Here are some tips and tricks for new and returning players to Black Mesa!

Try lowering the difficulty

Getting frustrated? Just lower the difficulty. No one worth listening to will judge you. We think Black Mesa is probably a bit harder than most games released today. You can always notch it back up if things get too easy. We want people to experience the whole game, not hit a difficulty spike and decide to move onto other things. We tried to address this as much as possible in the design of the game, but if you hit a wall, just go around it!

Use your good weapons

Dont be afraid to use your good weapons. We built the game to make sure you would have what you need to progress. Maybe dont go nuking headcrabs with your Gluon Gun, but dont be afraid to start with the big guns for the bigger fights.

You can long jump in any direction

The long-jump is not just for forward travel. You can jump in any direction. This is super important in fighting the bosses and gives you a great way to dodge all enemy attacks.

You can reload the rocket launcher as soon as you fire in unguided mode

No need to wait for the rocket to hit when you are in unguided mode. Just hit reload as soon as it is clear of the tube, and Gordon will load a new round!

Power Slide

We added a slide if you crouch while running. This is really handy for getting into tight spaces quickly, getting into cover, or lowering your profile as you emerge from cover.

The Hive Hand

The Hive Hand is often put aside as a useless weapon, but it is excellent for taking out headcrabs, barnacles, hoteyes, and breaking objects/objectives. Using it in smaller fights is a great way to save ammo.

You can sprint any direction, and while holding onto objects

A feature we added was the ability to sprint in any direction. This is super important in the later boss battles. You can also now hold onto objects and sprint, which makes life (and certain achievements) a lot easier.
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