Half-Life beginner guide: HEV suit, movement and survival
Learn the Hazard Course, health and armor rules, movement puzzles and friendly NPC behavior.
Edition covered
The original GoldSrc Half-Life campaign on PC, first released in 1998. Valve Steam screenshots show original game assets. Half-Life: Source, Black Mesa and the expansion campaigns are separate games.
Start in the Hazard Course
The Hazard Course teaches the movement that later puzzles assume, including crouching, jumping, ladders and interacting with objects. Practise a crouch-jump before the campaign; narrow ducts and raised ledges often require more than a normal jump.
| Task | What it teaches | Useful habit |
|---|---|---|
| Hazard Course | Movement and interactions | Practise the crouch-jump |
| Black Mesa Inbound | Facility orientation | Watch the tram route |
| Anomalous Materials | HEV suit and experiment | Listen to the scientists |
| Unforeseen Consequences | Escape and basic fighting | Search before leaving each room |
Read health and suit power separately
Health keeps Gordon alive, while HEV suit power absorbs part of incoming damage. Both are finite resources. Search side rooms for chargers and supplies after securing an area, and use a manual save before a difficult machinery sequence.
| Resource | Purpose | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Health kit | Restores health | Does not recharge the suit |
| Health charger | Restores health at a wall station | Has a finite charge |
| HEV battery | Adds suit power | Does not replace missing health |
| Suit charger | Recharges armor | Stay nearby until its supply is spent |
Keep scientists and guards alive
A scientist may open a route or offer treatment, and a security guard can provide covering fire. Use the interaction key to request help. Friendly characters are vulnerable, so clear dangerous corners before leading them through.
Observe the room before forcing a route
Environmental puzzles usually have a readable clue: a cable, switch, pipe label, ladder or breakable grate. If gunfire is accomplishing nothing, look for the mechanism. Keep an earlier save when dropping into a route that cannot be climbed back out.
Environmental puzzles usually have a readable clue: a cable, switch, pipe label, ladder or breakable grate.
References
| Reference | Website |
|---|---|
| Half-Life — publisher listing | store.steampowered.com |
| StrategyWiki: campaign chapters | strategywiki.org |
| StrategyWiki: weapons | strategywiki.org |
| StrategyWiki: final boss | strategywiki.org |
| Half-Life manual | www.sierrachest.com |