, and use the 
sniper rifle on multiple enemies. It passes threw many targets so this is a 
great way to get the combos rolling. If do decide to sniper them, make sure a 
30 second kill bonus is running, and watch out for monsters coming up from the 
rear.

Now, for the Chainsaw Brother, if you have the barrells still around, again, 
try to use them as your weapon against these goons... If they're no longer 
available, head back up to the rooftop with the cable cart (and First Aid 
Spray) and start sniping the Saw Bro's from a distance... If he gets too close 
for comfort, jump onto the cable cart and swing down onto the rooftop across 
the way. After you get to the other roof, repeat the process. If you have time 
to take more then one shot, by all means do it, but not at the cost of you 
getting your head whacked off!

Always pay attention to the time, and keep the combos going. If times running 
low, get the extentions that are scattered around the levels rooftops and 
inner rooms.

Albert Wesker - Well, Weskers strategy will be about the same as Ada's get 
yourself in a narrow hallway (again) and proceed to pump some Ganados full of 
rifle ammo. Try to get them lined up with more then 2 or 3 and fire away. This 
will work best if you've got a 30 second kill bonus going. So you might want 
to get ahold of one of them before you start firing away.

Grenades are also great when it comes to Wesker, pitch an explosive in a group 
of Ganados and watch them all get blown out of the water. Grenades and sniper 
rifle are pretty common in this level, so feel free to use them at will.

When the Saw bros show up, this is another one that's pretty easy, switch over 
to a flash grenade, blind him with that, equip the Killer7 and usually 4 or 5 
shots later, he's dead. Grab his first aid spray, and when his brother shows 
up, repeat the process.... Couldn't be any easier.


*** Final Thoughts ***


Well Folks, that's gonna be about it. I hope this little FAQ helps you out, I 
know that's how I played when I was going for the Handcannon, and in the long 
run it help. Just remember, that this game is one of those minigames that will
take quite a while to complete, but if you keep at it, you will complete it.
Will you die in this minigame? Sure, you betcha, and it'll happen quite a bit, 
but that's to be expected.... :)

If you sit there and try to unlock the Handcannon in one sitting you'll end up
being really upset with the outcome, so sit back, enjoy the game and sooner
then later, the Cannon will be yours!

Take it easy,
-Rich (ragnew) 

*** New Additions ***

The following is an update that is, very, very well deserved. The FAQ that has
been submitted is an okay one, but this addition is going to knock your socks
off... Sooo, without further adue, here's the links to some of the BEST if not
the BEST Video Walkthrough's for the Mercenaries minigame ever made. Made by
the one and only.... Karniph!

On behalf of me and the rest of GAMEFAQ's, thanks Karniph, these videos are
GREAT!!!

Ada
http://karniph.msspro.com/media/ada60kc.avi
http://karniph.msspro.com/media/ada60km.avi

Leon
http://jove.prohosting.com/karniph/re4leonv.wmv
http://karniph.msspro.com/media/leon60kv.avi
http://karniph.msspro.com/media/leonwater.wmv
http://karniph.msspro.com/media/leon60kc.avi

Hunk
http://karniph.msspro.com/media/hunk60kv.avi
http://karniph.msspro.com/media/hunk60kc.wmv 
http://karniph.msspro.com/media/hunk60kc.avi
http://karniph.msspro.com/media/hunk60km.avi
http://karniph.msspro.com/media/hunk60kw.avi

*** Edit ***

Due to technical difficulties with Karniph's hosting website, the above videos
will be unavailable until further notice. Please check the links periodically.