Metal Gear Solid 2: How to Get the Nikita

Game ZXC

Metal Gear Solid 2

By Thomas Hawkins

Published Nov 8, 2023

As Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty's Plant section continues, it begins to eerily mirror elements of the Shadow Moses Incident from Metal Gear Solid. One place where this is noticeable is the electric floor trap in the Shell-2 Core, which requires players to acquire a new weapon before they are able to pass it.

In Metal Gear Solid 2, players will need to get hold of the Nikita. This Man-Portable Guided Missile launcher allows Raiden to hit targets around corners, through vents, and over long distances. It also functions as a brutally effective melee weapon should Raiden need to knock someone unconscious. This guide will explain how to get hold of the Nikita and explain its functionality, though getting to it means grappling with the game's slightly unwieldy swimming controls.

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How to Find the Nikita

To get the Nikita, players will need to take the elevator in the Shell-2 Core. Head south and wrap around the outside of the floor where the President is being held to get to the elevator. From here, head down to B1. This section of the Shell-2 Core is heavily flooded. Players will need to get to grips with the swimming controls and take advantage of various air pockets throughout the area if they hope to navigate B1 successfully and safely.

Head down the stairs and into the water, then dive and swim towards the bottom of the map. Head to the left of the map at the first air pocket (it's a right turn from the player's perspective when swimming) and continue straight ahead to reach the hallway on the far side. In this hallway, players have to head toward the bottom of the map again, looking for an open door on Raiden's left. After swimming through that door, players should carefully avoid the floating mine and head down the hallway they can see to the right of the mine. At the end of this hallway, the Nikita is floating in the water.

Use the nearby air pocket to catch some breath and then head back to the first floor to take care of the electrified floor.

How the Nikita Works

After aiming and firing the Nikita, players can steer the missile left and right with the left stick. It will speed up if it moves in a straight line for long enough, but slow back down if its direction is changed. Players can't directly steer it up and down, but it will automatically climb and descend ramps when flying through the air vents. There are two locations where Raiden can fire a missile into the vents to get to the electrified floor's control panel. The first is shown during the Colonel's explanation of how to destroy the control panel, while the second is revealed by Mr. X via a phone call after a few failed attempts.

This second location is much easier to navigate but requires players to take out some security turrets before it can be used safely. These can be destroyed easily using the Stinger from the doorway. Players can find this second location at the spot shown in the image above. As an additional note regarding the use of the Nikita, Raiden can also use it in melee as a club to surprising effect.