Home >> Final Fantasy 7: Dirge of Cerberus >> Walkthrough >> Stage 10: Shinra's Dark Secret
>> Click here for Final Fantasy Ringtones
>> Click here for Final Fantasy Ringtones
Stage 10: Shinra's Dark Secret
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stage 10: Shinra's Dark Secret
Location: Deepground
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stage Missions:
Eliminate the pursuers!
Swiftly neutralize the enemy onslaught!
Defeat 100 enemies!
Memory Capsules: 15
Accessories/Weapons/Key Items:
Lucky S Barrel
Faerie L Barrel
Blast Machine Gun
Bayonet Rifle
Omega Report #6
G Report #2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first thing to do here is to snag MEMORY CAPSULE #1. Walk forward to the end of the platform you are on, and turn to your left. The capsule is on a distant platform behind the red and white railing. Go down and pick up the handgun bullets and visit the Shop Kiosk if you wish, then continue on for a cutscene. You will see several gargoyles flying around. You'll have to eliminate all 8 of them before a Deepground soldier with a Card Key will come out.
Once you have the Card Key, follow the path as far as you can and open the Laser Gate. Don't drop down... instead, wait for the soldiers to come out. Take out the enemies with the exploding barrels. If you want, you can backtrack to where the Laser Gate neat the Shop Kiosk was and drop down for 1500 gil and an x-potion.
When you're ready, drop down to where the exploding barrels were. Omega Report #6 is right behind you. Walk forwad and stand near the locked door (it has a red light above it) Face northeast and look up at the large structure, and you should see MEMORY CAPSULE #2. Drop down and pick up the rifle bullets, and exit through the door.
Drop down again, and run through the Mako Point. Go through the next door, and pick up the limit breaker and Hi-potion. Snipe the two guards below, go down the stairs, and take out the guard on the platform across from you.
As you run along the platform, Laser Gate will activate and Surveilance Mines will come out. Shoot them both and pick up the Card Key they drop. Deactive the gates, and run back up to the door you entered through. Aim down into the pit to the east to get MEMORY CAPSULE #3.
Follow the walkway around, and drop down. Exploding barrel will roll towards you. Either avoid them, or shoot them while they're still at a distance, then go on. There are several items on the platform below... but a Deepground soldier jumps down from the platform above and steals them. It may be possible to shoot him before he gets them all, but I've never once managed to do it.
Drop down again, and run round to the Mako Point. As you approach the end of the walkway, a Laser Gate will activate. Kill the four snipers on the platform above you, and the guy coming up on you from behind (who will drop a Card Key) and deactivate the gate.
Open the door, and go down the very short hallway and out the other door for a quick cutscene.
Soldiers with magic that protect them from your bullets will attack. Melee them, or hit them with some magic of your own. The guy on the center platform can be shot, however. He holds a Card Key... you'll have to defeat the guys below to get to it though. Once the room is clear, deactivate the gates.
Standing near the gate that was blocking the door to the next room, face the exit and look down into the pit below. MEMORY CAPSULE #4 is down here... you may need to do some creative shooting to get this one. It is oddly placed, and I actually ended up having to aim just above it and to the right to hit it with my sniper scope zoomed in.
Run through the short hallway to the next room. Get the Mako Point, and visit the Shop Kiosk if you need to. Standing where the Mako Point was, aim down at the bottom level and snipe the guard down there, and the two on the platform across from you.
Drop down a level, take out the snipers... down another level, take out the snipers... down one more level, and, you guessed it, take out the snipers. Then drop down another level. On the bottom level, shoot the boxes to find some cash, some ammo, and some Deepgrounds hiding inside... as well as a Card Key.
Go back to the ladder that will take you back up. Standing several steps in front of it, face east and aim up at the underside of a high platform to get MEMORY CAPSULE #5. Climb back up the ladder until you're back at the Laser Gate. Open it with the Card Key and continue on to the door.
In the next hallway, shots will be fired down through the ceiling. Before you do anything else, aim up and to the right for MEMORY CAPSULE #6. Wait for them to stop shooting, then move on. Farther down the passage they will shoot at you some more. Just wait until it stops, and go through.
In the next room, there will be a cutscene and Vincent will board a railcar. This will begin the "Eliminate the pursuers!" Stage Mission. Turn around and face back behind you. Deepground soldiers in railcars will come up behind you shooting. Take them out (the easiest way it to aim for the cars, not the soldiers themselves). Near the end of the ride, a helicopter will show up... I recommend machine-gunning it.
After the ride, run back behind the railcar to the very edge of the platform, and look back down the rail. MEMORY CAPSULE #7 is back near the closed hatch with the Shinra logo. Proceed to the next room.
As you run for the door, the walkway will break away beneath you and you will drop to the level below. Run down the tunnel and the game will Auto-Save.
Shoot the box on the ledge to the left for some handgun bullets (while you're here, aim due west from this ledge and shoot MEMORY CAPSULE #8 on a rooftop), and the one next to the Shop Kiosk for an Ether. Do not shoot the barrel. It'll come in handy shortly. Go to the end of the broken bridge and face east. Look down and aim for MEMORY CAPSULE #9.
Follow the walkway to the right of the Shop Kiosk, and have your gun ready. There are plenty of enemies over here. A few of them are immune to bullets. Near the end of the path, turn around an snipe the barrel you left up near the Shop Kiosk to take out the two guys who came out over there (doubleback for the items they drop... a free elixir and 5000 gil).
Go down the stairs and kill the three soldiers down here (only one can be shot). Make sure you circle around beneath the stairs and pick up G Report #2. Go down another set of stairs and open the Laser Gate.
As you attempt to leave this room, three soldiers will drop down and attack. The last one you kill will drop a Card Key, so use it to open the next gate and continue on. Around the corner immediately after the gate is another soldier. Kill him quick and take his Card Key to open the next gate.
Drop down and take out as many of the soldiers down below as you can (it helps to shoot the barrel), then drop down again and kill the rest. If you turn and face northwest and look up at the chimney on the nearby house, you should see MEMORY CAPSULE #10. Round the corner and kill the sniper on the ledge, then jump down to get to a Mako Point.
Kill the three snipers across from you and drop down to the next level. Grab the rifle bullets and move ahead. This next area has several snipers so be careful. There's one up high right in front of you, and another as you turn toward the stairway. Pick up the limit breaker by the stairs, and then go down the incline to pick up the Blast Machine Gun.
Unfortunately, as you try to leave this area, a Laser Gate activates, trapping you... and to make matter worse, a pack of Guard Hounds and Crimson Hounds come out to play. Kill them for a Card Key. Deactivate the gate and leave.
Go up the stairs and to the right and collect the Card Key on top of a box. If you aim up and to the northeast, you can snipe MEMORY CAPSULE #11. Head to the next gate and to soldiers with rocket launchers will leap out. Kill them off quickly. Stand next to the gate and face north. MEMORY CAPSULE #12 is in the gap between the two buildings.
As you pass through the gate, turn to your left. You will see a crate in the distance with an exploding barrel nearby. Shoot the barrel to knock the crate down to the lower level. It will break open. Drop down and collect the item that was inside, and you'll acquire the Faerie L Barrel.
Move along the path until you are in front of the large grate blocking off the waterway. Beyond the grate, you should see MEMORY CAPSULE #13. As you climb up the stairs, Laser Gates will activate, trapping you in the area. Run to the end of the area opposite the gates and get on the mounted machine-gun. This will start the "Swiftly neutralize the enemy onslaught!" Stage Mission. Blast everything that comes out.
Pick up the Card Key the last enemy drops and deactivate the gate. Kill the two soldiers you attack from beyond the gates and the once hiding around the corner, then go down the stairs. Collect the ammunition below, and the elixir at the top of the flight of stairs in front of you, then circle around and go through the hole in the wall for more than 10000 gil. Be careful though, because as soon as you touch it, several soldiers will swarm you. Fight your way out and go up the stairs.
There is a Shop Kiosk to the right. Also, at this point, if you move to map coordinate E-3 and face north, you can spot MEMORY CAPSULE #14 on top of the water. Visit it if you need supplies, and then head out onto the bridge. Laser Gates will trap you, and several soldiers will attack. The last one you kill will drop a Card Key. Open the gates and walk forward for a cutscene.
Here, Vincent will run into Nero's darkness, and he will hear Shelke's voice telling him not to allow Chaos to control him. He manages to regain control and escape the darkness. Elsewhere, inside Nero's darkness, Shelke is trapped, barricaded behind her own magical shield with no way out but death. With nothing else to do, she recalls some of Lucrecia's memories that are stored in her mind, and some of her own.
After the cutscene, the game will Auto-Save. Visit the Shop Kiosk if you wish, then head up the stairs. You will be blocked in by some laser gates and soldiers will attack you. Kill them, then shoot the crate to reveal a barrel. Shoot the barrel to reveal a small mine. Shoot the mine and you will get a Potoin (no, that's no a typo... it's a worthless item that restore 1 HP. Use it and be rid of it.). Collect the Card Key at the end of the platform. If you try to use the Shop Kiosk, and enemy will break out from inside. Two more soldiers will come out as you approach the gates.
Deactivate the gates and head upstairs. Inside the building a gate will activate, blocking you in. Shoot the mines on the walkway, and then take out the soldiers down below. Make sure you shoot the barrel above the exit, or it will fall on you as you pass under it. Get the Card Key at the end of the walkway and open the next gate.
In the next room, shoot the enemies, and watch out for the mines that fly across at you from the right. Grab the Card Key at the end of the walkway and open the gate to the next room. Here, exploding barrels will be thrown through a hole in the wall. A soldier comes out as soon as you open the gate, so be ready. You'll have to time this one carefully. It helps if you start running and shoot at the barrels as they come over the wall.
Pick up the Card Key to get to the building's last room. A timer will activate. If you wait for it to expire, a Cactaur will appear in the doorway directly across from you. If you're quick, you can shoot it. Go out the door and beware of snipers.
There are four up on the roof directly opposite the door, and more down below. Drop down and run down the stairs. There is a Shop Kiosk here. Follow the path into the small building and take out as many snipers as you can (and the guy on the mounted machine-gun, while you're at it). If you aim the sniper scope down through the hole in the floor, you can get nearly all of the ground troops by shooting them in the thigh. Go down the stairs and take out anyone you make have missed. There commanders will come after you, and the last one you kill will drop a Card Key.
You have two choices here. Either go through the small gate near the mounted machine-gun and play the optional "Defeat 100 enemies!" Stage Mission for a Golden Moogle Doll that's worth big bucks... or go through the other gate and continue through the stage. The stage mission is tough, so don't go in unless you're really in the mood for some punishment.
Either way, eventually you're going to have to head down through the second of the two gates. But first, walk north past the gate onto the remains of a bridge. If you aim just slightly to the northwest, underneath a collapsed overpass, you will see MEMORY CAPSULE #15.
Collect the 3000 gil and the Mako Point on the way and go down the stairs. The door on the right will take you to a Shop Kiosk. The door on the left will lead you out onto a ledge where you are face with two mounted machine guns and some snipers. Take them out as fast as you can, then drop down. When you reach the ground, you will notice a display at the top of the screen that says Items 0/4. There are four items in this general area all blocked off by Laser Gates.
You will need several Card Keys to reach them. Do not use ANY of them unless I tell you to.
Card Key #1: Go into the tunnel, killing the guard along the way. About halfway down is a mine on the ceiling. Shoot it to obtain the key.
Card Key #2: Follow the path up to the mounted machine-gun. Sit down at the gun an aim up and to the left. There is a crate that is partially hidden on a ledge. Shoot it and it will fall. Go back down through the tunnel to find the crate and collect the key.
Card Key #3: Back up by the machine-gun, stand next to the gun and switch to the rifle. Aim at the open pipe off to the right and snipe the mine inside of it. It will fall. Go back down and shoot it again for a key.
Card Key #4: Use one of your card keys on the laser gates near the mine you just shot down.
Card Key #5: Right next to key #4.
Card Key #6: Follow the path down and kill the two soldiers. Climb up the ladder farther down the path. When you reach the top, turn and jump back down the shaft to get the key that's hovering in mid-air.
Card Key #7: Climb up the ladders and shoot the box to obtain another key.
Card Key #8: Look behind the Shop Kiosk next to the box you just destroyed.
Card Key #9: Drop down from where the Shop Kiosk is, and run to the end of the area where there is a long drop. carefully move towards the edge, but don't drop down. The key is nestled in a cleft in the rock near the center of the ledge.
Now that you have all the Card Keys, head back the way you came until you reach 7 Laser Gates all in a row. Deactivate all of them. You will obtain the Lucky S Barrel and two more Card Keys. Now go open the other gates. There is one in this same tunnel with a limit breaker behind it. Another is up by the mounted machine-gun, with a case containing the Bayonet Rifle, and the last is back near the beginning where the crate with the card key landed. Here you will find a Elixor (again, not a typo... this item has all the effect of an elixir, as well as giving you the status of having used a Phoenix Down).
Now that you have your items, you can continue on. When you drop down off the cliff, and run into open area you will see a cutscene and the game will Auto-Save.
Nearly to the mako reactor, Nero the Sable shows up to stop him. He reveals that Weiss, the Tsviets' leader, is his brother and that he is determined to protect him. Vincent demands to know what Nero has done with Shelke, and Nero replies that she is his captive prompting Vincent to attack.
------ Boss Battle ------
Boss: Nero the Sable
To start out, just run circles around him, shooting. He'll shoot back, but won't do much damage if you keep moving. Once you drain off about 1/4 of his HP however, things get a little harder.
Nero will separate into three multiples of himself... and they'll all start shooting. Pick one and riddle it with bullets. Use the chunks of concrete for cover if you can. At some point, he and his clones will go into a spin with his metal wings extended and try to slash you. Run for it if he does. It hurts.
Once you take out his two dopelgangers, he'll change tactics again and start launching bombs of dark magic at you from high in the air. You can sometimes avoid them by running underneath him just as he casts the spell. These do some serious damage if they hit you, so do your best to avoid them. When he comes back down, he'll start shooting again.
Keep moving and shooting and eventually you'll wear him down.
-------------------------
Nero is defeated... well, sort of. It's more like he's bored with the battle. So instead of finishing Vincent off, he imprisions him in the same void he's holding Shelke. But thanks to Chaos, Vincent is immune to Nero's tricks. Inside the void, he finds Shelke, and rescues her, much to Nero's surprise. He prepares to attack, but Yuffie shows up out of nowhere, momentarily distracting him... and making her usual attempt at a dramatic entrance. Nero sort of ruins it by casually leaving to answer his brother's call, and Yuffie... falls down.
Stage 10: Shinra's Dark Secret
Location: Deepground
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stage Missions:
Eliminate the pursuers!
Swiftly neutralize the enemy onslaught!
Defeat 100 enemies!
Memory Capsules: 15
Accessories/Weapons/Key Items:
Lucky S Barrel
Faerie L Barrel
Blast Machine Gun
Bayonet Rifle
Omega Report #6
G Report #2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first thing to do here is to snag MEMORY CAPSULE #1. Walk forward to the end of the platform you are on, and turn to your left. The capsule is on a distant platform behind the red and white railing. Go down and pick up the handgun bullets and visit the Shop Kiosk if you wish, then continue on for a cutscene. You will see several gargoyles flying around. You'll have to eliminate all 8 of them before a Deepground soldier with a Card Key will come out.
Once you have the Card Key, follow the path as far as you can and open the Laser Gate. Don't drop down... instead, wait for the soldiers to come out. Take out the enemies with the exploding barrels. If you want, you can backtrack to where the Laser Gate neat the Shop Kiosk was and drop down for 1500 gil and an x-potion.
When you're ready, drop down to where the exploding barrels were. Omega Report #6 is right behind you. Walk forwad and stand near the locked door (it has a red light above it) Face northeast and look up at the large structure, and you should see MEMORY CAPSULE #2. Drop down and pick up the rifle bullets, and exit through the door.
Drop down again, and run through the Mako Point. Go through the next door, and pick up the limit breaker and Hi-potion. Snipe the two guards below, go down the stairs, and take out the guard on the platform across from you.
As you run along the platform, Laser Gate will activate and Surveilance Mines will come out. Shoot them both and pick up the Card Key they drop. Deactive the gates, and run back up to the door you entered through. Aim down into the pit to the east to get MEMORY CAPSULE #3.
Follow the walkway around, and drop down. Exploding barrel will roll towards you. Either avoid them, or shoot them while they're still at a distance, then go on. There are several items on the platform below... but a Deepground soldier jumps down from the platform above and steals them. It may be possible to shoot him before he gets them all, but I've never once managed to do it.
Drop down again, and run round to the Mako Point. As you approach the end of the walkway, a Laser Gate will activate. Kill the four snipers on the platform above you, and the guy coming up on you from behind (who will drop a Card Key) and deactivate the gate.
Open the door, and go down the very short hallway and out the other door for a quick cutscene.
Soldiers with magic that protect them from your bullets will attack. Melee them, or hit them with some magic of your own. The guy on the center platform can be shot, however. He holds a Card Key... you'll have to defeat the guys below to get to it though. Once the room is clear, deactivate the gates.
Standing near the gate that was blocking the door to the next room, face the exit and look down into the pit below. MEMORY CAPSULE #4 is down here... you may need to do some creative shooting to get this one. It is oddly placed, and I actually ended up having to aim just above it and to the right to hit it with my sniper scope zoomed in.
Run through the short hallway to the next room. Get the Mako Point, and visit the Shop Kiosk if you need to. Standing where the Mako Point was, aim down at the bottom level and snipe the guard down there, and the two on the platform across from you.
Drop down a level, take out the snipers... down another level, take out the snipers... down one more level, and, you guessed it, take out the snipers. Then drop down another level. On the bottom level, shoot the boxes to find some cash, some ammo, and some Deepgrounds hiding inside... as well as a Card Key.
Go back to the ladder that will take you back up. Standing several steps in front of it, face east and aim up at the underside of a high platform to get MEMORY CAPSULE #5. Climb back up the ladder until you're back at the Laser Gate. Open it with the Card Key and continue on to the door.
In the next hallway, shots will be fired down through the ceiling. Before you do anything else, aim up and to the right for MEMORY CAPSULE #6. Wait for them to stop shooting, then move on. Farther down the passage they will shoot at you some more. Just wait until it stops, and go through.
In the next room, there will be a cutscene and Vincent will board a railcar. This will begin the "Eliminate the pursuers!" Stage Mission. Turn around and face back behind you. Deepground soldiers in railcars will come up behind you shooting. Take them out (the easiest way it to aim for the cars, not the soldiers themselves). Near the end of the ride, a helicopter will show up... I recommend machine-gunning it.
After the ride, run back behind the railcar to the very edge of the platform, and look back down the rail. MEMORY CAPSULE #7 is back near the closed hatch with the Shinra logo. Proceed to the next room.
As you run for the door, the walkway will break away beneath you and you will drop to the level below. Run down the tunnel and the game will Auto-Save.
Shoot the box on the ledge to the left for some handgun bullets (while you're here, aim due west from this ledge and shoot MEMORY CAPSULE #8 on a rooftop), and the one next to the Shop Kiosk for an Ether. Do not shoot the barrel. It'll come in handy shortly. Go to the end of the broken bridge and face east. Look down and aim for MEMORY CAPSULE #9.
Follow the walkway to the right of the Shop Kiosk, and have your gun ready. There are plenty of enemies over here. A few of them are immune to bullets. Near the end of the path, turn around an snipe the barrel you left up near the Shop Kiosk to take out the two guys who came out over there (doubleback for the items they drop... a free elixir and 5000 gil).
Go down the stairs and kill the three soldiers down here (only one can be shot). Make sure you circle around beneath the stairs and pick up G Report #2. Go down another set of stairs and open the Laser Gate.
As you attempt to leave this room, three soldiers will drop down and attack. The last one you kill will drop a Card Key, so use it to open the next gate and continue on. Around the corner immediately after the gate is another soldier. Kill him quick and take his Card Key to open the next gate.
Drop down and take out as many of the soldiers down below as you can (it helps to shoot the barrel), then drop down again and kill the rest. If you turn and face northwest and look up at the chimney on the nearby house, you should see MEMORY CAPSULE #10. Round the corner and kill the sniper on the ledge, then jump down to get to a Mako Point.
Kill the three snipers across from you and drop down to the next level. Grab the rifle bullets and move ahead. This next area has several snipers so be careful. There's one up high right in front of you, and another as you turn toward the stairway. Pick up the limit breaker by the stairs, and then go down the incline to pick up the Blast Machine Gun.
Unfortunately, as you try to leave this area, a Laser Gate activates, trapping you... and to make matter worse, a pack of Guard Hounds and Crimson Hounds come out to play. Kill them for a Card Key. Deactivate the gate and leave.
Go up the stairs and to the right and collect the Card Key on top of a box. If you aim up and to the northeast, you can snipe MEMORY CAPSULE #11. Head to the next gate and to soldiers with rocket launchers will leap out. Kill them off quickly. Stand next to the gate and face north. MEMORY CAPSULE #12 is in the gap between the two buildings.
As you pass through the gate, turn to your left. You will see a crate in the distance with an exploding barrel nearby. Shoot the barrel to knock the crate down to the lower level. It will break open. Drop down and collect the item that was inside, and you'll acquire the Faerie L Barrel.
Move along the path until you are in front of the large grate blocking off the waterway. Beyond the grate, you should see MEMORY CAPSULE #13. As you climb up the stairs, Laser Gates will activate, trapping you in the area. Run to the end of the area opposite the gates and get on the mounted machine-gun. This will start the "Swiftly neutralize the enemy onslaught!" Stage Mission. Blast everything that comes out.
Pick up the Card Key the last enemy drops and deactivate the gate. Kill the two soldiers you attack from beyond the gates and the once hiding around the corner, then go down the stairs. Collect the ammunition below, and the elixir at the top of the flight of stairs in front of you, then circle around and go through the hole in the wall for more than 10000 gil. Be careful though, because as soon as you touch it, several soldiers will swarm you. Fight your way out and go up the stairs.
There is a Shop Kiosk to the right. Also, at this point, if you move to map coordinate E-3 and face north, you can spot MEMORY CAPSULE #14 on top of the water. Visit it if you need supplies, and then head out onto the bridge. Laser Gates will trap you, and several soldiers will attack. The last one you kill will drop a Card Key. Open the gates and walk forward for a cutscene.
Here, Vincent will run into Nero's darkness, and he will hear Shelke's voice telling him not to allow Chaos to control him. He manages to regain control and escape the darkness. Elsewhere, inside Nero's darkness, Shelke is trapped, barricaded behind her own magical shield with no way out but death. With nothing else to do, she recalls some of Lucrecia's memories that are stored in her mind, and some of her own.
After the cutscene, the game will Auto-Save. Visit the Shop Kiosk if you wish, then head up the stairs. You will be blocked in by some laser gates and soldiers will attack you. Kill them, then shoot the crate to reveal a barrel. Shoot the barrel to reveal a small mine. Shoot the mine and you will get a Potoin (no, that's no a typo... it's a worthless item that restore 1 HP. Use it and be rid of it.). Collect the Card Key at the end of the platform. If you try to use the Shop Kiosk, and enemy will break out from inside. Two more soldiers will come out as you approach the gates.
Deactivate the gates and head upstairs. Inside the building a gate will activate, blocking you in. Shoot the mines on the walkway, and then take out the soldiers down below. Make sure you shoot the barrel above the exit, or it will fall on you as you pass under it. Get the Card Key at the end of the walkway and open the next gate.
In the next room, shoot the enemies, and watch out for the mines that fly across at you from the right. Grab the Card Key at the end of the walkway and open the gate to the next room. Here, exploding barrels will be thrown through a hole in the wall. A soldier comes out as soon as you open the gate, so be ready. You'll have to time this one carefully. It helps if you start running and shoot at the barrels as they come over the wall.
Pick up the Card Key to get to the building's last room. A timer will activate. If you wait for it to expire, a Cactaur will appear in the doorway directly across from you. If you're quick, you can shoot it. Go out the door and beware of snipers.
There are four up on the roof directly opposite the door, and more down below. Drop down and run down the stairs. There is a Shop Kiosk here. Follow the path into the small building and take out as many snipers as you can (and the guy on the mounted machine-gun, while you're at it). If you aim the sniper scope down through the hole in the floor, you can get nearly all of the ground troops by shooting them in the thigh. Go down the stairs and take out anyone you make have missed. There commanders will come after you, and the last one you kill will drop a Card Key.
You have two choices here. Either go through the small gate near the mounted machine-gun and play the optional "Defeat 100 enemies!" Stage Mission for a Golden Moogle Doll that's worth big bucks... or go through the other gate and continue through the stage. The stage mission is tough, so don't go in unless you're really in the mood for some punishment.
Either way, eventually you're going to have to head down through the second of the two gates. But first, walk north past the gate onto the remains of a bridge. If you aim just slightly to the northwest, underneath a collapsed overpass, you will see MEMORY CAPSULE #15.
Collect the 3000 gil and the Mako Point on the way and go down the stairs. The door on the right will take you to a Shop Kiosk. The door on the left will lead you out onto a ledge where you are face with two mounted machine guns and some snipers. Take them out as fast as you can, then drop down. When you reach the ground, you will notice a display at the top of the screen that says Items 0/4. There are four items in this general area all blocked off by Laser Gates.
You will need several Card Keys to reach them. Do not use ANY of them unless I tell you to.
Card Key #1: Go into the tunnel, killing the guard along the way. About halfway down is a mine on the ceiling. Shoot it to obtain the key.
Card Key #2: Follow the path up to the mounted machine-gun. Sit down at the gun an aim up and to the left. There is a crate that is partially hidden on a ledge. Shoot it and it will fall. Go back down through the tunnel to find the crate and collect the key.
Card Key #3: Back up by the machine-gun, stand next to the gun and switch to the rifle. Aim at the open pipe off to the right and snipe the mine inside of it. It will fall. Go back down and shoot it again for a key.
Card Key #4: Use one of your card keys on the laser gates near the mine you just shot down.
Card Key #5: Right next to key #4.
Card Key #6: Follow the path down and kill the two soldiers. Climb up the ladder farther down the path. When you reach the top, turn and jump back down the shaft to get the key that's hovering in mid-air.
Card Key #7: Climb up the ladders and shoot the box to obtain another key.
Card Key #8: Look behind the Shop Kiosk next to the box you just destroyed.
Card Key #9: Drop down from where the Shop Kiosk is, and run to the end of the area where there is a long drop. carefully move towards the edge, but don't drop down. The key is nestled in a cleft in the rock near the center of the ledge.
Now that you have all the Card Keys, head back the way you came until you reach 7 Laser Gates all in a row. Deactivate all of them. You will obtain the Lucky S Barrel and two more Card Keys. Now go open the other gates. There is one in this same tunnel with a limit breaker behind it. Another is up by the mounted machine-gun, with a case containing the Bayonet Rifle, and the last is back near the beginning where the crate with the card key landed. Here you will find a Elixor (again, not a typo... this item has all the effect of an elixir, as well as giving you the status of having used a Phoenix Down).
Now that you have your items, you can continue on. When you drop down off the cliff, and run into open area you will see a cutscene and the game will Auto-Save.
Nearly to the mako reactor, Nero the Sable shows up to stop him. He reveals that Weiss, the Tsviets' leader, is his brother and that he is determined to protect him. Vincent demands to know what Nero has done with Shelke, and Nero replies that she is his captive prompting Vincent to attack.
------ Boss Battle ------
Boss: Nero the Sable
To start out, just run circles around him, shooting. He'll shoot back, but won't do much damage if you keep moving. Once you drain off about 1/4 of his HP however, things get a little harder.
Nero will separate into three multiples of himself... and they'll all start shooting. Pick one and riddle it with bullets. Use the chunks of concrete for cover if you can. At some point, he and his clones will go into a spin with his metal wings extended and try to slash you. Run for it if he does. It hurts.
Once you take out his two dopelgangers, he'll change tactics again and start launching bombs of dark magic at you from high in the air. You can sometimes avoid them by running underneath him just as he casts the spell. These do some serious damage if they hit you, so do your best to avoid them. When he comes back down, he'll start shooting again.
Keep moving and shooting and eventually you'll wear him down.
-------------------------
Nero is defeated... well, sort of. It's more like he's bored with the battle. So instead of finishing Vincent off, he imprisions him in the same void he's holding Shelke. But thanks to Chaos, Vincent is immune to Nero's tricks. Inside the void, he finds Shelke, and rescues her, much to Nero's surprise. He prepares to attack, but Yuffie shows up out of nowhere, momentarily distracting him... and making her usual attempt at a dramatic entrance. Nero sort of ruins it by casually leaving to answer his brother's call, and Yuffie... falls down.
