WARNING! - This guide contains spoilers!
Infected is a Special Task Force (STF) mission requiring a team of five players. Each member of the team should have the following:
- Tribble of Borg
- 25 or more Large Shield Charges
- 25 or more Large Hypos
- Bunker Fabrication Kit for engineers
Part I (Space)
This mission starts out with your team facing some Borg ships nearby. Destroy them, and head towards the large, green hexagons to the left, and in front of your starting point. Notice that the largest of the hexagons has a shield around it. Fly around to the opposite side of the shield from where you started. (This will help you when new enemies spawn). There will be a large fleet of various probes and spheres to begin with. Destroy them, but becareful to stay close to the large hexagon. Once the last ship of a spawn is dead, the shield on the large hexagon will drop. Do as much damage to it as possible quickly, because the shield will go back up after a few seconds.
NOTE: Do NOT destroy the smaller hexagons. If you do, your group will not receive a purple drop at the conclusion of this part.
After the shield comes back up, a new spawn of Borg ships will appear. This process will repeat until the large hexagon is destroyed.
NOTE: Each spawn will include progressively more powerful ships. It's best to destroy the large hexagon as soon as possible.
Part II, Fact or Fiction (Ground)
This part of the mission takes place inside Starbase 82. You will have to progress through a long series of rooms full of Borg. The Borg will range from Protodrones (easier to kill) to Elite Tactical Drones (harder to kill). All of these Borg will belong to one of two groups; they will either be in a patrol or near an interlink node.
The Borg that are stationary will be standing around interlink nodes. Destroying these nodes are essential. If you kill Borg standing near an interlink node before the node is destroyed, the Borg will respawn, and continue to do so until the node is destroyed. Once the node is destroyed, the Borg can be killed.
NOTE: When fighting the Borg found around interlink nodes, it's important to pay attention to where the Borg patrols are. You don't want a patrol walking into a fight. A good strategy is, after destroying a node, get the Borg to chase you into a previous room. That way you won't get surprised by a wandering patrol.
Continue room to room in this fashion until you come to the mini-boss room. You will know when you're there because it's very different from all the other rooms, and looks like what you would expect to see on a Borg ship, not a starbase. The same rules apply for the mini-boss. Destroy nodes first, and retreat back so you don't have to fight them all at once.
NOTE: Beware that one interlink node spawns during the fight. It will appear in the left corner of the room nearest the door. (Left being the left side of the room as you enter it.)
Once the mini-boss is destroyed, that room will be your new respawn point, and you will be on the final part.
Part III, Deeper Into the Mystery (Ground)
After killing the mini-boss, you will proceed through a few more rooms that look like a Borg ship. The strategy here is the same as before. Destroy the nodes, and kill the Borg until you get to the final room.
NOTE: The final room has a giant cylinder with a glowing green orb that is visible from the doorway. Do NOT enter the final room until all players are ready.
Players have about 15 seconds to all enter the room before a forcefield goes up sealing the entrance. From this point on, if a player dies and respawns, they will be outside the forcefield and no longer allowed to enter the room. The only way a player can come back in is if every member of the team dies and respawns. It is important to remember that if you die in the final room DO NOT RESPAWN, one of your teammates will need to resurrect you, even if you die in the plasma pools.
NOTE: The liquid all over the ground is plasma. It will kill you very quickly if you fall into it.
However, if you do fall, have a teammate get as close to you as possible, and resurrect you. You will have very little health once raised, and will quickly have to jump to safety. (If you can't make it to a platform, jump onto a pipe.) Quite often the person that fell won't get back to safety on the first try. Be prepared to raise them a few times until they can get back up.
STRATEGY:
(There is certainly more than one way to complete the final room. You will have to figure out what works best for you and your team. The following is one proven strategy:)
If any Engineers on the team have Bunker Fabrication Kits, now would be the time to equip them.
When entering the final room, you will run up the ramp to the center platform and be greeted by who else? The Borg. All 5 teammates should kill the Borg on the center platform. Engineers, it is a very good idea to drop some turrets, mortars, medical generators, and support drones in the middle.
The team will then break up into two parts: MIDS and JUMPERS.
The mids will consist of two people (preferably two tactical officers). The job of the mids will be to clear the platforms for the jumpers. You'll be glad you brought all those shield charges and hypos at this point. The mids MUST engage the Borg on first the platform where the jumpers are, then start clearing the one they will be going to next. The mids will have to draw Borg fire from all directions... and try not to die. It's no easy task, but it's a good job for someone who doesn't feel coordinated enough to jump from box to box over a pool of plasma while being shot at. This si where the jumpers come in.
NOTE: Mids do NOT use plasma grenades when clearing the corner platforms. If you do, the plasa fire you start will keep your teammates (jumpers) from being able to do their task.
The three jumpers (preferably 3 engineers with Bunker Fabrication Kits), should start at the bottom right. By that I mean the corner on your right and closest to you when you enter the room. On the corner platforms are three green cylinder shaped command modules. However, there are also 3 Borg on these platforms. This is where the Bunker Fabrication Kit comes in handy. As a jumper, you do NOT want to shoot the Borg. Shooting them will make them focus their fire on you, and you won't be able to activate the command modules like you need to while taking damage.
If, for some reason, the mids haven't cleared your platform (e.g. they don't have line of sight on one of the Borg, or just have their hands too full), you can clear them yourself without having to fire a shot. Pusing the Borg in the giant pool of plasma is a fast way to kill them.
NOTE: Time is important because after you drop the first shield and upload the virus, a timer (appearing as a progress bar) will start. Each corner has it's own timer, which I believe is about 6 minutes. This means that if you don't get the fourth shield down until after the first one has reappeared, you will have to go back to the first one and repeat the process. However, before you drop the first shield, there is no timer. Jumpers can use this time to help kill off some of the Borg before going to the corner. I don't recommend killing them all, because they will then all respawn at the same time. Then them out a little, then let the mids take over.
So, the best way for a jumper to push the Borg into the plasma is to go stand behind him and activate your forcefield. It will push him right over the edge. However, if it doesn't, or if you don't have a Bunker Fabrication Kit, no problem. Just use the knockback attack with your weapon until the job is done.
NOTE: Do NOT engage the Borg if they aren't attacking you. Even if one is standing right next to you, but attacking the mids, leave him alone. Time is CRITICAL in case someone falls in the plasma once or twice. You won't have time to revive people and fight Borg.
Now that the platform is clear, or at least none of the jumpers are taking damage, now it's time for each jumper to stand in front of one of the command consoles. You will have an option to enter a code. The shield will only fall if all three codes are entered at the same time. So, when you're ready to enter your code, look at the other two jumpers and make sure they're ready (i.e. not fighting a Borg, or taking damage) and are standing in front of their consoles. When it looks like they are, begin entering your code, OR if you hear another jumper entering their code, begin entering yours as well. Remember, the codes have to be entered at the same time, or the shield won't come down.
Once the codes are entered, the shield in the middle of the platform you're on will fall, and you will be able to upload a virus to the computer that it was protecting. Only one person needs to stay and upload the virus. The other two jumpers should immediately go to the next corner and make sure there are no Borg there that are going to attack them. (In my opinion, it's easier to start in the bottom right and go COUNTER clockwise). It will only take a couple of seconds for the 3rd jumper to enter the virus before following the other two. Continue doing this until all four viruses have been uploaded.
NOTE: If you haven't completed the task in time, simply continue going counter clockwise around the room until you see that the shields in all four corners are down. At this point, you will have a small amount of time to destroy the column in the middle of the center platform. So, blow it up as fast as you can, or you'll have to start all over.
THIS IS IT!
As soon as you've destroyed the column in the center, all five teammates need to run back to the bottom left corner. (The reason to go to this one is because this is farthest from where the Borg Queen and other Borg spawn.)
Rebecca Simmons, aka the Borg Queen will now appear.
NOTE: When going back to the corner platform, do NOT go into the actual corner. Stay on the side of the corner platform that is closest to the center platform. Vents open from the ceiling and drop plasma gas in the far corners, and at the door where you came in. It will kill you faster than falling in the pool of plasma.
You'll have a few seconds while the Queen gives a little speech. DEPLOY EVERYING!!! Phaser Turrets, Mortars, Security Teams, Shields, I mean EVERYTHING! After her speech she will target one of the team members (a blue circle will appear on that person.) Fire everything you have at her, and make sure your health and shield recharges are handy. Because you're all on the same platform, if someone dies someone else (who's not being attacked) can revive them. Keep shooting Rebecca as fast as you can, and if you're lucky, you'll kill her.
Woo-hoo!!! You've done it! Just go back to the center platform and get your loot. Don't worry about any other Borg in the room that spawn. You can kill them if you want to, or just exit the room.
Mission Complete!