Hey there. This is just a brief introduction of myself, followed by what you can expect to get from this guide. This is also the first guide for any game that I have ever written, so it may not be up to snuff in comparison to guides written by more experienced authors. I do hope that my instructions are well written and understandable.

I'm a fan of Alien Swarm, playing it off and on since it was released a couple of years ago. I am, by no means, an expert when it comes to this game, but I am good enough to solo the Jacob's Rest campaign on both Normal and Hard difficulties. I know that's not saying much, considering there is Insane and Brutal difficulties as well as an Onslaught Mode, but I'm more of a casual, sit-back-and-annihilate-some-baddies kind of guy. With 175 hours in the game as of this writing, I have reached Promotion Six - Level Twenty Seven, which is the highest rank you can get along with most of the achievements.

What I'm hoping you will take with you upon reading this guide is a better grasp of how to handle The Swarm when you're all by yourself, and once you get proficient at it, easily beating the Par time for each map. I will start up front by telling you that you will be a tech for the entirety of the game, so if that's not your thing, you may want to stop reading now. Still here? Good.

Before we begin, I must point out that solo play is not enabled by default. To play any mission by yourself, you must enable it first. You have two ways of doing this:

• Hit the Tilde [~] key to open the game's console. Once it is open, type in "asw_ignore_need_two_player_requirement 1" without the quotes.
  
  
• Create a new text file called autoexec.txt and place the above command within. Save it. Once saved, rename the file to autoexec.cfg and place it in the steamapps>common>alien swarm>swarm>cfg directory to enable this command by default whenever you launch the game.

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Okay, we've got that obstacle out of the way, so let's move on to the character and equipment you will be using for these runs. This guide assumes you have reached level 23, and are capable of equipping/using the chainsaw and flamer. Onslaught Mode is disabled for this guide.

-Character-
You will be using Vegas for the entirety of the campaign. Why Vegas and not Crash? Stats, that's why. The following are their shared stats:


What this means to you is that both are equal in terms of scanner usage. You will detect enemies from the same distance. Engineering is the speed at which you weld or unweld, as well as the speed at which you erect or dismantle a sentry gun. Vegas is capable of doing this much faster. Reload Speed is obviously how fast you reload your weapon. I find Vegas' slower reload ideal for performing quick reloads since the bar doesn't move as fast.

The following are stats not shared by the two:



What this means to you is that Vegas has 45 health (15 health per point) more than Crash and does more damage with his melee and chainsaw attacks. Crash's explosive bonus is moot as we won't be using explosive weapons and you really don't need a damage increase with the flamer on Normal and Hard.

In short, Vegas is superior to Crash in every way, for this guide at least.

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The following is a brief list of the equipment you will be using at one point or another.

Adrenaline
Freeze Grenades
Welder
Chainsaw
Flamer
Sentry Gun

I will go into each of these in detail when it comes time to use them.

-Loadout-

Option 1 (preferred):
Flamer
Sentry Gun
Welder

Option 2:
Flamer
Chainsaw
Welder


-Enemies-
Drones


-Walkthrough-

You start this mission on a catwalk leading west. Follow it and you'll come to a door with crates blocking the path. Punch the crates and continue north to a door that needs to be hacked. If you opted to use the second loadout, use the chainsaw to tear down the door quicker than you can hack. Whatever you chose, once you are through, you'll come to two tall shelves that lead to a hole in the ground and a door to the north and to the west. Run to the west door, using a short puff of the flamer to ignite the one or two Drones in your way.

Once through it, quickly tap the weld button to keep the door from opening. A full weld isn't needed and wastes time. Head north through the next door, igniting the one or two drones in the tiny room. Quickly "weld-lock" the door to keep it from opening, and run north-east, igniting the two drones in your way as you run past. Unweld the bottom door, and if you were quick on the welds on the previous doors, the first drones will reach you as you step through. Reweld it fully to slow down the large mass of drones you bypassed.

You'll likely be attacked by some more drones to the north of the door, but they won't be a problem. Head along the southern edge of the room, taking out drones until you reach the corner, then head north. Go through the door, and immediately weld the door completely to block off the ones that you missed, along with the ones who are about to break down the door you welded moments earlier.

If you brought a sentry gun with you, rather than a chainsaw, feel free to set it up (careful of drones attacking from the north) so that it kills the enemies that break through the door. Be careful to not put it in the way of where the door will fall or it will be destroyed. Then use the welder to unseal the door to the east after killing any drones that come from the north. Inside is a second sentry gun. If you brought a chainsaw, replace it with the sentry gun now.

Continue north through the door and weld this one as well if you wish. Near the terminal you must hack, there will be approximately ten to fifteen drones. A few puffs of the flamer while skirting around them as they burn to death is all that you need. Place the sentry gun at the top of the south steps and point it north west towards the western steps. Once positioned begin the hack which triggers drones to spawn to the west and east (behind a sealed door). The sentry gun will protect you while you hack.

If you're not fast on hacking, break off of the terminal before the door comes down and kill the drones that pour out since your sentry wont hit them unless you turn it towards them, leaving you open to attack. Should you be quick enough, turn the turret to face the door that is about to come down (be careful of the handful of drones on the southern walkway). When it comes down, let the sentry do the killing or just run in with your flamer.

Mission complete.

Expect to complete this map in less than two minutes once you get the rhythm down.

-Loadout-
Flamer
Sentry Gun
Welder


-Enemies-
Drones


-Walkthrough-

You start out in a small-ish room. Head north, making a beeline for the open area. You will be assaulted by a large number of drones from both the south and east hallway, so use short puffs to ignite large bunches of enemies, skirting around them as they die. Burning drones are an easy melee target and are relatively (not completely) harmless when on fire. So, if you want the point bonus for melee kills, keep that in mind. Once the mass of enemies are dead, head down the east hallway and north through the door. Fully weld this door to stop any enemies from hitting you from behind.

Move north and kill the handful of drones near the barrels. Here, you have a choice. You can go the Rambo route and run straight up the hall, setting enemies on fire while making your way for the pit area, or you can run forward, trigger a spawn, then run back and kill enemies as they spawn in through the windows on either side. The former option is more dangerous but saves time, so opt for the latter until you're comfortable with how the "burn and skirt around" system work. If you took damage, there is a medkit just past the corner near a hole in the floor.

Before running ahead, know that there is a big pit that's not really noticeable when in a hurry. If you fall in, you're dead. You can bypass it in two ways. The first is to destroy the barrel next to the large pipe, which will knock a piece of metal down to form a bridge. The second is to run along the lip of the pit that the piece of metal is sitting on. The latter is faster, but regardless of how you pass it, head staright north and weld the door after going through. Now, you're "outside", and safe from harm for the time being. Take this time to heal if needed and grab another med kit to take with you. Rearm as well since there is an ammo crate here.

Get on the large elevator and stand in the northwest corner, facing southeast. Put your sentry down, facing that direction. Once it's down, hit the green button on the pannel to start the elevator. A mandatory slowmo event will occur and your sentry will begin shooting enemies offscreen. Focus on the north wall, and light as many of the drones as you can on fire. Typically, you won't be able to hit any of them until right after the slowmo ends. You should be ablle to hit all but the furthest enemies without moving from the panel.

Keep an ear out for your sentry, as it will make a beeping sound with each shot once it starts running low on ammunition. It only has 300 rounds to fire and it won't last but for 90-95% of the way down. You'll have to kill a few drones that drop from above before you can exit the elevator. Once it stops, and you can leave, run east, setting the handful of drones on fire before completing the mission.

Expect to complete this map in under three minutes.

-Loadout-
Flamer
Sentry Gun
Adrenaline


-Enemies-
Drones
Rangers
Shield Bugs


-Walkthrough-
Welcome to the first level most people have trouble with. Deima Surface Bridge introduces two new enemies, as well as throwing in some hectic moments that lead to panic. So, without further ado, let's begin.

You start in a snowy field, south of some stacked crates and branching paths that are tempting to explore. From your starting position, run straight north as fast as you can, and do not stop until you come to a thin choke point formed by the corners of two buildings. Hold here and kill the thirty or more drones you passed because you need to be clear of enemies to proceed alone. Using your flamer sparingly, you should be able to kill most everything that comes your way with one tank of fuel and maybe a small bit of a second tank. Once the enemies have slowed to a trickle, head northeast and some more drones will come over a cliff face aided by some rangers that sit on a pipe. Kill the drones that spawn, then set the two drones on fire. A second puff of flame will kill each one where a third appears. Kill it, then run to the terminal.

Activate adrenaline to slow down time and immediately begin hacking when you do. Adrenaline hacking is very effective when it triggers a spawning event as it slows down the real world time but not the time it takes to rotate the hacking pieces. You need to be very good with hacking to do this in one adrenaline usage, but if not, immediately hit adrenaline again to give yourself more time. Once it's hacked, run out the west door and head straight north. Turn south and place your sentry gun in the narrow gap next to the forklift/bulldozer just past the gate. The turret will physically block enemies from passing while killing the mass of enemies behind you.

Continue north, watchful of the rails as a group of seven or so enemies can appear in a random spot. Kill these enemies, then hit the switch to extend a bridge leading to a second switch. This second switch triggers a slowmo event and a shield bug. After the explosion, a large shipping crate will have been jostled around. Stand against the corner of the crate as the shield bug will kick the forklift when it appears. As soon as the shield bug steps out far enough, pass it while setting it on fire to stun it momentarily. Head north, torching two drones in your way and immediately hack the panel. Bloodhound should kill any drones chasing you, but it's not guaranteed, and if you're fast enough, the shield bug won't be a threat. Rearm if needed.

Run through the gate and make a decision; Stay in Bloodhound's lights or run ahead. I prefer running ahead as far as I can, setting all the drones on fire. About 75% of the way, a shield bug will appear. Avoid it while killing all the drones, then lead it back to Bloodhound. Goad it into exposing it's back to Bloodhound and it will quickly die. The reason I rush is two-fold. The first is that I don't like being attacked from two sides, which is what will happen if you stay in the lights. The second is that if you run ahead, only one shield bug will spawn, rather than two.

Once Bloodhound lowers down into the gap, run across it's back, and immediately head northeast down the ramp to the safe zone.

Mission complete.

Expect to complete this mission in under two minutes.

-Loadout-
Flamer
Sentry Gun
Adrenaline


-Enemies-
Drones
Rangers
Boomers
Buzzers


-Walkthrough-
This mission introduces two more enemies to the fray. Boomers are tall, three legged enemies with huge sacks hanging beneath them that can explode once inflated. Buzzers are small flying enemies that do little damage on their own but can be deadly in swarms. They are a nuisance regardless.

Head north from the starting point until you come to a fork. You can go either north or east, but it doesn't really matter since you'll be fighting the three boomers along the way, regardless of your choice. Boomers can be formidable when you don't have a high damage weapon until you take into account that they'll kill themselves when they explode. So, the best tactic is to light them on fire and stay just out of range of their kicks. When it inflates, stay near it until it explodes, then run away from the globs of energy that it spreads around or you'll take damage when they explode.

Once you dwindle the number of drones down (they continue spawning from a small closet-like room) and have killed the boomers, head northwest where you'll encounter your first buzzers. Set them on fire and evade them for a few seconds. They'll still attack while on fire so don't let them get too close. Keep heading north, watching out for a couple of rangers and more drones. Destroy all of the fuel barrels so you don't risk damaging yourself then prepare for The Swarm. Place your sentry gun on the top edge of the tall set of stairs, ideally creating a physical barrier on the eastern edge. Point your sentry east

You will notice a green panel just to your north. This panel controls a gun turret above the door, and will be very handy in a few moments. Go to the red panel and immediately begin an adrenaline hack like you did in the previous level. If you're fast, you can complete the hack and be on the green panel to man the turret before the six boomers are a threat. Focus the turret on the boomers and let your sentry shoot any buzzers and drones that try to attack you. If you placed your turret correctly, the boomers will have to detour around it, giving you a few extra seconds to shoot them if you were a little slow on the draw.

Once you've killed the boomers, run inside and activate the reactor to stop the buzzers from spawning. Heal up if needed and rearm as well. Pick up your sentry gun and double back to the closet where the drones spawn, running east across a narrow catwalk, and north to a panel near a door. Hit the panel then hold your position for about 15 seconds while the door opens.

Head through the door and you'll notice a wall of fire leading from a crashed helicopter. Avoid putting the fire out, and run up through the chopper and around the fire. This will leave a fiery barrier that will burn any drones chasing you. Up ahead, there will be four or five boomers and some respawning rangers. Coerce the boomers into commiting suicide while dealing with rangers. Once the last boomer is dead, punch the ammo pickups in front of the holes in the floor. When these are in front of the spawn points, the rangers can not spawn. Place your turret against the large hole in the wall to block boomers from spawning then hit the button to open the door.

It takes about a minute for the door to open, and it's a pretty boring (but safe) minute if you've properly blocked the spawn points. Make sure your sentry is facing towards the area in front of the door because when it opens, a surpise party of drones and boomers storm out. Unload your flamer into the mass while your sentry does the same then run into the room.

Mission Complete

Expect to complete this map in about three to four minutes.

-Loadout-
Flamer
Chainsaw
Welder


-Enemies-
Drones
Rangers
Buzzers
Boomer Bugs
Parasites
Mortar Bugs
Eggs*
Grubs**
Biomass***

*Not technically an enemy, but they will quickly spawn a parasite.
**Not technically an enemy, but they crawl around on the floor. Stepping on 100 of these will get you the Bug Stomper achievement.
***Not technically an enemy, but blocks your path. Swarm reinforcements arrive once you set it on fire.


-Walkthrough-
This mission introduces you to to several new enemies, most notably, the parasite, egg and biomass. The mortar bug isn't much of a threat in this map. Parasites are the proverbial glass cannon of Alien Swarm. They die almost immediately when set on fire, but should one hit you, you will be dead without some way to heal yourself for the duration of the infestation. While they hatch from eggs, they are also spawned directly on the map, almost always near eggs so watch out for them when you're trying to destroy eggs before they hatch.

Mortar Bugs are relatively harmless as long as you keep moving. They are large, brown, round-ish enemies with a large mouth that spit three explosive globs at a time in a high arc. These globs land in a straight line on the ground, then explode a couple of seconds later.

You start in a small, darkened room. Head north then turn west around the corner, igniting the handful of drones and buzzers you encounter. Just ahead is an egg and a few parasites. Have your flamer ready, and as soon as you get into range, set them all on fire. Don't worry about sticking around as the fire will kill eggs and parasites automatically and eggs will not hatch while on fire. Just north of the egg is a small fork where two boomer bugs will roll in from either the door or the east passage. It's random so be careful. Have your chainsaw ready, and as soon as they roll in, start chainsawing them. They die almost instantly before they get on their feet. Head through the north door into a narrow hallway.

There will be a door on the opposite side of the hallway with biomass behind it. Don't go through it. I generally "weld lock" this door in multiplayer to keep others from going through it first. Go west, up the stairs, and you will encounter a ranger or two and several eggs. Set them on fire (punching the ranger after he's on fire will kill him) and continue north. A boomer can spawn out of the window on your left, but more often than not, it spawns to the north near the staircase. Chainsaw it then continue north to a door that is locked. You could hack it but that takes time, so use the chainsaw on the door. It will fall on the one parasite inside, but switch to your flamer immediately after it's down and set the two eggs on fire before they hatch.

Backtrack a few feet to the staircase and head down it. A mortar bug may be down here, and if so, run right to it with the chainsaw for an easy kill. you'll be at a T Intersection now. Head south and strafe the biomass, making sure you hit all of the segments. Once it's on fire, take the T Intersection east, killing drones, buzzers and rangers then rearm once the enemy numbers dwindle. Go through the door and weld it if you wish, mindful of the drones that trickle in through the southern door. Continue east and extinguish the fire at the door with your flamer's alt-fire, but try to leave one flame there to set enemies on fire as they come to it. Inside this room is health and ammo. Heal and rearm if needed and keep going east to a bathroom with some eggs and biomass. Set them on fire.

Now comes the most challenging part of this map, traversing the air ducts without getting infected by a parasite. Make sure your flamer has a large amount of fuel in it's current tank then proceed. Immediately burn the first three eggs you see by lighting the top egg on fire, punching it, then running into the little path where the other two are to ignite them. Two parasites are in the duct you were in moments before and you don't want to stay there long. Once you've killed the two or three parasites, head south from that position to two more eggs and some biomass. Ignite the eggs, but wait to ignite the biomass for now. Head back north and turn east as soon as you can, being watchful for any stray parasites. Ignite the two eggs you see along with a parasite and a drone or two and go south. Another parasite may be hiding in the ducts as you ignite an egg near a health pack. Once you've done that, go west, igniting the last two eggs in the vents. Once they're on fire, hit the biomass from below with the flamer then exit out of the western vent exit into another bathroom while it burns.

You'll be in a room with some pool tables and a wall of flames to your west. Once you pass the pool tables, some buzzers will spawn from the south. Extinguish enough of the fire to get past, but leave some there to ignite any enemies following you. In this are are four rooms, and two will contain eggs. Quickly check each room for the last four eggs, then ingnite all of the biomass on the wall in the northwestern room. Head north through the door and weld it before the boomer bug spawn that was triggered can become a threat.

Run north to the panel on the elevator, and once all the biomass and eggs are destroyed, you can press it. If it seems to be taking too long, hit tab and look for any glowing sections on your map. That's an egg or biomass you missed, and you'll have to go back for it. If you got them all, hit the button then run southeast into the room that previously held health and ammo that was blocked by fire. Once inside, weld the door, and if the fire is still there, any enemies that attack the door will be ignited. Wait about thirty seconds, defending yourself from the occasional drone that spawns in this room, rearming and what-not, then either unweld the door, wait for the enemy to bust it down, or use the chainsaw to tear it down. If you opt to use the chainsaw, take note of the direction the door buckles. If it buckles in towards you, it's going to fall on you for heavy damage. If it buckles out towards the enemies, it will fall on them killing them. Once the door is down, run out with your flamer and head for the elevator. It should have already arrived or be in the process of arriving as you get to it.

Mission Complete

Expect to complete this mission in two or three minutes.

-Loadout-
Option 1:
Flamer
Chainsaw
Freeze Grenades

Option 2:
Flamer
Sentry Gun
Freeze Grenades

-Enemies-
Drones
Buzzers
Shield Bugs
Mortar Bugs
Eggs
Parasites


-Walkthrough-
Nothing new here, this time around, and you should be able to complete this one more easily than SynTek Residentiial. Head north through the sewers, igniting the drones along the way. Pass the turnoff that heads east and continue north until you come to a turn leading west. Go that way, and you'll notice a green barrel along with the familiar red explosive barrels. The green barrels release a cloud of toxic gas that damages both you and The Swarm so avoid destroying it before passing it. Keep heading west, then north to what looks like a dead end. Shoot the red barrels to trigger a steel girder that breaks open a path.

Head east and you'll be in a wide open area filled with water. If you brought a sentry gun, set it up here and have it facing north to kill any enemies that may be following you then grab the chainsaw that is laying on the ground nearby. Run north until you spot a group of four shield bugs along with drones and buzzers. Lead them back towards the sentry if you wish, or use your freeze grenades to freeze them and kill them with your chainsaw. You can kill three shield bugs with the chainsaw easily before they thaw out, depending on how tightly clustered they are.

Once the shield bugs are dead, destroy the red barrels to the east to block The Swarm from spawning. Reload your flamer now if required and head north up the ramp. Ignite the two eggs and take the east path to two or three more eggs. Head north and destroy two or three more eggs and a parasite then head back south west and take the western fork. We're going this way to avoid the mortar bug's attacks for as long as possible. On this path, you'll spot more eggs in a small alcove. Ignite them and continue heading north, passing the western fork in the path. A group of eggs are sitting at the very top along with a couple of parasites on the catwalk. Kill them then head east, avoiding the mortar bug's attacks. A group of eggs will be to the south of these catwalks along with a couple more parasites. Once they are on fire, backtrack to the western fork you passed and ignite the eggs and parasites. Once they're dead, destroy the red barrel on the other side of a wide gap to stop the turbine blades.

Head north through the blades, killing drones and another mortar bug if it appears. A drone will kick an explosive barrel towards you, so be careful not to hit it by accident. Head west with your chainsaw and freeze the first shield bug there. Kill it then freeze the second shield bug hiding in the exit area. You can kill it or just run into the room, ending the mission.

Mission Complete

Expect to complete this map in under two minutes.

-Loadout-
Flamer
Chainsaw
Freeze Grenades


-Enemies-
Drones
Rangers
Boomer Bugs
Buzzers
Shield Bugs
Mortar Bugs
Parasites
Eggs
Biomass
Harvesters
Harvester Offspring


-Walkthrough-
This is the final level. Due to it's overall size, number of enemies and amount of backtracking, expect a pretty long run compared to other maps. You are introduced to the final two enemies in Alien Swarm here as well, Harvesters and their Offspring. Harvesters resemble Queen insects with their large fleshy gaster (contains her reproductive organs) and ability to spawn small pink enemies that resemble Parasites. They are not parasites though, so do not fret if you get hit by one as they will not cause infestation. Remember, Parasites are green and Harvester Offspring are pinkish-red.

You start on the south end of the map in a small, open area with a few crates and some puddles of water. Head northwest, and you will encounter your first three Harvester Offspring. Set them on fire and skirt around as they can still jump and injure you while on fire. Two drones will climb over the railing, so set them on fire and follow the catwalk to the bomb and several more Offspring. Press the button to get the bomb moving, then press the button next to the door to open it. Head up and prepare to fight several rangers, drones, buzzers, offspring, and a boomer bug. At the T Intersection, head west and destroy the eggs, then return to the intersection and go south. There may be a couple of offspring already here so watch out. At the very bottom, there will be a Harvester. You do not want to kill it unless it is on fire, because when a harvester dies, several offspring leap out. Set the harvester on fire then run up to it with the chainsaw for a quick kill. Be careful not to get too close as touching one will cause damage. A swarm of drones will also fill the area, so if you don't think you can kill it in time, wait until after you've killed the drones.

Once the area has been cleared, you'll see a rockslide blocking your path. Use the chainsaw to break through then switch to your flamer to ignite the parasite and four eggs. Immediately switch back to your chainsaw and tear down the door before you're swarmed by more drones. Once through the door, which should have crushed a parasite, there are two eggs and a harvester. Ignite the eggs and the harvester, then kill it with the chainsaw. Don't worry about any enemies coming behind you, since they cannot get through the door for some reason. Run up to the northeast platform and hit the button to cause a bridge to rotate into place. Avoid mortar bug attacks while killing drones until the bridge is in place and the fence opens. On this bridge, two groups of three parasites will be waiting, so watch out for them.

Once off the bridge, head towards the northwest corner where a ranger and harvest are located. Set them on fire then kill them with the chainsaw, and proceed to do the same to the ones to your east at a T Intersection. Chainsaw the mortar bug and then do the usual combo on the last harvester. There is a stockpile of ammo and health plus two eggs and biomass here. Destroy the eggs, then rearm and heal (don't forget to pick up your freeze grenades after healing). Ignite the biomass then run back to the T Intersection you passed moments ago so that all enemies attack you from the east and you have room to maneuver.

After the attack, return to where the biomass was and chainsaw the door down if enemies haven't destroyed it already. Kill the drones on the other side then proceed to eliminate all of the harvesters (flamer/chainsaw combo) and shield bugs (freeze grenade/chainsaw combo). Ideally, you'll have at least one freeze grenade left, which is nice but not required. Use your chainsaw to destroy the rocks blocking your path and enter the large cavern. Ignite the three eggs directly above you then climb the steps. Run along the steps until you reach a platform that juts out. Use your flamer to ignite the eggs across the gap, then continue east to a button. Get close enough to hit it, but do not pass it or you may get too close to the eggs which will make them hatch.

Once the bridge is lowered, cross it, ignite the eggs on the second floor then drop down and ignite the 15 or so eggs below. Once all eggs have been destroyed, grab health packs to heal. You can either take one with you or keep any freeze grenades you may have, the choice is yours. Rearm as well from the two ammo boxes while finishing off any remaining drones.

Once you're sure they've stopped spawning, hack the terminal to activate the countdown and backtrack your way to the large bridge that had to be rotated into position. Along the way, you'll be attacked by drones, rangers and buzzers. Just set them on fire and run past. Once you get near the bridge, three parasites will attempt to jump from the bridge to the catwalk, so watch out. Once they're dead, run south along the bridge, then head east through a now accessible door. If you have freeze grenades, try to skirt around the two shield bugs and mortar bug until you can freeze them all. Bloodhound will kill them easily enough but having them frozen makes it happen more quickly. Continue east to the landing pad, holding off The Swarm until the ship is low enough to get on.

Mission Comlplete

Expect to complete this mission in five to six minutes. This level may be impossible to par solo, due to the amount of back tracking, but I'm not sure. I've not tried in a long time.