After a brief trip to the surface, players of Half-Life find themselves back underground and traveling through a chapter called Blast Pit. The reason for this name quickly becomes obvious when a dying scientist tells Gordon Freeman to fire a test rocket that will destroy three giant, unkillable tentacles.
Sadly, all the needed hookups are off, so Half-Life players must first sneak past the tentacles and turn on the oxygen and fuel, followed by the power. Once all three are ready, the test fire can begin and the path to the next chapter will open up.
Half-Life: How to Change the Difficulty
Players can only set the difficulty at the start of a new game, unless they're willing to get creative.
How to Sneak Past the Tentacles
First off, as players approach the central chamber of the Blast Pit area, they should see several enemies on bridges that also lead to the center. Kill these enemies from a distance to make life easier later, but aim very carefully. The explosive barrels on the bridges will destroy them, and while it's possible to cross the gap by using the pipes, it's much harder than using an intact bridge.
Inside the central chamber, players will meet a dying scientist who explains the goal of Blast Pit, and after that they'll see another scientist in the control room get grabbed by a giant green tentacle. Players should be aware that despite this introduction the tentacles will always stab Gordon, never grab him, and they'll never reach into the control room again. Also, a direct hit from a tentacle can shred the player's health, and normal weapons can't kill them.
Continue along the path on the far side of the room to meet a guard who mentions that the tentacles can hear movement. Past him is a pile of explosive crates and grenades. These grenades are the key to getting past the tentacles because they always focus their attention on loud noises. If players toss a grenade, the tentacles will attack the location where it blows up for around ten seconds. However, they'll turn their attention back to Gordon if they hear him run, jump, fire a weapon, or destroy something with his crowbar.
With that in mind, the first thing players should do is throw grenades at the pile of boxes surrounding the ladder on the left and the two boarded-up doorways. Doing so will allow Gordon to sneak past the tentacles without any complications. Players can sneak by crouching or walking. It's also possible to dash past the tentacles, but it's risky.
Half-Life: How to Long Jump
The long jump is a fun ability, but players will need to wait until near the end of the game to use it.
How to Turn On Oxygen and Fuel
The upper doorway in the central chamber leads to the fuel and oxygen controls. Players can follow the red and blue pipes to start out, but eventually, they'll lead to a locked door. Getting around this door is complicated.
First, head over to the nearby ladder. There are two headcrab zombies waiting at the base, so greet them with a grenade or pistol shot. Next, break open the floor grate with the crowbar and take the long ladder down.
Players can safely ignore the bullsquid if they avoid falling into the water. Follow the pipe to the fork, and turn left to reach another ladder. At the top is a zombie, a room with some spare grenades, and a door players can unlock by using a panel to the right. Kill two more zombies to enter a giant chamber with a massive fan at the bottom.
Players must descend two ladders to reach a panel beneath the fan that turns it on. Be careful but be fast when going back up, because the fan can knock Gordon off the ladder and into the pit below.
Once the fan is moving at full speed (the sound it creates stops changing), jump over the fan to get pushed up to the boards at the top of the chamber. Break through them with the crowbar, then head over to the vent. Keep an eye out for Half-Life's iconic headcrabs while traveling through the vent shafts.
Eventually, the vent leads to a ladder, and the ladder leads to a room full of zombies and the fuel and oxygen controls. Press both of the red buttons to turn on the connections. The lights should turn on after a second or two.
To leave, go up a different ladder and use the control panel next to a locked door. This is the locked door from the start of this area, so players can head straight back to the central chamber.
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How to Turn On the Power
Use grenades again to get past the tentacles and descend to the last doorway. Follow the path around, but wait a moment when the ground shakes. A piece of debris will fall through the floor and can hit the player if they aren't paying attention. After that, jump across the new gap and continue across the bridge.
There are houndeyes in the corridor and a bullsquid in the room full of hanging hooks. Some of the hanging cables are actually barnacle tongues, so look up before running in. Players should also check out the health dispenser to the right if they need it, and push one of the small steel crates next to the big crate in the hallway.
Players can press the button by the ledge to call the elevator, but avoid getting on. If players do get on, stand on its roof instead of going inside. The elevator will break partway down, and if players are still on it after 15-30 seconds, it'll fall into the radioactive water below. Instead, use the long ladder that's on the near right side of the elevator shaft.
A scientist at the base of the elevator shaft will mention that the power generator is just ahead. Past him is a pipe that's leaking radioactive waste onto the floor, so crouch-jump to get onto the pipe and avoid the waste.
Past the pipe is a silo with two rotating platforms. Activate the first one to reach a ladder. Climb up to the level with the automatic platform. This platform spins around the silo and can grab Gordon if he's too close, so try to avoid it. Both the other ladders on this level go to the same place, so use either one to reach the generator.
The generator has two buttons, one on each side. The fastest way to handle this is to press one button, jump across the top of the generator, press the other button, and hurry down the other ladder. The buttons activate electric cables that make it hard to move around, so try to stay ahead of them. And don't worry about the scientist on the generator: it won't electrocute him.
Players must now head back the way they came. The only tricky part is the long ladder in the elevator shaft, which requires a fall from a dangerous height to reach the upper floor. Keep in mind there's a health dispenser at the base of the shaft, along with the one at the top. Players should then use the crates to climb up onto the cable to get past the now-electrified water in the hallway.
Finally, players must brave the tentacle chamber one last time to return to the control room and press the big red button. Be sure to stand along the back of the room during the test fire, because getting closer will deal fire damage. Once the test is complete, the tentacles will die and players can jump down a giant pit where they used to be to continue deeper into Black Mesa.
Half-Life
- Released
- November 19, 1998
