Jagged Alliance 2 Bloodcat Lair (Part VI)

Part VI of Jagged Alliance 2 Walkthrough.

Bloodcat Lair Jagged Alliance 2

We get this tongue-in-cheek sidequest from Auntie in the town sector of Alma:

The bloodcat lair is a barren land located only two sectors east of Alma town. It doesn't matter if we hike there or drop down from the chopper: the squad is ambushed by a bloodthirsty pack of bloodcats! From memory, bloodcats are mutants engineered in the secret research facility of Orta, which we haven't yet been to. I'll update this post with lore pertaining to them when I know more. Basically, though, they are tigers. And tigers can rip any human a new asshole. Thus, we take them seriously.

Bloodcat claws are capable of inflicting 40 damage on combat units decked out in Spectra. Don't get hit. Also, don't think you can tank a bloodcat with any degree of reliability; with luck, one can dodge a bloodcat blow and score +Agility as a result, though.

In terms of inflicting damage on bloodcats, there are a few possibilities. Grenades and grenade launchers are extreme but fun, for example, but I prefer firearms. Most people roll with 5.56mm ammo at low level because it's fairly easy to come by, as are the assault rifles that use it. Now, there are two types of 5.56mm ammo: armor piercing and hollow point. We want to load our G-41s and Commandos with HP ammo in order to inflict the most damage.

7.62mm hollow point is quite rare at this point:

Nightfall sniping is not effective for this squad, anyway. We are not a night-ops squad, and only one squad member is equipped with nightvision goggles.

***

As I said, this combat encounter is an ambush. A pretty cheesy, tongue-in-cheek ambush. We need a decent-sized squad with burst capability because the bloodcats come thick and fast, and it's easy to get overwhelmed and torn to shreds. The squad emerges unscathed due to both luck and player foreknowledge.

With a roar that scared the shit out of me the first time I heard it, the first bloodcat comes bounding towards us from the shadows. However, my I.M.P got the drop on it:

That was a nice burst of the Commando to get things underway. One dead, 11 to go...

Next, six more come bounding in simultaneously. Buns aside, the squad shits itself:

My I.M.P bursts the two closest cats. First, the one right in front of her:

Then, the one going for Conrad's jugular:

The ever-agile Dr. Q gets in on the action, taking out the closest target:

Conrad then stands and delivers, bursting from longer range. He downs one and gets a ricochet on another:

He then follows up with a second accurate burst:

Why is Conrad so good in comparison to the others? 5th level + Marskmanship 95.

Next up, Ira, an amateur, steps clear of the squad and attempts a burst. As expected, most of her bullets go astray:

Barry steps out to take a shot from his M24, but it doesn't put the beast out of its misery either:

Now, the wounded bloodcat would have bounded in, breached our ranks, and began taking swipes at our jugulars...

... Except for the fact that Buns hasn't had her turn yet. She takes a single shot that finishes it off:

It's not over yet, though. We hear a roar coming from the trees; then, a new cat bounds in and takes a swipe at Buns, but misses.

Thanking her lucky stars, Buns bursts it from point-blank:

Everyone creeps forward a bit to catch sight of a cat among the trees. The cat scores an Interrupt...

But it doesn't get far: Conrad gives it a bit of a spray:

And then my I.M.P steps forward, reveals yet another cat, and takes them both out with a single ricohet-burst:

Then, Buns bursts yet another:

Hoping to get the jump on the next cat, the squad enters stealth mode and creeps forward. Conrad, an arrogant asshole whom we like regardless, scores a gobsmacking Interrupt-burst:

Creeping forward again, he scores a successive Interrupt. However, this cat is concealed by rocks and trees:

Conrad takes a crack at it, anyway:

It pays off. 

"Splendid", he remarks.

The squad conceals themselves in the trees even as the final cat reveals itself. This time, Dr. Q scores the Interrupt:

It's all over. One dozen bloodcats dusted. 

Ammunition expenditure (HP 5.56mm): 58 rounds fired.

We take our trophies:

These animal parts can be sold to the "wildlife trader", Mickey, whose location is a random bar somewhere in the country.

Completion of this quest results in a 12-point Loyalty gain (total: 65%).

Next up, the heroic squad raids a prison in the west in order to free a citizen of Alma, whose child was killed, and whose wife was raped, by Deidranna's forces.

Part VII: Tixa.

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