This missions starts immediately after the mission "Bright Lights, Flying City". You will be sent to the Wildlife Exploitation Preserve to find Mordecai. He's gotten ahold of an upgrade chip for Claptrap that will hopefully help you get through a particularly dangerous forcefield. Make sure you pick up "Doctor's Orders" from Patricia Tannis before leaving Sanctuary.
- XP: 7054
- Money: 4 Eridium
- Gear: N/A
Getting In
To get to the Preserve, you're going to have to go through the Highlands. When you get there, Mordecai will immediately start helping you out with the Stalkers in the area that are probably already closing in.
Once inside, climb up to Mordecai's perch and talk to him. He'll send you into the Wildlife Preserve to find his bird Bloodwing. From this perch, you can run right off the edge to the east and this will put you pretty close to the Preserve. Make your way to the checkpoint and when you get close to the building, you'll be attacked by Loaders.
The first set of Loaders will come out of the building to the left. Remember to use Corrosive weapons (you should keep Corrosive and shock weapons on you at all times) and kill the few that appear. This first group shouldn't be too bad and only consists of the basic EXP and GUN Loader types. Take them out and move up to the gate. Try to open it by using the nearby lever.
This will fail and more Loaders will appear. There will be a lot more of them this time so it is a good idea to find some cover amongst the rocks. You'll want to deal as much damage to the loaders as possible (certainly taking legs off if possible) but you don't want to kill them. You're trying to lure Repair Surveyors out of the base which will open the gate for you. Keep crippling the Loaders and when the door is opened, Mordecai will tell you about it. You can then finish the Loaders in this area or move into the next area. I would recommend cleaning up the Loaders here because the next area is pretty dense with enemies and you don't want to have to deal with enemies coming up behind you too.
You'll come into a dockside loading area with tons of Loaders and some Hyperion Engineers and Combat Engineers. You really want to take it slow here, especially if you cleared out the area behind you. There are spawn points scattered all over the area and it's easy for enemies to spawn behind you if you rush. Stay back and take out enemies from range as Mordecai slags them for you. Make sure you watch out for the Repair Surveyors who may fly behind you because they can quickly sap your shields. When fighting, watch out not to jump into the water because you'll die instantly.
The last thing of note are a couple of new Loaders that will take some getting used to. These are the same concepts but will have you shooting at different areas and avoiding different attacks. The first is the PWR Loader who uses its two large arms to attack at melee range. When closing in, it will start spinning the arms in a fan like motion. Any shots that hit these arms will be deflected or reflected back at you. It is important to go for their feet at this point when trying to take them down. Be careful to not let them get too close because the arms will be able to deal serious damage if they are still spinning when they get to you.
BUL Loaders have a similar reflective abililty to the PWR Loader but it is based on the use of the Loaders large bulldozer arm. If you shoot this arm at any point, there's a good chance it will come right back at you. The arm can be shot around in a lot of cases however so be sure to watch the position of the arm. If the arm starts to lower to the ground, the BUL Loader is going to rush charge you with. You can dodge to the side or jump over them, whichever you prefer. It is important to note that the arm can be easily shot off, especially in co-op, so it should be a priority if you have access to the side of the arm.
Continue through the dock area and at the back, start climbing the stairs. There are also many spawn points on these stairs, so make sure you take it slow going up the stairs as well. Climb to the top and on the right side, you'll notice a large tower and some electric fencing. Walk onto the bridge and drop down on the left side.
The Wildlife Preserve
You are now inside the Preserve. Inside the preserve, you are going to encounter primarily Stalkers and Skags so keep on your guard and make sure you are prepared with the proper elemental weapons. The Stalkers are best dealt with using Electric weapons to deal with the shields (which also prevents them from cloaking) and the Skags fluctuate frequently. Most skags will be weak to fire but Badass Skags always have an element and can share it with other Skags. Sometimes this element is fire which makes them a little tough to kill if you don't have a regular non-elemental weapon.
In this first area, you're going to be attacked by a couple of minor Skags just to get you warmed up. On the left side, you'll see a large pipe that is going upward and has crashed through a window. Climb up the pipe into that room. Immediately to the left is going to be an ECHO Recording for "Doctor's Orders". Investigate the room for ammo and other supplies, make sure that the space behind you is empty and the forge on to the next area of the preserve.
You'll end up back outdoors. This area is rather large and stretches almost the entire eastern side of the Preserve. There will be many many enemies in this area including all manner of Stalkers, Skags and even the occasional Rakk. You DO NOT have to kill them all if you don't want to and in fact, it may be impractical to do so. It could take upwards of ten minutes or more to kill all the enemies and that is without making any forward movement. Instead, it's more practical to kill as you go. If you look to the far right side, you should notice a small building nestled inbetween some large rocks. You can get inside by hitting a small green button just to the right.
Inside this small outpost are a couple of Vending Machines to stock up on ammo and health if you need it. As you walk past the vending machines and head left and the room will stretch a little as it approaches a round open top room that looks like an astronaut training room. Before that, make sure you check the desks with the computers on them for two Slag Samples. Now you can walk out and you'll be attacked by a small (compared to earlier) nest of Stalkers. Kill these before moving on.
Leave the round room through the broken wall leading up. You'll see another section of the Preserve in the distance and a bunch of Loaders will drop down between you. Most off the Loaders will be GUN, PWR, and BUL Loaders but there will be a few EXP Loaders so make sure to keep your eyes peeled. Also watch out for Stalkers that may want to join in the fight. There are some shipping containers around the area to use for cover but if you're having trouble holding a position here, you can always back up into the room you just came from and use the lip of the ramp for cover. After killing most the enemies in the area, including the orbital reinforcements, a Super Badass Loader will come out from the building, opening the doors in the process.
Clean up any stragglers and then find a good point to circle for your fight with the Badass. Just behind you and to the right will be a small hill with a sharp drop that you can use. Circling around the cliff allows you to keep the edge of the cliff between the two of you until you pop out and attack.
The Labs
Get inside and make your way along this room. There's plenty to see but not really any danger. Check for ammo and loot in this room and follow it as it turns to the right. You'll see a small room on the right side and inside will be some boxes. One of the boxes will have another ECHO Recorder for "Doctor's Orders" but be careful when opening it because a Loot Midget is going to pop out. He seems mostly harmless but he's very fast and can deal a lot of damage. He's also very small and hard to hit. Kill him and and find the Slag sample in this room, then go to the end of the hall. Go through the door and into the next room. Go up to the tree and collect the feather from the ground.
When you return to the previous room, the various creatures will be set free and attack you. Back into the room where you found Bloodwing's feathers. From here, you don't have to worry about enemies getting behind you. Attack the creatures from the first couple of rooms, deal with them and then move up. Repeat this process until you've cleared the room. There will be some interesting creatures in here including a Slagged Skag. This Skag will spit Slag at you which will increase the damage dealt to you by all other enemies. Make him a top priority.
Examine the observation rooms for more loot and ammo, then find the exit to the south. As you are making for this exit, investigate the room just to the right. In this room, you should be able to find two Slag samples. This exit is going to talk you outside to a Stalker observation area.
You'll be in a semi-cage area though the cage has holes through which the stalkers can climb at shoot at you through. Get the attention of a few of them, then back up into the previous room. Repeat this process a couple of times and then drop onto the grass below. There will be a new stalker called a Cyclone stalker in this room that spins as it approaches you. Similar to the PWR Loader, this creature can reflect shots as it spins so be careful. Get rid of any more stalkers in the room before continuing north.
You'll pass another partially caged area with a bunch of ammo crates. On the other side of these fences will be a set of stairs. Climb up and follow the bridge as it leads you into a large Skag observation area. To exit this area, you need to kill all of the Skags. Because of this, I highly recommend you take it slow. There are several Badass Skags in the area and each one has a different element.
Go to the right side and you'll see a large mushroom like tower. At the base, Skags will appear (Rakks may also appear but they should pose no threat). This Skag will likely be an electric Skag. He'll be accompanied by a bunch of smaller Skags that you should try and kill immediately. They are much easier to kill and should only take a couple of hits but if the Badass manages to transfer his element to them, they will become incredibly fast and hard to hit. From that point, it can go down hill very quickly. Kill the small Skags and then the big Skag shouldn't be much of a problem.
Towards the left side of the room should be a couple more Skags, the first one will likely be a Fire Skag and beyond that one in the far corner will be a corrosive Skag. Deal with each one as you did with the first Badass. Kill the smaller Skags so elements aren't transfered and then kill the Badass. The Badass is going to be more interested in passing the element along than it will be in attacking. When you've cleared the entire area of Skags, a bunch of Engineers will come pouring out of the door to the south. Kill them and get inside.
Storage
You'll enter a reception area with a droid sitting at a desk. Behind the droid will be a blank wall. At the bottom of the wall will be a button which will open the wall and reveal both weapons and another ECHO Recording. Grab that and go into the back room.
You've moved further into the compound to where they store supplies and test subjects. You'll be attacked by the standard variety of Loaders and Engineers. This area is pretty densely populated so take it slow as you move up. Use the various stacks of crates for cover as you make your way. On the right side, watch for an office. When you get the chance, get inside and collect the two Slag samples. From here, you can use the short wall as cover to clear the next section of the room. There's also ammo in here if you are running low (which is likely at this point).
At the back of the larger room will be some stairs leading upward. Climb the stairs and at the top, turn right. At the end of the hall will be a Loader or two. When you start fighting them, more will appear and they will quickly be followed by Engineers. If you are having trouble with them, just back away from them and you should fall to the floor below. You can then reclimb the stairs as is appropriate to the situation.
The room at the end of the hallway is the location of the last ECHO Recording for "Doctor's Orders". Walk into the room when you get the chance and you'll notice a row of large crates along the left side of the room. On the side of the first one will be a lever. Flip the lever and Stalkers will start coming out of them. The ECHO Recording is in the last crate.
You can either fight the stalkers here or try to lead them forward a little ways. If you do this then they may end up fighting with the Hyperion personel up ahead. Clear them out and whatever Stalkers are left, then move to the back of the room. You'll find a couple of Slag Samples up here and an elevator. Flip the switch for the elevator and head down below.
Bloodwing
You need to try and bring Bloodwing's health down so that Mordecai can hit her with a Tranquilizer. Bloodwing is going to go through phases. The first phase is Slag. She's going to fly around a lot but you won't be able to do a whole lot of damage. Once she turns into fire, she'll start to attack. Her main method of attacking is going to be a diving attack. When she is about to fly at you, you'll have a second or so where she'll line up enough to unload into her quickly. Take a few shots and then dodge out of the way. Repeat this until she starts using Electricity.
As an Electric Bloodwing, she's going to start shooting electricity at you. You can also attack her at these points as well as when she dive bombs. Be careful of the beeping sound. That means that the doors on the side of the arena are going to open and let out a bunch of Skags. Kill the Skags and keep moving so that Bloodwing can't hit you.
When Bloodwing becomes Corrosive, she will start landing and trying to peck you. This isn't too bad, just keep backing up and shooting. She will have all of her moves at this point so keep on the lookout, keep moving, and listen for Skags. Once you've nearly depleted her life bar, Mordecai will hit her with a Tranquilizer. Run up to her and grab the chip from her collar. Take the door to the south to leave. Just beyond it will be a loot room and then you'll be dropped outside above where you had to injure the Loaders to get inside. Head back to up the hill. At the beginning of the area is going to be a Fast Travel point so you can return to Sanctuary.
