Dead Space 3 walkthrough, Part Thirty: Scavenge the 163rd Reaper Barracks

Isaac has managed to track down the four slabs of Rosetta needed to create a Codex that can shut down the 'Machine' responsible for the Necromorph Markers. Will he be able to do all that in time? Or will he go on a side quest first? Probably the side quest!

This subject of this side quest, Scavenge the 163rd Reaper Barracks, is located in the Paleontology Sector - and so is the key! Handy. Use the key to gain access to the Barracks and head down the elevator.

At the bottom you'll come out in a wide hallway. Grab the Text Log on the ground ahead, go through the door, and grab the second Text Log at the end of the hall. (The number of head puns in these logs should hint at what enemies you're going to face.) Use the Suit Kiosks down here and you'll unlock the Legionary Suit. Change suits if you wish and go through the door nearby.

You're now inside a control station of sorts, and there will be two Necromorphs ahead - the possessing kind. Aim for the heads before they get a chance to shoot and you should be able to kill both off before they can do anything. Check the console here for a third Text Log and keep going down the hall. You'll come out near some working machinery, and two Necromorphs on an opposite catwalk will fire on you. Aim for the heads.

Ahh, yes, more pulverizing pistons at the bottom. Delightful. If you feel confident enough in your Stasis, shoot this piston through the holes in the tunnel beside you to slow it down before entering. Otherwise, hit it from the end of the tunnel. Run through either way. Quickly target the collapsed body on the other end before it can get up and start firing, grab the Damage Support from the desk in the middle, and enter the next tunnel over.

There are two Necromorphs inside, but, mercifully, the piston doesn't move. Off the Necromorphs and go through the first hole to your left. Beyond is a wall container with an Upgrade Circuit. Re-enter the tunnel and go up the ladder at the end. Be ready at the top - a Necromorph will jump out of the ceiling on both sides of you.

After a short hallway you'll be in a bunk room. Target the body to your left before it can get up and shoot you, and be vigilant for two crawling Necromorphs that want to jump you and replace your head. Go past the bunks and you'll be jumped by four slashing Necromorphs on either sides; Stasis is a good idea as you back up and blow them away. Try not to get cornered, there's very little space to move around. Beyond here is a room with a Bench and, just beyond that, a small private room with an S.C.A.F. Artifact.

Go through the next door. You'll see laser tripwires ahead. Pick up something from the body at your feet and toss it through the lasers to set off the traps before proceeding. Watch out for a Necromancer coming through the ceiling before you enter the next room!

This next area appears to be an indoctrination center of sorts, and beyond another trap is the storage container you were looking for. Get rid of the trap in front of it and rummage through the container for a Spare Parts Box, an S.C.A.F. Parts Box, Serrano's Parts Box, a Rail Accelerator, a Heavy Elite Frame and a Show Stopper blueprint. Grab the lot and check out the back of the room for a Reaper Officer's Key which you can use on the next door.

Ah, there's the Necromorph you'd been expecting! Blow the head off the first one you see and be prepared for a wave of slow, strong slashers to show up in its aftermath. Back up through the kitchens here and you can create a neat shooting gallery for yourself as they show up. Bypass the smaller door in these kitchens once the threats are removed and you'll find what looks like a freezer; inside is an Upgrade Circuit. Watch the floors near the container for two possessing Necromorphs.

Go through the double doors back in the kitchens and you'll be in the entrance of the Reaper Barracks. Kill the two crawlers near the door, collect any loot waiting on the other side, and vamoose outta here. Another optional quest complete!

(Be warned in advance: You can't go back through the Paleontology Sector to the entrance. You have to walk through to the exit to get out of here. Bummer.)