Ground Warfare

     A new enemy requires new tactics. Batman understands this and so he built a new vehicle to stop a new threat...that he had no idea was coming or bringing an advanced anti-Batman army...

   

Did I miss the part in the other games where Batman needed a tank?

     The new wheels have been a source of much controversy since before release. Many people questioned the need and usability of this heavily armed war machine since slingshotting through the city seemed to work for the other games. Others think that its outside of Batman's character to flat out engage in tank warfare. To them I say "Get over it!" Throughout this series he has adapted to new challenges with different gadgets. He Macgyvered the REC (one of my favorite gadgets) after getting locked in a room, took a freeze grenade, and apparently was able to spawn more as needed, and lets not forget in AA he turned the old car into a battering ram. He adapts to win, and its also fun. 

     This post is the one I have been waiting for since I started this project; the Batmobile Combat maps. The drone fights in AK are one of my favorite parts. There are four challenge maps for this section, and only the first one is slightly different in objective. Basically its the principle of hit them and no get hit back. There is a bonus for not getting hit; although I won't blame you if you can't get it for the second two. Similarly to the combat challenges, you also get a bonus for mixing it up. Even if you use just a level one for one try to use all of the special weapons and the vulcan. Speaking of the vulcan, you remember those nice little lights most of the drones have that make them blow up if hit with the vulcan? Doing that in challenges 2-4 will result in a countdown being activated which will give you bonus points for all point granting actions. Note: I believe this only happens with the first time you do it per try. Also note: while I haven't been able to properly research this I believe repeating the shot on another drone will increase the bonus. Back to the regular bonuses; you also receive a bonus for the max level of weapon energy meter used. So try to get it up to four. 

    I recommend getting a lot of the upgrades for the batmobile if you want to three star these. Armor, cannon damage, all of the special weapons are a must. Also one of the very useful ones is the dodge boost which allows you to use two dodges back to back. Good for escaping those sticky shot webs. Also the upgrades for the weapon energy are good so that you can unleash your higher level attacks. 

  

     #1 Untouchable 

   This little challenge is the odd man out of these. You are placed in a fairly tiny circle around which drones will continuously spawn. You have one health, and you mission is the same as the end of Halo Reach: hold the line as long as possible. It may start out as just rattlers, but fear not. As the timer goes up you will eventually run into mumbas, diamondbacks, and the like. Like in the in-game description for it offense is your best defense. Every kill adds time to the timer. It also helps give you temporarily less people shooting at you. While they won't net you any point bonus your special weapons can help you tremendously. In the relatively small space, the EMP will hit most targets and give you some breathing room. The missile barrage can net you a lot of time and reduce your threat temporarily. The hack is less useful in my opinion, but it still gives the drones something else to shoot at. Just take your time and keep trying this one, you'll get to the 6:00 mark eventually. 

#2 One Man Army

Fight an army of Rattlers at the Panessa Studio. This one is quite easy; especially once you upgrade the damage on the main gun to be able to one shot all of the rattlers. It should also be easy to go with out taking damage. Over all you have a lot of room to maneuver against weak enemies so this should be easy to three star.

#3 Natural Selection

This challenge takes place in the Botanical Gardens, and now you will have to contend with Mumbas, Diamondbacks, and Rattlers. The platform can give you some advantage as having to angle their shots will give the drones less range, but be warned. The Mumba will have no problem targeting you from above or below. 

#4 Slumdog Billionaire

I see dead drones

The hardest of all of these challenges, dragon drones are added to the mix. You are also given fairly tight quarters to operate in so stay on your toes. Also if any of you can get through scratch free you'll have earned my respect.

Tips for Moving into a College Dorm

     Ok this is a minor detour from Arkham Knight. Since this blog is for my class it is a necessary evil. So this post is a how to for move into a college dorm. Note I'm assuming that you are moving to a college in another city. For example I go to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, but am from Baton Rouge.

     Step 1: Preparation
     It should come as no surprise that the key to moving is preparation. Honestly if you intended to move anywhere by packing the day of then maybe college isn't for you. First off, I recommend you get a good trunk for moving clothes. I literally live out of my trunk when I'm home for vacations. You can slowly start putting clothes in there during the days leading up to the move. This will of course be done as clothes are cleaned and you get to packing. This of course can't be done in one lump before because the clothes you will likely want to pack are also the ones you'll want to wear before hand.

     I also recommend finding a corner of your room or another in the house that you can begin to "stage" your belongings. This will help on moving day since you won't be looking everywhere trying figure out if you packed everything you need. Another thing is to pack your belongings in multiple bags. Aside from the obvious that carrying multiple bags is easier than loose objects, but it also gives you bags at your new dorm to pack clothes when you come home for the weekend. This is something I use very often.

     Lastly, try to find someone, a family member or friend, who has a large vehicle (unless you have one) and will let you either borrow or come with you to use it. After all making multiple trips is undesirable, and you'll likely want to bring more stuff than can fit comfortably in one car. Trust me I helped move 3 college girls into an apartment and not one of them came with less than one carful. This is obviously something that can't be arranged on moving day. Thats rude and likely to fail. Also depending on how much you have college age friends can be bought cheaply with food.

    Here are some things you will want to remember to bring:

• Clothes (duh I had a whole thing on that earlier)
• Toiletries
• Laptop/ computer
• Bedding (pillows, sheets,  blankets)
• Personal items (posters, pictures of that special someone, books)
• Lava lamp (you won't regret it)
• Gaming devices (you are VERY unlikely to spend all of your time studying despite what your mom says)
• Backpack/ schools supplies
• Games for the aforementioned devices
• Trash bin
• Tv
• Extension cords/ powerstrip (you never know where the outlets will be)  
• Regular lamp (a light blue glow from the lava lamp is horrible for reading by)
• Various other things I don't have room to list now

     Step 2: Loading Up
     On the day things can get crazy. You'll want to pack up and get going as early as possible. Dorms and other student properties tend to give times for moving in, but usually these are just for trying to regulate student traffic. Getting there early means that it won't anyone who comes to help you won't have to worry about driving back late (depending on where you're from), and you also won't have to worry about the office closing. If you happen to live far away from where you're moving it may be preferable to rent a hotel the night before to save you're self from having to drive for several hours and unload all in one day.

     Back to loading. Once you've found all of the people you want to help you and decided which vehicles are going make sure that the day or two before you make sure that everyone one knows what the plan is; whose meeting where and picking up what. Confusion when you're pressed for time is never fun.

     Step 3: Unloading and Beyond
     You are finally at the student housing of your dreams (lower your expectations now), and everyone got there in one piece and with most of the stuff they had. Efficiency is the name of the game. Every trip that someone (elderly, injured, young children, pregnant women, and anyone else who for whatever reason shouldn't be laboring exempted) takes has them carrying something from a car. This is especially important if stairs are involved. Preferably people carry a sizable load. Its a waste of energy if people just carry a pillow for a trip.

     You might get to your dorm and find that it is not in the state you want. One of my dorms had one of the roommates living in it all summer. It ended up being very dirty and greasy. You may end up having to clean as well as unload. The furniture may also be moved to your liking. This is best done before you move most of your stuff in.

     After all is said and moved, it is time for some food (if you want (also you may owe some people)), or it may be time to hit the local store for some essentials:

• Food
• Cleaning supplies
• Things you didn't buy before
• Shower curtain (they don't come with one)
• That one thing you forgot but really need (One?)

Now that you're moved in and your family and friends are gone enjoy your new dwelling. Settling in should only take a few months.

Pursuing Victory

     The Batmobile challenges start off with the racing maps. While all of these involve racing against the clock, they fall into two different groups. Standard tracks through the city, and Riddler tracks. Also while we're at it here's the Batman Beyond skin.

I guess he got jealous after he saw the Arkham "definitely no one we know" Knight's suit

   The first two are the standard time trial races. You are basically put into the city and given a series of holographic bat symbols to drive through. There are also hourglass shaped time bonuses scattered throughout that deduct 3 seconds from the clock. To get the 3 stars you'll almost certainly have to get several of these, but try not to lose time as you go out of your way. To beat these you may have to try them several times to learn exactly where the bonuses you can get are, work on making the turns quickly, and master avoiding the pitfalls in each part.

#1 Midnight Fury

Race through parts of Bleake Island (I think they misspelled bleak). Watch out for when you go around the bridge; you have to go through the left side first and hit the right on your way back.

Aren't there at least a half dozen plots to destroy the city going on right now?

#2 City Heat

This course seems to be shorter than the other one, and takes place on Miagani Island. There a time bonus near the Botanical Garden but be careful, try to get it after going through the wrong marker could cost you.

The last three courses challenge you to make your best time on the last lap of the three Riddler tracks. You know Mr Nigma really needs to look into rebranding himself. I can't remember the last time he gave us an ACTUAL riddle to solve. 90% of what he makes you solve are challenges. He should change his name to the Challenger or someone needs to tell him that these arn't riddles. 

  How is this a riddle again?

     In these you use the O button to switch the red and green traps. Since the challenges use the last, and hardest, of each track you will need to be quick on some of these switches.

The Riddler knew your brand new car could do this...Right?

#3 Crushonator
The first of the Riddler themed challenges is actually based on the second of his race tracks (they couldn't have kept them in order?). The main "obstacle" in this course is the large panels that you can switch on and off. You also end up driving on top of these so be careful, and remember to wait to switch it when you are on the uncolored panels. You also have to deal with "panels" that automatically move up and down, and will crush you if you're under them. Keep in mind that they do change where they land each time so simply avoiding where they just left won't work. Alternating the drift and afterburner will help reach that time.

#4 Condamned
This challenge has you race through the last and hardest of the tracks. I'm not going to lie; this one took me awhile to finish in the story. Also unique to this one is that you do not control anything in it. Which you should know since you have to had already played and beaten it to have unlocked it. Also there is a section with a wall and two barriers you have to navigate. The ways you can fall off of the wall are numerous and include:

• Stopping (obviously)
• Hitting said walls (thats why they're there)
• Barley tapping the walls (I swear it didn't even leave a dent)
• Turning too sharply (you have to be kidding me!)
• If Batman breathes while on it (ok now I'm kidding)
• Changing into Battle Mode (that one's on you)
• And probably many more that I haven't encountered yet

Pictured: A Riddle

     My advice for this section, try to take the turns very gently and keep your hand off of the afterburner. Then you have more dodging spinning death blades, some of which randomly appear, and ANOTHER wall section. This one involves several square "crushers" that move forward each time and somehow end up right where you are when they come down. For this one try to avoid the row the next one is on because trying to time passing through it will be nearly impossible. Really I think the Batwing would have been more suited to this challenge.

#5 Mental Blocked
This one is actually my favorite of the courses. It features more use of the block control then the others. In my opinion, its also the easiest of the three. Boost as much as you can, remember to be clear of the blocks before you change the next one, and try to have fun, it is a game afterall.

    Pictured: The Riddler's "game"

The Dark Steed

     All knights have their mounts and Batman is no exception. One of the most anticipated (and controversial) additions this game brings to the franchise is letting the player drive the Batmobile around the city. While calling this monster a car is like calling a tyrannosaurus a mere reptile (no offense to Reptile from Mortal Kombat), however it is convenient. As you may remember from Arkham Asylum, Batman used to use a batmobile that had a more classic look to it, something similar to the Tim Burton Batman. But like that car being ousted for the Tumbler (Batman Begins) so was the AA car replaced by a more militarized car/tank hybrid. But unlike the cute little Tumbler, that could only take one RPG, this new car can fight an army. This post will serve to familiarize players with the car. 

     To begin, this car comes with two modes: Pursuit, and Battle. The first is the standard car mode. This one can be used for travel and chasing down cars/apc's/ and humvees. It comes equipped with the "Immobilizer" missiles, and the ability to ram/ sideswipe targets.

• R2: Drive
• Left stick: Steer
• Triangle: Afterburner (hold), recharge by powersliding.
• O: Immobilzer Missile, target with O and fire when fully locked on. Amazingly these missiles don't do any of the possibly deadly things that other missiles disabling a car would do, such as: kill someone in the explosion, hit someone with shrapnel, kill someone by causing a high velocity car crash, or others.
• XX: Eject, sends Batman into air. Moving faster increases the speed boost in the air, and can be upgraded.
• Square: Break/ Reverse. Hold while holding R2 and moving the left stick to powerslide.

     Do not worry about crashing as you speed through the city; only attacks from enemies will damage the car. HItting a wall at 150mph? No problem. A rocket fired from a car? RUN! Also you do not need to worry about some Assassin's Creed style warning if you accidently run over a thug. Any contact by an enemy will give them a harmless electrical shock...that sends them flying safely away from you. Although I think I might have landed on top of a guy once when I went off of an overpass.

     Remember, the car is more than meets the eye. Hold L2 and you will watch as the Batmobile transforms into what can only be described as a "Bat-tank". And if you're afraid of accidentally shooting a criminal with an anti-tank shell fret not! Both of the primary weapons (Vulcan and Cannon) will automatically fire the riot suppressor instead if you are targeting a living target. 

What was that no guns rule again?...

• L2: Battle Mode, hold or go into settings to allow for toggling.
• Left stick: Moves the vehicle.
• X + Left stick: Dodge. Useful for avoid incoming fire. Can be upgraded to allow for two bursts in a row.
• R2: Main cannon. Your best friend in tank battles.
• R1: Hold for the Vulcan gun. A fast machine gun, this is useful for targeting enemy weakspots, taking out light drones, and intercepting missiles.
• O: EMP, once unlocked you can spend some of your weapon energy to temporarily knockout enemy drones. It is also very useful for taking out missiles in the air. The size and duration of the pulse is based on the number of bars.
• Square: Missile barrage. Can choose how many bars to use, press for number of targets. Very strong ability when overwhelmed. Note; the level one version is almost useless as it only takes out one drone at the expense of one bar. 
• Triangle: Hold for drone hack. This ability Allows you to switch drones to your side. Very useful when facing alot of drones. Level 1 only hacks one weak drone, but more bars increases the radius, and power. 

...I guess it was just about handguns

  Its a good thing that Batman's new urban assault vehicle was ready by tonight. Otherwise he might have had a problem with those drones. Well that and just judging by the looks of the AA car he would have been hard pressed to finish most of those Riddler challenges (more on that later). And speaking of the drones...

• Rattler: Basic drone. Fires one shot. After upgrading the 60mm cannon's damage you can easily one shot these guys. Also the little glowing weak spot light on the turret is vulnerable to the vulcan gun, and will kill the drone.
• Twin Rattler: Same as above, but with two parallel guns.
• Diamondback: The armored upgrade to the Rattler, these guys will take several shots to destroy. They also fire three shots in a spread pattern. I'm not even sure if you can destroy them with just the Vulcan, but you can blast open their armor with the cannon to open up a weak point. Also be aware; while at range its easy to avoid their fire pattern, close up you can find yourself running out of room quick. 
• Mumba: This annoying little guy is probably my least favorite of the Arkham Knight's gang. This one locks onto the Batmobile and fires 1-2 homing missiles at you. You can tell when it locks on, and it shows the missiles allowing you to shoot interception fire with the Vulcan. It also sports light armor making it fairly easy to destroy. Doesn't sound too bad? Wait till you have one on either side of you and as soon as you blow up its ordinance the other is locking on. No fun. 
• 
  

Why were the Rattlers sad? Batman blew up their mum-ba.... I'm sorry.

• Dragon: These are almost like a cross between Predator UAVs and those RC quad-copters. These guys like to fly in close to you and start launching rockets that can hit a small area. They aren't too bad to dodge, but once you get them with several other drones in a CQC situation you can find yourself running out of open room very quickly. Thankfully they're pretty squishy. While you could try one shotting them with the 60mm, but its better to gun them down with the Vulcan.
• Cobra: Finally we're at the big guns of the Knight's army. These big boys can't be beaten in a straight fight. And like Assassin's Creed: Black Flag's ship stealth we have giant billion dollar tank stealth. Thankfully these tanks are apparently sound-proof since as long as you're not in their scanning laser they can't tell if your behind them running over a car. The main way to takeout these tanks is get behind them, wait for the lock-on, fire at the weak point all tanks apparently have in their back, and get out of Dodge since nearby Cobras will be alerted to you. Also you can destroy them a lot faster, and from farther away, if you have two bars of weapon energy and fire off a level 2 missile barrage. Finally if a Cobra spots you immediately shift to Pursuit mode and run away; its kind of your only option. And really finally, your radar is your best friend in these situations.

Tune in next time for the first of the Batmobile challenges; the race challenges 

Gothic Knightmare

     Unlike a certain pretentious blue and red cloaked superhero who prefers to just fly right in and beat criminals into submission, looking at you Supes, Batman is a great threat to those who can see him, but to those who can't, he is a nightmare. Every game in the Arkham series has had this rule: If their are more than a few guys with guns, use stealth. Guns can shred Batman if one or more guys get sustained fire on him. While it is possible to take out multiple armed enemies at once, for now we will be focusing on stealth takedowns.

     For this iteration of the series the developers seem to have worked on simplifying silent takedowns. Where once their would have been various names for special takedowns now most seem to be under the "Silent Takedown" banner. Likewise, now instead of a special takedown if you were standing on a ledge above the bad guy, or some other unique setup, the usual stealth takedown can be performed from any angle by simply being close enough, and undetected. Notice that this is the same requirements for the Fear Multi-takedown; press triangle for the stealth, and if near more than one foe, press square for the Fear takedown.

     Arkham Knight has seen many alterations to the typical stealth encounter formula seen throughout the past entries in the series. For one, many stages take place outside instead of mostly being inside rooms that we could fit a house in. Another change is that these stages are often more vertical than those in past entries. Batman is now able to move between levels in a stage more easily using, among other means, special vents that are accessible from the usual vantage points. By targeting and pressing the grapple button, you can swing into a vent and slide down to the floor vents. Approaching a vertical shaft and grappling while in the floor vent pulls you up and onto a nearby vantage point. So if you perform a takedown and escape into a vent, then while your enemies scan the vents for you; you can be above planning your next attack. The Knight isn't the only one with new tricks however. Since the militia were trained by the Arkham Knight in how to counter Batman's tactics, they will be ready to adapt to you. Alerted enemies will now be looking into vents and grates on the ground as they patrol. This is indicated by the red highlight on the grates they are looking at. If they see you they will open fire and alert the others. If spotted don't try to just move away from the grates underground; now enemies can drop thermobaric grenades into vents to get you. They can also deploy mines on the vantage points. Remember to listen to the chatter between the enemies, that will often clue you into what they are about to do.

        Their are also many new enemy types to contend with in Predator maps.

• Medic: Yes the medic also makes an appearance here, and like in the combat maps he will heal the guys you previously took out. Make him a priority target. Unless you get the upgrade that will allow to you sabotage his medpacks. Then just do that and let that problem sort itself out.

Looks like some shock therapy 

• Drone Controller: This guy controls a small drone that will patrol the map looking for you. Watchout as it can sneak up on you and will attack you AND alert the controller. The drone can be sabotage
  d or temporary deactivated with various gadgets. Also the controller is often too wrapped up to notice you sneaking up on him (kids and their tech these days). Be forewarned that if you take out the controller the drone will crash and other guys will move to check on him.
• Minigunner: This behemoth enemy carries a large gun and does not go down easily. If you cannot incapacitate him with one of the instant takedowns that work on him (no silent takedowns for this guy) then you will be forced to use a long series of beatdown attacks while dodging his attacks. This WILL draw attention so if that is the case try to save him for last.
• Optic Deflection Armor: These guys are equipped with special armor that won't allow you to see them in Detective Mode. All this really means is that they don't glow. You can still see them with the cowl, just not through walls. There is an upgrade to let you tag them with the Disrupter if you are having trouble. 
• Scanner: I'm sure there is a proper name for these guys, but I don't know it. Basically these guys have a scanner that will pick up when you are using Detective Mode. Stay on it for too long and they will pinpoint your location. So watch your usage of it until you can take out that guy. Also upgrade the Disruptor to shock him when he tries to use it. As they say, snitches get stitches. 
• Miners: These guys can deploy mines around the area. Once alerted to your presence they will start placing their mines. Take them out quickly or your mobility through the area can easily become hindered. Like the others there is an upgrade to let you sabotage their mines to detonate as they're placed. 
• Turrets: While not an enemy type per se, these guns will scan a certain area for you. If you don't pay attention to where they are you can find your cover being blown as they open fire on you. It is possible to take them out by approaching their unguarded back, and they can be temporarily blinded by the Remote Hacking device.

Batman also has a variety of gadgets to help him even the odds. This list doesn't include all of the gadgets at your disposal, just the ones I find most useful for predator maps.

• Explosive Gel: An Arkham classic, set up to three charges and detonate them one by one. Can set off weak stone walls for traps, blow enemies off balconies (if placed right), draw attention, and once upgraded can be used to takedown a near by target. 
• Disruptor: This fires small devices to sabotage three (four if upgraded) targets. You unlock possible targets though upgrades, and I strongly recommend you do as it makes this one of your go-to tools in this type of encounter. The possible uses include: medpacs, Scanners, all guns, Optic Deflection Armor, drone controllers, and some that are only for combat encounters. 
• Smoke Bomb: Your main defensive tool. If you get spotted and need to escape either up to a vantage point, or down into a vent then pop this before by pressing triangle (note: triangle only works for the smoke if an armed enemy has you in their sights). This keeps them from letting them see you escape; thus negating needing to break their line of sight. It can also be used offensively if you want by dropping it in a group of enemies and silently taking them down in the panic. 
• Line Launcher: While I wish they had brought back the Remote Grapnel from Arkham Origins, this tool lets you make your own wires to use to traverse the map. While wire walking you can also use a silent takedown if close enough. And for those who are especially bold, you can try to kick a target off a walkway for a knockout as you ride past them on the LL.
• Voice Synthesizer: This new tool replaces one of my favorites, Sonic Batarang. Thankfully it includes most of the Batarang's functionality and more. Target an enemy, then select a place for them to go, such as in front of a wall you've primed to blow, a weapons crate you've sabotaged, or under the vantage point you stand on. Then the synthesizer will order that target to check on the area you selected in the voice of their commander (usually the Arkham Knight). This tool will let you set up many takedowns. The catch, however, is that it has a cool down, and you cannot use it while their leader is speaking. Also if you try to use it too much the others will catch on and refuse to obey. 
• Batclaw: Use this to yank targets helplessly off of ledges.

     Three of the challenges for this section give out starts based on performing certain actions. All three must be completed in one playthrough to three star the challenge.

#1 Smash and Grab

This first challenge is the odd man out for these missions. Instead of being based on completing challenges for stars this one is time based. Takeout 10 of the targets before 1:15 to three star it; under 2:00 for 2 stars, and finally 3:00 for one star. This challenge is also unique in that, like the Two-Face missions, there is a loud alarm going off in the bank. This means that you can use loud takedowns without alerting nearby enemies. Also the bank includes many object for your remote hacking device. These include several doors you can close,  a smoke cloud in one room to set off, and a large section of the floor that can be electrified. That last one is actually meant as a security measure for the bank too, you'd almost think Gotham expected armed bank robbery every day.

And he  wonders why bad guys don't help each other out a lot

#2 Terminal Velocity

This one takes place in the Grand Avenue Station. Be careful as their is a turret on this map that you will want to deactivate. The star challenges include:

• Use a Remote Hacking Device Takedown point to KO a militia thug.
• Perform a fear takedown though a wooden wall
• Take out the militia minigunner with an Environment takedown.

The first one is simple; either wait for one of the militia to move near one of the several generators, or set up your own moment with the voice synthesizer. Then use the RHD to detonate it. The ensuing explosion, which will include metal shrapnel along with a powerful concussive blast, will harmlessly knockout your unfortunate victim. 

For the second challenge I have to admit that I haven't completed this one. I have found two wooden walls, one of which only you can get behind through a grate. The trick is to wait till at least one guy is close enough on the other side and someone else is close enough to him. Good luck.

Finally, this last one is actually easier than it might seem. It just means to hit him with one of the environmental takedowns you typically find in fights; such as an electrical junction box. This can even be done before alerting them.   

#3 Revive and Shine

This one is interesting as the challenge is more about getting the stars than finishing it.

• Take no damage During the challenge
• Take out the medic last
• Perform two separate Fear multi-Takedowns

Nothing much to say about this first one. If you get hit, restart.

This next one isn't necessarily hard. Watch yourself to make sure you leave the medic, and don't sabotage his medpacs. 

Finally the last one is the most difficult in my opinion. Since there are fewer enemies in this encounter getting more than one ( and not the medic) together can take patience. It might benefit you to alert them before you start taking down enemies. At least those medics will make sure you don't wipe out all of your chances too easily.

#4 Under the Pale Moonlight

This is the ultimate challenge for the predator AR missions. On top of the Panessa Studios building you have a lot of area, and targets. I highly recommend sabotaging the medics before you start.

• Perform a X4 Fear Multi-Takedown
• Use the Voice Synth to KO a target at a weak wall primed with explosive gel
• Take out the Boa Drone Controller last

I found that I could reliably complete this by taking out one guy and waiting for a large group to gather around him.Make sure that you have a good position to launch the takedown from. Also if you are having trouble with this one then try not sabotaging the medics before and see if letting one revive the first guy helps get you to four. 

There is a good wall for this next to the drone controller. and there are vents that let you get around it and away so that you don't have to alert the controller. Then just sit somewhere and let the voice synth do its job. Just make sure the controller isn't the one setting it off. 

This one is pretty self explanatory. DO NOT ATTACK THE CONTROLLER! In fact when you take out the second to last guy the controller will drop it and start running around the map towards you. (Not: it might only be if the last takedown is loud)

Tune in next time as we introduce the fearsome new Batmobile   

   

Into the Fray

     Finally we shall get into the meat of the AR challenges with the Combat maps. While the specifics of these vary slightly the over all idea is the same. The main point is to hit the enemies and not get hit yourself. Most of these challenges will give you bonuses for using variety in your attacks and gadget usage. So while it might seem fun to just keep hitting square (or which ever button on your device) that will be unlikely to gain you all three stars. For starters heres a list of Batman's quickfire gadgets and what their use is.

• Batarang (L2): Basic projectile, can fire a volley of three without breaking combo. 
• Batclaw (L2+triangle): Grabs an enemy and pulls him towards you. Melee after for the Batclaw slam attack. Can also get upgrades to allow for the super cape stun and subsequent melee move.
• REC (L2+O): Shoots an enemy with a high voltage charge to stun. Armed and large enemies may injure allies.
• Explosive Gel (L2+ square): Changed since previous Arkhams, now fires gel at target and automatically explodes. 
• Freeze Grenade (R2,R2): Freezes target in place. Helps with crowd control.

There are also the various combat moves that not only add to your variety bonus, but some may be necessary to takedown certain enemies.

• Beatdown: Stun (O) then press melee. Needed for armored targets. This move is good for getting your combo meter higher. Note, you can break it off to counter an attack then resume.
• Arial Attack: Stun then double tap X towards target. Needed for targets armed with shields. This powerful moves is good for dealing heavy damage, but you are vulnerable if you do not time it right. 
• Batclaw Slam: Batclaw (L2+triangle) then follow it with a melee attack. Deals more damage then normal strike.
• Pickup Weapon: (Square + X) A new feature allowing you to pick up certain weapons such as bats that enemies use. Gives you more damage but it will break quickly. You can upgrade for weapons to last longer.
• Environment Takedown: (Square + X) Another new move. When close to certain objects in the environment you can instantly takeout a blue highlighted target. These include hanging lamps, fuse boxes, and the riot suppressor on the Batmobile. This also makes the idea that Batman does not kill criminals even more ridicules as he smashes them headfirst into a charged fuse box.
• Blade Dodge/Counter: When shown the yellow counter sign above a target you can only dodge by holding the counter button and holding the stick away from him. Once you gain the appropriate upgrade you can counter the attack by releasing the button between swipes. Remember: knifes have three swipes, swords four. 

Using  a high variation of both gadgets and takedowns will increase your score significantly. Also you will receive large bonuses for completing the challenges without breaking your combo and without taking any damage.

#1 Combo Master
This first challenge is actually all about maintaining your combo streak. Avoid getting hit while maintaining your meter is the key. You only have to worry about the normal bad guys in this one.

#2 Tower Defense
This one puts you at the top of Wayne Tower. Follow the above tips and try to avoid breaking your streak or getting hit. And watch out for the one large guy.

#3 Azrael's Atonement

And I thought Man-bat was a copycat.

This challenge puts you under the hood of the mysterious Azrael. Don't get too excited. He is basically a glorified Batman skin. He comes with all of the same gadgets and moves, and, while I haven't done a good comparison, he might even have the exact same animations as the Caped Crusader. The only spin on this one is that you have a few more bad guy types (watchout for the medics and combat experts) and it ends once you get hit.

#4 Gotham Knights

Typical, Dick does all the work, while Bruce just stands there and gets all the credit

This is my personal favorite of the combat challenges. It puts the scum of Gotham against the original Dynamic Duo. Batman and Nightwing (Dick Grayson [Original Robin]) are reunited as you face off against an array of enemies in this tag team style fight. If you finished the questline with Nightwing then this will be very familiar. You can switch between the two at will with the L1 button. When the new meter that appears on the screen is flashing use L1 for a tag team style takedown that also switches characters. Unfortunately Dick doesn't have the same variety in moves or gadgets as his mentor. He can still do the strike, use the bat(night?)claw, stun (along with the associated moves), use the super meter takedown (triangle + O), and throw his escrima (basically the same as the batarang). However he lacks many of Bat's other gadgets. Instead of the gel, L2+square is a move where he slams his escrima sticks into the ground causing a shockwave that staggers enemies in a circle around him. Also his disarm and destroy move is replaced with a special move that involves throwing this sticks around to hit multiple enemies, and his multi takedown special is replaced by one where he shocks nearby enemies with his escrima. While I personally wished that the creators had taken the opportunity to beef up Nightwing's pool of moves, I am glad that he is at least in the base version of the game, and not dlc this time.

Tune in next time to learn how to become a nightmare to the villains of Gotham.