| |
| Lower Mines | |
| Game | |
| Unit | |
| Soundtrack |
05 - Stealth Frag |
| Connected Maps | |
| Next Map | |
| Enemies |
Easy: 69 |
| Secrets |
5 |
| New Weapons | |
| New Powerups | |
| New Misc | |
| Objective |
|
| [Source] | |
| “ | All pods launched. | ” |
—TCM radio transmission | ||
Not to be confused with the Lower Mines in Quake II.
Lower Mines is first level of Unit 1 of Ground Zero. You begin the level in an unstable cave half filled with lava; your drop pod is currently sinking. There are Flyers to contend with before you can find a way out of the cave and into a Strogg mining facility.
Nearby is the exit to Unit 2, the Base Complex - but it's not accessible yet, and you have objectives to complete in these mines first. Proceed through the facility and mine halls to the Thaelite Mines.
This level is the first opportunity to acquire two new weapons: the Prox Launcher and Tesla Mines. It's also the first opportunity to collect a Double Damage and IR Goggles.
Enemies
| Enemy | Easy | Medium | Hard/Nightmare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Guard | 20 | 21 | 20 |
| Shotgun Guard | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Machine Gun Guard | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Enforcer | 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Gunner | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| Berserker | 7 | 7 | 9 |
| Flyer | 18 | 20 | 28 |
Secrets:
- #1) In the lava cave at the beginning, look for a small ledge on the far side of the lava with a red crystal (Thaelite) on it. The crystal can be destroyed by gunfire, revealing a path on the other side of the lava. Carefully jump across to find a Double Damage.
- #2) After the first lift to an upper level, climb the nearby ladder where a Machine Gun can be found, press the button here to activate the ore mover. The machinery will transport the large chunk of red ore across the room - wait for it to stop at the opposite wall, then shoot the huge ore until it explodes, blasting a hole in the wall and revealing IR Goggles. Note: this secret can only be achieved if the Thaelite ore wasn't already destroyed by gunfire.
- #3) In the room with two large cog gears, there is a crack on the ground underneath one of the cogs. Shoot it to reveal the third secret area and get the Adrenaline. Note: if you already pushed the lever mentioned in secret #5 to activate the cart track, then the gears will be turning and you must be careful not to touch them as you collect the Adrenaline; they can crush you. It is therefore safer to collect this secret before starting the mine cart.
- #4) Near the exit to the Thaelite Mines, if you proceed to the left and follow the passage, you'll reach an upper storeroom with a metal grate on its floor. Climb the ladder here and find a button which activates a crane, carrying an explosive crate into the room and leaving it on top of the metal grate. You can then shoot the explosive crate, blasting the grate open and allowing you to drop down to find a Bandolier. Note: the crane with the explosive crate was originally in one of the lower storerooms, and the crates are susceptible to gunfire, so you can only achieve this secret if you didn't destroy it earlier.
- #5) There is a lever to activate the cart track. Once activated, ride on one of the carts to reach a tunnel leading to a crusher; there is a suit of Body Armor on the ledge of the crusher, but be careful to avoid the crushing gears as you collect it. It is wise to collect the Adrenaline in Secret #3 before you activate the cart track. Note: it is possible to access this secret without starting the mine track, by jumping to the track from the upper window and then crouch-jumping over the cart that is blocking the tunnel.
Notes
- In the original release of Ground Zero, this level had a missing kill. When the player returns to this level after destroying the Tectonic Stabilizer, there is meant to be a Berserker in the first lava cave, but it does not spawn correctly into the level, preventing the player from achieving 100% kills. The 2023 remaster fixes this problem.