Curiouser and Curiouser... is the ninth level in Marathon 2: Durandal. It is the third and final level of Garrison, the third chapter of the game.
This large level consists of a central stone structure with a lot of small octagonal cells, surrounded by passages filled with waist-high sewage. Durandal asks you to destroy two failsafe devices and then find a Pfhor computer terminal. Along the way you'll face Pfhor Troopers, Cyborgs and F'lickta.
There are three pattern buffers in this level. One is found in a room west of the player's starting position. A second one is found to the southwest of the start location, in a corridor that's flooded with sewage. The second pattern buffer is initially disabled; it can be activated by a switch to the west. The third pattern buffer is found in a niche northwest of the central stone structure.
A 1x shield recharger can be found just west of the starting position. An oxygen replenisher is located on an upper floor room west of the 1x charger. From the second pattern buffer, follow the sewer northeast to find a 2x shield recharger. Another 2x recharger is found at the very south end of the level, in the outdoor moat.
Walkthrough[]
You'll start the level in an octagonal cell in the eastern part of the map. Exit the cell, and go south, then west. Enter the first cell to your south. It has an opening leading to the sewer passages that surround the cells. In the sewers, go around the cell to the northeast to find the initial terminal. There's a pattern buffer here as well, but it's disabled; there's a switch to activate it on a column in the sewer a little way to the west. If you head through the sewers to the northeast of the starting terminal, you'll find a 2x shield recharger.
The level is fairly interconnected; you have some freedom to choose which path to take. Many octagonal cells have openings allowing you access to the sewers. The sewer runs nearly all the way around the central structure, and there's another pattern buffer in its northwest corner. Inside the central stone passageways, you'll find a stairway at the south end. If you go up you'll find a room with an oxygen replenisher.
The objective is to destroy two failsafe switches. One of the switches is found just to the northwest of the starting position, at map location A1. The other one is located just west of one of the northwest cells (location A2).
After breaking the two failsafes, head to the north end of the structure. There are stairs leading to the moat outside. Go up the west stairs, hit the button across from you, and run across the newly raised pillar to the other side. Follow the corridor and hit the button at the end. Now go back south across the moat and up the east stairs. Across from you, there's another button (this one is a bit harder to hit) that will raise another pillar allowing you to cross the moat. You'll find the exit terminal at the end of a corridor; it'll send you off to Eat It, Vid Boi!
Secrets[]
You can jump down and explore the outer moat to find some ammo, a shotgun, and at the very south end a 2x shield regenerator. The moat circles around the entire level. There are two ways back inside to the rest of the level. Some stairs at the west end (location B1) lead upwards, allow you to jump through an opening in the sewer walls, and a secret underwater door at the bottom of a set of submerged stairs in the northeast (location B2) leads to the bottom of a pool on the inside.
Terminals []
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The first terminal is a message from Durandal. He tells you that the area you are in has been flooded, and the malfunctioning Pfhor machines have interfered with his ability to teleport you accurately. He then tells you that, about 20 years before, someone else who was attempting to retake Epsilon Euobea used a similar tactic to the virus, and this time the Pfhor were prepared.
Since the Garrison has flooded, the native F'lickta have come out. While the Pfhor are busy fighting the F'lickta, Durandal wants you to destroy two failsafes and access a Pfhor terminal somewhere in the area.
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The second terminal is another message from Durandal, who is disappointed that the Pfhor terminal was of no use to him, but he knows for sure now that the Pfhor know nothing of the S'pht'Kr, the eleventh S'pht clan.
Sources[]
Marathon 2: Durandal - Level 9: Curiouser and Curiouser...