Half-Life 2: Episode 2 - "Little Rocket Man" Gnome Achievement Tips
December 27th, 2007 by Tommy GunWhen I first read about the gnome achievement, I knew I had to do it (partly because it sounded fun, partly because I love Amelie). I had already beaten Episode 2 on the PC, but we just got it for the 360, so I wanted to play through it again anyway (points!).
This actually isn't as hard as you might think. There are a lot of battles where you can just set him down somewhere until after the fight. If you know the game (I assume everyone will have played through this episode at least once before trying this achievement!), you'll know which rooms you'll be coming back to, so you can leave him for large sections of the game. The rocket is found well before the end of the game, so it's only a few hours of play anyway.
This is not a guide for the whole episode, just some tips on where to safely leave the gnome.
SPOILERS!! SPOILERS!! SPOILERS!! SPOILERS!! SPOILERS!! SPOILERS!!
SPOILERS!! SPOILERS!! SPOILERS!! SPOILERS!! SPOILERS!! SPOILERS!!
Getting the Gnome
About five or ten minutes into the game, when Alyx first turns on a monitor to talk to her dad, the gnome (also known as Trey by some) is under an empty wooden bunkbed, on the floor (to the left of where Alyx climbs up to get the plug). If you can't find it, see the gnome location in this video.
The Beginning
This part of the game is actually a little annoying, as it consists of a lot of gnome carrying. This means you cannot sprint, and you cannot keep a weapon out (but you can always drop the gnome and your gun will be ready). Don't worry, it'll get better.
The Antlion Attack (in the tunnels)
You can leave the gnome anywhere, but I would warn against anyplace it might get hit by an antlion. Don't leave it down by Alyx, as it could fall down the elevator shaft. I chose to put it up on the platform, away from the tunnels. This also allowed me to keep an eye on him.
After the attack is done, LEAVE HIM HERE. You will be back to heal Alyx, so go have fun getting the larval extract.
Double Antlion Attack (outside)
I set the gnome on top of the antlion repelling machine while I killed the two large antlions. Anywhere is fine, as long as you don't lose him.
Getting the Car
This is the section where Alyx mans the sniper rifle, and you go through all the sludge up to the bridge where the car is waiting. As I read on the aforementioned blog, you have to be really quick with the gravity gun if you leave the gnome with Alyx here (and you definitely don't want to take the gnome with you, ugh). Since I knew what was involved, I thought of a little trick to take care of this problem. I stacked a crate on top of a small health pack, against the door, with the gnome on top:
After I went all the way around and got the car, I was able to hit the switch to open the door, and have him fall through (with a little push from the Vortigaunt). You can see me do this trick in this video (sorry for the quality, I was being lazy and just filmed the tv screen):
Even easier:
Roger: Here's a shortcut when you have to get the car. You can blast the gnome onto bridge (the part where you will land the car) if you lean out the opening that's close to the sniper rifle Alyx uses. Be sure to save as it took me a couple tries.
My way was more fun though, I like making things overly complicated. ;) I guess it's the Rube Goldberg part of me.
Now you're going to have to drive the gnome around with you, which isn't much fun. Other people have been able to wedge the gnome in the car by placing him on the back window, driving forward and slamming on the brakes, causing him to get stuck. If you can do that, great, otherwise I'd put him right here, behind the steering wheel:
That keeps him from moving forward or back, though if you turn sharply he'll still slide out. If you're wondering why my health is so low in that shot, it's because I had just jumped off a cliff to save Mr. Gnome who fell out of the car.
The Hunter Attack
Alyx will contact White Forest, and you'll have to fight a bunch of Hunters. I think I left the gnome by the car, and no one messed with him.
The Advisor
Not much to say here, but note that after the "cutscene" your car will be teleported to the front, but the gnome will not, if you left him in the car. So you'll have to go find him, or just don't leave him in the car.
The Hunter-Chopper Attack
This is the hardest part of the achievement, normally, but I did it the easy way. It's hard because you need to drive fast enough so the helicopter doesn't shoot you, but slow enough so the gnome doesn't fall out. Well instead of that, I first shot the gnome as far as I could with the gravity gun, towards the train yard. Quickly jumping into the car, I sped down to where the gnome landed, jumped out, shot him farther, kept driving. When I got to the train yard (after breaking through the fence), I grabbed the gnome and left him underneath the very first train car.
I completed this section like normal, and drove through the train yard to the tunnel where it loads the next section. After it loaded, I hit reverse to make it reload the previous section, but now the helicopter was gone, so I drove back, got Mr. Gnome, and continued on. Maybe I could have left the gnome all the way back at the house, but I wasn't sure if this would work, and it was pretty easy to get him that far.
It's also possible to destroy the chopper, though you'll have to do it again here:
Destroying the Hunter-Chopper
Just leave him under one of the train cars for protection. One of the mines knocked him away, but he didn't go far.
Disabling the Autogun
After you destroy the helicopter and go inside, you can leave the gnome in the garage. You will come back to this room to get the car. You need to go around, ducking through the yard of dead cars to destroy the autogun. After you do that and come back, the car will be fixed, inside, and the door will be open; no tricks needed, anywhere is fine.
Ambush at White Forest Inn
Your car gets trapped between two forcefields here. I ran inside with the gnome, and put him safely in the fireplace:
No one bothered him here, and I wanted to make sure I'd be able to find him again.
You can leave him here as you run back up the road to knock out the energy ball, and you're just about done. You will continue driving, meet DOG, and get to White Forest…
Bye Mr. Gnome
The rocket is right inside, so don't pass it up and keep fighting! You basically have the whole last chapter left, without the gnome, thankfully.
Toss him in, shut the door, and you're done. On the 360, it will pop up the achievement icon right away. What do you get? Thirty lousy points. That's the downside of having so many freakin' games on one disc.
If you have any more tips, post them in the comments.
December 28th, 2007 at 6:29 pm Quote
Your guide helped alot so thanks, but as for the chap. Under the radar, when you go kill to auto-gun, you have to keep the gnome upstairs, it disappeared when I left it on the first floor. :)
December 28th, 2007 at 8:10 pm Quote
That's strange. Were you playing on the PC? On the 360 at least, I left him by the door and he was there when I came back.
February 10th, 2008 at 2:16 pm Quote
He vanished for me when I left him on the table downstairs but was fine by the door. (on the 360)
February 27th, 2008 at 6:50 pm Quote
Wow man! Kudos on your guide, it helped me alot, specially on the chopper part. You're the best!
March 17th, 2008 at 8:08 pm Quote
I just got the achievement on the PC. For the auto-gun area, I just put him on the first floor of the garage, next to the engine block against the wall. He was there when I got my new ride.
March 21st, 2008 at 2:48 am Quote
I left him on the table and he disappeared. I think he disappears if you leave him somewhere the car gets teleported after taking out the gun.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:40 am Quote
I left him on the table and he disappeared from there, so I had to redo the whole driving section. Stupid auto save!
March 23rd, 2008 at 11:46 pm Quote
When you're fleeing from the chopper, and I guess just driving in general, you can place the gnome behind the seats and then wedge a barrel into the passenger seats sideways to block the gnome from sliding out the sides. When you're driving, the barrel will rock back and you'll be able to see out through it. (In the PC version at least, I don't know if the barrel and gnome won't collide with the seats and Alyx in the xbox version.
March 25th, 2008 at 6:13 pm Quote
Thanks for the help.Its also easyer to go ahead and use the unmimited life cheat.So you dont have to take your time in killing and just focus on get your gnome to the rocket.
March 26th, 2008 at 5:31 am Quote
Thankyou good sir. I helped to know exactly where I could leave him. Oh, and thanks for telling me to close the door!!! I would have just left it assuming mr science guy would do it.
But why oh why couldnt i tell that dumb alyx to hold the damn thing while driving?
April 23rd, 2008 at 6:02 pm Quote
I left him on top of the blue car and he was there when I came back, standing up and all.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:33 am Quote
Great. I'll try that out later. Nice findings.
June 3rd, 2008 at 1:17 am Quote
Wow thats a nice guide!
Great achievement :)
The little guy is so much fun <3
June 5th, 2008 at 8:39 pm Quote
Man this guide is gold, if i didn't read this i would be lugging the gnome evey where. thank you for puttting the placement points for the gnome. hopefully it will help me. hopeully. :P
June 19th, 2008 at 4:04 pm Quote
Where? A chapter is not that accurate.. and to tell the truth, I didn't play this game in a looong time.
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:46 pm Quote
I think it's safe to say that this is one of the most nagging, long, annoying and difficult acheivemants I have ever completed…..and I loved it.
July 10th, 2008 at 5:36 pm Quote
You have to leave him anywhere but the middle of the floor or he will go bye-bye
July 12th, 2008 at 3:52 pm Quote
Thanks for the guide - wish I'd read it before doing it! The shortcut for the getting the car bit is good, though I just blasted the gnome over the door. Your balanced crate is ingenious though - much more sophisticated. Also, in the hunter-chopper attack, you can indeed leave him right back at the house, no worries, and come back after you've been through the tunnel and back. Took me hours of getting blasted up to work that one out - again, wish I'd read your guide first. Achievement came up on PC as soon as the nose cone door closed (I've read some comments that it doesn't). Oh yes, and during the auto gun part, I left him happily on the ground floor with no problems. A deeply irritating but no doubt satisfying achievement. I need to get out more.
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:18 am Quote
This has nothing to do with the achievement but I noticed when trying to put the gnome on the box so the vortigon knocked it off (i ended up just shooting it over the wall and picking it up after i got the car.) Any way right when you get there if you look out the window on the left side you will see the G-man walking away from the bridge toward the huge gate, he will go behind a red cart and disappear, just thought that was interesting.
August 3rd, 2008 at 3:46 pm Quote
Hi there,
Thanks so much for this guide. It helped me a lot! Like Adam, I too left the little man down stairs in the auto-gun chapter. I play the PC version. I left the gnome under the table downstairs (where our car will be when I get back in). All I can say is doh! The one place where he will get lost. After reloading, I left the gnome under the stair case, and he was fine.
Thanks again.
August 9th, 2008 at 3:52 pm Quote
Fuck, I didn't close the door.
August 12th, 2008 at 5:23 pm Quote
A word of warning during the autogun part.
When you leave him in the garage, don't put him on the white table.
For some bizzare reason when I did it the table had gone when I came back along with Oliver (I got far too atatched to him so I named him)
August 14th, 2008 at 12:40 pm Quote
In the PC version I stuck the Gnome in the corner by the "exit" garage door and he was there when I came back.
August 19th, 2008 at 6:08 pm Quote
I have a comment on the "Disabling the Autogun" section. Anywhere is not fine, in the garage. DO NOT leave him on the table in the middle of the room, because when you go back, your car will be there, but Mr. Gnome will not. I just learned that the hard way, and now I get to start over from the advisor.
Not blaming you, just warning everyone else. Your guide is great otherwise.
August 23rd, 2008 at 1:49 pm Quote
That's a snazzy trick with the box and the health kit :) I just carried the little guy all the way through all the combat. I mean, it's a bonding experience! You can't just pick and choose the bood bits, and skip the ugly ones! ;D
August 30th, 2008 at 11:25 am Quote
I had trouble with getting him in the car =[
September 7th, 2008 at 11:43 am Quote
thanx this guide got me it all i need now is get some grub
September 7th, 2008 at 10:44 pm Quote
yur guide was great but when i got to the rocket i put him in but i couldn't close the door
September 26th, 2008 at 6:01 pm Quote
i ditched alfred the gnome at the chopper part, and when i was done the game, i went the the last save with him to beat the achievement
October 18th, 2008 at 5:29 pm Quote
I found out the hard way that if you are like me and played the game a second time using the commentary it won't give you any achievements. If I had only known that before I made the long trip with that gnome.
October 20th, 2008 at 3:38 am Quote
That 'getting the car bit' where you propped the gnome against the door is really smart, but did you know you can just pelt him over the wall to the other side, and pick him up when you get there? That's how I did it.
October 20th, 2008 at 11:50 am Quote
Yep, there's a note about that right under the video.
October 29th, 2008 at 7:12 pm Quote
that last part helped- i did it without yoour help and wondered why i didnt get the achievement
i didnt close the door.
November 2nd, 2008 at 8:15 pm Quote
I did this on my first time through. I had read something about it before playing the game, and I simply accidentally found the gnome. I created my own strategy for everything (didn't read any tips), and it surprisingly matches up with much of your walkthrough! I hated the part with the car…. by the way, I had the gnome wedged in for most of it but for the hunter-chopper I pulled the launch-drive-hide under traincar-launch-drive-hide under…. you get it. No loading screen. I had about four life the whole time!
I just took the gnome with me to get the car. NP! Left it for antlions, on a hunch.
Didn't close the rocket door though, so didn't get achievement!!!!! Have a save, though!