Liquid Sun — Middle East

The game opens mid-battle, with Snake caught between two trucks. Duck under the truck to the left to watch the scene play out, then follow Snake around the corner and grab the AK-102 off a fallen soldier. Push forward past the Gekko patrolling the street — staying low and out of their sightlines is safer than fighting them this early. A short chase sequence follows; after it resolves, the "3 Days Earlier" title card marks the real start of Act 1.

Once you regain control, the game walks you through OctoCamo: press against any wall, floor, or piece of terrain and hold still to let Snake's suit gradually match it.

Your objective marker turns red on the map and compass from here on. Two soldiers stand ahead; a tank soon rolls in and drops off reinforcements. Stay out of the crossfire — you can side with either the PMC or the local militia later on, but for now avoid open engagements and check the pause-menu map often. Favor the right side of the map on the way to the objective, using OctoCamo against rubble and walls whenever a patrol gets close.

Cut through the ruins on the right side of the map again, picking off isolated guards where you can. The small temple with the row of stone arches marks your destination — head inside for a cutscene where you receive the Mk. II. From there, Otacon directs you to the Militia Refuge.

Inside the Militia Refuge, take down the first guard quietly and use the dark corners to let patrols pass if you haven't earned their trust yet. A side room holds a discarded Militia uniform that helps you blend in with their patrols. Push through the makeshift infirmary and up the stairs to reach the exit.

After a cutscene, Drebin gives you the M4 Custom and explains his shop and Drebin Points. Switch on night vision and follow the visible footprints through the rubble to stay on the correct path through the ruins.

A PMC Stryker armored vehicle patrols the main street below. Stick to the elevated walkways — climb the stairwell partway through the block to bypass the street-level firefight, then drop back down once you're past the Stryker rather than engaging it directly. Continue north toward the bombed-out street leading to Advent Palace.

The objective is upstairs. A handful of pressure-plate mines are scattered through this area — shoot them with the Mk. II or crawl over them to disarm and collect them. You'll also spot an infrared laser corridor with no way through yet; backtrack and keep heading upward through the building toward the exterior courtyard that leads to the next area.

Snake links up with Rat Patrol 01 against a wave of FROG soldiers. Let the squad do most of the work — this fight is really about survival, not clearing every enemy yourself. Hold your ground near the bar's interior rather than pushing into the open, cover the squad as they fall back through the kitchen and down to the lower floor, and help Akiba reach the laser trap in the back rooms so she can disarm it once the area is clear of FROGs. When the squad breaches through to the loading dock, follow them to the elevator — the fighting stops there for now.

Let the Militia's tank lead the push down Meridian Street and follow at a distance. Loot the overturned PMC tank and fallen soldiers in Millennium Park for extra supplies, then deal with the sentry manning the watchtower before it spots you. Approach the parked PMC trucks carefully — picking off the first pair of guards and waiting for others to investigate the bodies clears the area faster than a straight firefight. Your destination is behind the shops past the watchtower.

Reaching the marked building triggers a cutscene: Snake finally comes face to face with Liquid Ocelot, closing out Act 1.