Post-Game Content

Congratulations, Snake, you've successfully navigated the treacherous path of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops! But the fight isn't over yet. The post-game content offers a wealth of opportunities to expand your army, refine your skills, and uncover hidden secrets. This detailed guide will walk you through everything you need to know to truly master the game.

Recruiting Elite Soldiers

One of the most rewarding aspects of the post-game is the ability to recruit a wider variety of high-ranking and unique soldiers. This is crucial for building a formidable army for online play or simply for the satisfaction of a complete roster.

Special Character Recruitment

Beyond the main story, several iconic characters can be recruited. These individuals often possess unique skills and high stats, making them invaluable additions to your team.

• Raiden: To recruit Raiden, you must achieve an "S" rank on all main story missions. This is a significant challenge requiring mastery of stealth and combat. Focus on minimizing kills, maximizing headshots, and completing missions quickly. Once all "S" ranks are secured, Raiden will appear as a potential recruit in a random mission. He typically appears in the "Research Lab" or "Power Plant" areas.
• Old Snake: Old Snake can be recruited by completing all "Extra Ops" missions with an "S" rank. These missions are unlocked progressively as you complete the main story. His appearance is also randomized in a mission after meeting the criteria, often in "War Zone" or "Town."
• Roy Campbell: Campbell becomes available after collecting all 100 Dog Tags. Dog Tags are dropped by enemies when you perform a CQC hold-up or stun them with non-lethal means. They are scattered across all maps, including story and extra ops. Once you have all 100, Campbell will join your ranks.

High-Stat Soldier Acquisition

Beyond the named characters, you'll want to focus on recruiting soldiers with high stats in areas like Combat, Medical, Spy, and Tech. These soldiers are essential for improving your unit's overall effectiveness.

• Mission Replays: Replaying missions, especially those with higher difficulty ratings, increases the likelihood of encountering high-stat enemies. Focus on missions like "Silo," "Power Plant," and "Research Lab" for a good mix of enemy types.
• CQC and Stun Tactics: Always prioritize non-lethal takedowns (CQC holds, stun grenades, tranquilizer gun) to ensure enemies are available for recruitment. Killing them prevents their recruitment.
• Recruitment Unit: Ensure your "Recruitment Unit" is fully staffed with high-ranking soldiers. The higher the stats of your Recruitment Unit, the better your chances of successfully recruiting captured enemies.
• Rarity of Skills: Keep an eye out for soldiers with rare skills like "Medic," "Engineer," or "Scientist." These skills are invaluable for specific unit functions and can significantly boost your team's capabilities.

Unlocking Extra Ops Missions

The "Extra Ops" missions provide additional challenges and unique rewards. These missions often have specific objectives, such as eliminating a target, rescuing a prisoner, or retrieving an item, and are crucial for unlocking special characters and items.

• Accessing Extra Ops: Extra Ops become available from the main menu after completing the story. New missions will appear as you progress through existing ones and meet certain criteria.
• Mission Variety: These missions range from straightforward combat encounters to complex stealth challenges. Pay attention to the mission briefing for optimal loadout and team selection.
• Rewards: Completing Extra Ops often yields rare weapons, items, and even unique soldiers. For example, specific Extra Ops might reward you with the Patriot or the Mosin Nagant.
• S-Ranking Strategy: For S-ranking Extra Ops, speed, stealth, and non-lethal takedowns are paramount. Utilize your best stealth operatives and equip them with tranquilizer guns and stun grenades. Knowledge of enemy patrol routes is key.

Weapon and Item Collection

The post-game is the perfect time to complete your arsenal and acquire all available weapons and items. Many powerful weapons are hidden or only accessible after certain conditions are met.

Rare Weapon Locations

• Patriot: This iconic weapon can be obtained by achieving an "S" rank on all "Extra Ops" missions. Once the condition is met, it will be added to your inventory.
• Mosin Nagant: The Mosin Nagant, a non-lethal sniper rifle, is often found in specific "Extra Ops" missions or as a reward for completing certain challenges. Check missions in the "Research Lab" or "Warehouse" areas.
• Stealth Camo: The Stealth Camo is a highly sought-after item. It is typically awarded for achieving an "S" rank on all main story missions, similar to Raiden's unlock condition.
• Infinity Bandana: The Infinity Bandana, granting unlimited ammunition, is another top-tier reward. It is usually unlocked by completing the game on the highest difficulty setting or by achieving "S" ranks across a significant portion of the game's content.

Item Acquisition Tips

• Scout Unit: Utilize your "Scout Unit" to uncover hidden items and enemy locations on maps. A high-level Scout Unit can reveal rare items that would otherwise be missed.
• Item Boxes: Always thoroughly search all areas of a map for item boxes. Many contain valuable ammunition, health items, and sometimes even rare weapons.
• Enemy Drops: Certain enemies, particularly those with higher ranks, have a chance to drop unique items or weapons upon defeat (lethal or non-lethal).

Unit Management and Development

Optimizing your units is crucial for success in the post-game, especially if you plan on engaging in online multiplayer or tackling the toughest challenges.

Unit Specialization

Focus on creating specialized units for different tasks:

• Combat Unit: Staffed with soldiers boasting high "Combat" stats. Equip them with assault rifles, shotguns, and heavy weaponry. Ideal for direct engagements and boss battles.
• Spy Unit: Composed of soldiers with high "Spy" stats. Essential for gathering intelligence, identifying enemy locations, and uncovering hidden items. Equip them with tranquilizer guns and stealth equipment.
• Medical Unit: Crucial for healing injured soldiers and reducing recovery times. Prioritize soldiers with high "Medical" stats.
• Tech Unit: Improves weapon development and unlocks new equipment. Staff with soldiers possessing high "Tech" stats.
• Recruitment Unit: As mentioned, vital for successfully recruiting captured enemies. Fill with soldiers who have high "Recruitment" stats.

Soldier Leveling

Soldiers gain experience and level up by participating in missions. Higher-level soldiers have improved stats and can unlock new abilities.

• Rotation: Rotate your soldiers through missions to ensure everyone gets experience. Don't rely solely on your strongest few.
• Training Missions: Some "Extra Ops" missions are designed as training grounds, offering good experience gains for your soldiers.
• Skill Development: As soldiers level up, they may gain new skills or improve existing ones. Pay attention to these developments to further specialize your units.

By following these comprehensive post-game strategies, you'll not only complete your collection and unlock every secret but also forge an unstoppable army ready for any challenge Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops throws your way.