The fifth chapter ofScars Aboveinvolves lots of fights in tight quarters. There are also a slew of brand-new enemies that you’ll have to face, several of which you won’t have encountered up to this point. Surviving the caverns requires full use of your weapons and tools, as well as a bit of perseverance.

Related:Scars Above: Chapter Four Walkthrough

This guide not only includes the best routes to take through the tunnels, but also winning strategies for each of the chapter’s challenging fights. Chapter Five has lots of surprises, so be sure not to let yourself get caught off guard!

How To Get Through The Caves Under Site Ven-Septa

As the chapter begins, Kate wakes up in a cave below the Ven-Septa facility. Take the only path forward andactivate the pillar to the left.As you progress, you’ll come to a small pool where you’ll be attacked by a swarm of Arachnids. Once they’re dealt with, take the high path to the leftto find a Knowledge Cube. There’s a second one on the right just past the pool.

The following chamber is guarded by two Alluvials; one weak against fire to the left, and another weak against electricity to the right. The left Alluvial is hard to see as you enter, but if youengage it first before moving too far to the rightyou can defeat it before getting its companion’s attention.

kate ward encounters a bipedal stalker in scars above

On the right side of the cave is a Knowledge Cube and a small passage leading to the next area. Squeeze through and climb the ledge ahead. As you continue down the tunnel, you’ll be attacked by a Bipedal Stalker. It hits hard but is fairly straightforward; justretreat down the tunnel and keep shooting ituntil it drops.

The Chemical Atomizer is a great weapon against Stalkers, since they’re usually at close range.

kate ward watches the exo-mutant fall after defeating it

Scan the Stalker, then follow the tunnel as itcurves to the rightnear a pool of water. In the next chamber,activate the pillar to the rightand take the Knowledge Cube behind it, then look near the circular door on the left for another Cube. The door can’t be opened, sokeep going down the tunnelonce you have everything.

When you reach a pool of water,check the right-hand tunnelfor a Knowledge Cube, thencut through the stalactitesat the side of the pool for another one. Take the path leading upward and squeeze through the passage at the end.

kate ward approaches the open membrane in scars above

Defeat the pair of Alluvials in the next room, thenlook on the upper ledgefor an Atomizer upgrade and yet another Knowledge Cube. Continue through the small passage at the far end of the room.

Follow the tunnel, grabbingtwo easy-to-spotKnowledge Cubesas you go. When you hear Robinson’s voice, be on the lookout for asmall chamber to the rightwith a third Knowledge Cube. After this, you’ll follow along, winding tunnel. At the end is a hallucination of the Alluvial King; when it appears, be ready to fight off a swarm of Arachnids guarding a Knowledge Cube.

kate ward aims at a tunnel serpent nest in scars above

How To Defeat The Exo-Mutant

Take the Cube and continue along the only available path. When you come to the door, you canopen it to return to the pillar;you’ll need it, since the next room is a doozy. The large chamber containsan Omnivorous Colossus, two Stalkers, andseveral Scorpioid eggs.Luckily, they’re fairly spread out, so you should be able to take them a few at a time. Use the water to freeze your opponents orslow them with the Gravity Trapif things get dicey.

Once the room is clear, you cangather several Knowledge Cubesbefore proceeding through the small spacebetween two metallic pillars near the upper egg nest.Check the chamber to the left in the tunnels beyond to findtwo Knowledge Cubes, then proceed along the only path available.

Kate Ward battles the Neuro-Parasite in Scars Above

When you reach the next underground pond,check the ledge to the leftfor another Cube, then head down toward the water. There, you’ll find a new enemy - the Purulent Exo-Mutant. It regenerates quickly, so you won’t be able to defeat it until youcollect a new weaponin a chest to the right. The Fire Ray deals enough damage to overcome the monster’s regeneration, especially if you target the nodes on its back.

Since the Exo-Mutant starts in water, you can buy yourself enough time to find and equip the Fire Ray byfreezing it immediately.

When the Exo-Mutant is defeated, scan its body thenexit the chamberthrough the passage near the chest that contained the Fire Ray. Activate the pillar in the next room,collect the Knowledge Cube to the right, and continue.

Related:Iconic Video Game Caves

How To Open The Membrane

Across the bridge is an organic barrier blocking your way.Shoot the nodes near itwith the Fire Ray to cause it to retract. You still can’t fit through, so you need to find more nodes. The second set isabove it and to the right, but watch out for Toxic Arachnids coming from the ledge above. Once they’re defeated, go to the area they came from to get a Knowledge Cube.

you may get a second Knowledge Cube on the opposite ledge, but watch out for a pair of Stalkers as you cross. Once you’ve collected it, go down into thecenter of the chamber.Take the upper path on the left to get a third cube and anupgrade for the Fire Raythat reduces its charge time - just watch out for the Flying Leeches along the way!

When you finally enter the pool at the bottom, you’ll have to fight a miniboss, theFeliform Cadaver.It leaves a toxic cloud in its wake, sohave the Resistance Boosterready to counter the effects. It only takes two shots with the Cryo Launcher to freeze the Cadaver, even when it isn’t wet, so slowing it down and firing away with VERA is more than sufficient to eliminate it.

After scanning the Cadaver,be sure to examine it a second timeto loot a clip size upgrade for the Chemical Atomizer!

When the Cadaver is defeated,look for fleshy tentacles along the wall. Squeeze between them to find and destroy the final node and open the membrane above. Follow the tunnels beyond, and you’ll come to a Tunnel Serpent nest. you’re able to quickly destroy it byrunning around the outside of the chamberto the other side anddetonating the nodes there.You’ll also find a Knowledge Cube, so it’s worth going there anyway.

How To Get Through The Flesh Caves

Squeeze through the tunnel to the right of the nest, and climb to the top of the arch on the other side to get a Knowledge Cube before continuing further. Take a right at the fork; left is a dead end. Do the same at the next fork to reach the following chamber.

Loot the Mortis Beetles and the chest to the left torefill your Cryogenic Extract, and reload the Cryo Launcher if necessary. As you round the corner ahead, you’ll be ambushed byFlying Leeches and Toxic Arachnids.Freeze them quickly, and move on after they’re defeated.

When you come to a small pool of water,be ready for a Stalker to emerge from the right.If you have the Cryo Launcher ready, you canfreeze it when it steps in the water, giving you plenty of time to finish it with the Chemical Atomizer. There’s a second Stalker just ahead, so don’t let your guard down!

Follow the tunnel until you reach a room with a Serpent nest and a pillar. You can destroy the using the same method as the previous method, but be warned thatactivating the pillar will cause it to respawn.Pick up the Knowledge Cube in the chamber behind the pillar, then continue counterclockwise along the path around the nest.

In the next set of tunnels, you’ll beattacked from both sidesby a pair of Stalkers and a swarm of Arachnids. The Gravity Trap works wonders here, as do melee kills against the Arachnids if you’ve unlocked the ability to heal when finishing an enemy in close combat.

Cross the bridge past the ambush site andcheck the room on the rightfor a Knowledge Cube.Equip your fire weapon of choiceand continue down the tunnel. Kate will have another hallucination, this time of Mike. When you approach him, she’ll snap back to reality with an Alluvial directly in front of her, ready to strike!Dodge backward immediatelyand defeat the creature before moving on.

When the tunnel curves to the left,look in the circular holes on the right-hand wallfor a Knowledge Cube. There’s another one on the left, just before you exit the next chamber. In the large room that follows, you’ll see a pillar that turns out to be another hallucination - approaching it triggers a fight withtwo Bio-Mutants.Use the Protective Barrier to ward off their attacks, and light them on fire with the Heat Ray.

Use VERA and the Chemical Atomizer while the Bio-Mutants are on fire to save Incendiary Extract. You don’t want to run out during this fight!

When the Bio-Mutants are beaten, check the right-hand side of the room for a Knowledge Cube, then squeeze through the passage at the far end. After another set of long tunnels,look for some orange nodes on the left.Destroying them with fire will open a shortcut back to the pillar, which you’ll need for the boss fight against the Neuro-Parasite ahead.

How To Defeat The Neuro-Parasite

The Neuro-Parasite constantly spawns tentacles from the ground. These can be defeated byshooting them with the element of the matching color, but it’s better to avoid them entirely andaim for the organism’s main body.Shoot the nodes on its head with the matching weapon type -electricity for blue, fire for orange, and acid for green.When all the nodes are destroyed, the Neuro-Parasite’s mouth will open. Quickly shoot all three nodes inside - if you aren’t fast enough, it willtrigger a cave-in, ending the fight and sending you back to the pillar.

When the nodes in the Parasite’s mouth are destroyed, it will spray hallucinogenic gas. Use VERA toshoot the Tunnel Serpents that appearwhile your vision is clouded until you return to the main fight. Repeat this process three or four times, and the boss will go down.

There are plentiful ammo pickups at the back of the Neuro-Parasite’s chamber. Use them to stay topped up!

After the cutscene,scan the Parasite’s tongueto get the Spatial Shift ability. Walk along the tongue to reach the monolith beyond it, andshoot the nodesto the left, right, and above. Doing so re-activates the monolith, which you can then use toreturn to the Hermes.