After you have cleared the first area of the Nimble Guardian mission, the game will tell you how to bound over cover. Simply press forwards on the left stick and hit the action button to scale the ice cream kart and be on your way towards the next waypoint. As you head forward, be on the lookout for an ammo crate to the right. These will allow you to replenish your stock of ammo, sensor grenades, frag grenades, and any other gadgets that might need restocking. Since you’re here, you had might as well restock on the little ammo that you had to waste on the baddies in the last section.
Follow your fellow Ghosts and you will soon reach a bustling market area. According to your intel, Paez will be around here somewhere. Along with him, however, will come not only numerous armed guards, but also a bunch of civilians who will lower your post-mission score severely if they take any hits. First things first, though, approach the low wall looking over the market below. Chuck a sensor grenade over the low barrier and into the center of the market below you. Try to aim it so that it lands near the pickup truck, although specific placement won’t be a huge issue. The grenade will emit a holographic pulse spanning the radius of the market and light up enemies below. When more enemies enter the market in the near future, it will help to identify some of them as well.
Once the sensor hits the ground, a short cutscene will begin to play. You and your squad will identify Paez. Nervous, the contact will stand waiting for you nonetheless. You will also see several enemies coming to get him. When control returns to you, stay in cover, peeking over to get a better view of the arena below you, and open up with your primary weapon. Click in the right stick to enter a scoped view for a better take on the action. When you begin to fire into the streets below, all hell will break loose for a few seconds. More enemies will return fire, your fellow Ghosts will help cover you, and Paez will flee the area in search of a safe haven. You don’t have to worry about protecting Paez, as he can’t die in this section. Instead, worry about the enemies coming in from the alley to the left of the market.
Soon after you shoot them, there will be additional enemies in the three-story building to the left across the street from your balcony. Your sensor grenade may or may not have the radius to highlight them in red for you, depending on where in the market it landed earlier and how long ago you tossed it, as the grenades only work for a limited time. If necessary, toss a second sensor grenade into the market if you are having trouble finding the enemies in their positions in the windows and rooftops. You will want to take out the enemies on the roof as soon as they spawn in, as their height advantage will actually allow them to fire right over the low wall that you are currently cowering behind.
Once the market has been cleared, your objective will be updated. Paez will still be cowering somewhere in the marketplace, so HQ will radio in and tell you to simply hold the position for a few seconds until help arrives in the form of an evac chopper. True to their word, HQ will soon send in a helicopter to pick you up. Before it can land, it will be attacked by an enemy with an RPG. Although the projectile will miss the helicopter, it’s still enough to spook the pilot out of the area for now. The LZ is still hot, and the pilot won’t be able to get anywhere near you until you clear out the enemy with the RPG and his friends.
Paez will run for cover below. Follow him from above, running to the rail station nearby. The area will be full of enemies, and you will need to help Paez get past all of them. Toss out another sensor grenade to help you locate all of the enemies in the area. The resistance shouldn’t be too terribly heavy here. You and your squad should be able to handle them all easily. Just remember to stick to cover, as your Ghost might be a professional but he is still quite vulnerable to gunfire. In the middle of the battle, a short cutscene will play showing Paez freaking out and abandoning the scene. Apparently he has decided to change his mind about turning himself in to the Ghosts, and this is just not acceptable. He is the only lead you have right now, so you’ll need to catch up to him and make sure that he knows that he will be safe in the custody of you and the rest of your Ghosts.
Unfortunately, a pickup truck complete with gunner in the back seat will pull up as Paez tries to escape. You will have to deal with this threat first. Restock ammo from the ammo crate at the rail station and take cover. You will have to wait for a break in the gunner’s fire to launch a counterattack. Aim for the gunner first; he will be partially protected by the metal shield forming up around the chaingun, but if you can flank a little to the side you should be able to get a clear enough shot on the side of his head to get a one-hit kill. Alternately, you can pump his foot or arm full of lead, as they pop out a little from behind the metal shield. If you just can’t get to the gunner for some reason, note that you can also hit the truck itself until it goes up in flames and blows up.
This will end the current checkpoint and lead into the next one, which will be covered in our next guide.
