Par for the Course is the fourth campaign level of Battlefield: Bad Company. Instead of throwing them in jail for going away without leave in Serdaristan, the US Army sends Bravo-One Charlie back to Serdaristan to capture the president as they want to know if Serdaristan is really neutral in the war between the United States and Russia.
Synopsis and Walkthrough[]
This section contains spoilers for Battlefield: Bad Company.
Reach the Vista Point[]
The level opens with Bravo-One Charlie in a UH-60 Black Hawk. Marlowe narrates that the squad was in a bit of trouble for their actions, but he says the Army always has a hidden agenda. He adds that even though Serdaristan is neutral, intelligence didn't believe that and was suspicious, so they decided to send Bravo-One in for a closer look, mentioning that the officially AWOL squad "just happened to fit the bill". He says that instead of sending them to prison, the army gave them an offer they couldn't refuse.
Once they land, Haggard asks why the Army was first angry with the squad for going into Serdaristan, yet they now send them back in. Redford says they want the squad to find Zavimir Serdar, to which Haggard is dumbfounded on how to pronounce that. Sweetwater corrects him, saying the President's name in a Russian accent, adding he is "'the father of the people', local dictator and all around creep." Sweetwater also says that Serdar is officially neutral in the war and has been for a long time, and that his luck might have run out, noticing Haggard was mocking him for talking too much, who plays it off that he had an itch.
Sweetwater then adds that they are there to "persuade" the President to go with them. Haggard then asks if they can go into the country and do whatever they want. Redford responds, saying the army officially has nothing to do with the operation, and that if they are caught, they are still labeled as AWOL. He then tells the squad to find the observation point nearby.
The observation point is located just up the hill, along the path. Mike-One-Juliet comes in on the radio, asking if the squad is going to follow her orders again. Redford responds that they got sidetracked before, to which she asks if it was an objective of their own. Redford confirms this, but says it didn't pay off. She then tells him if the squad pulls off this mission that he can think about going fishing again.
Destroy the Missile Launchers[]
At the observation point, Redford asks if the valley below is a golf course. Sweetwater says it is, and adds that Serdar would build a golf course instead of help his people, being a dictator and all. Haggard then mentions that the squad's UH-60 is flying by. Sweetwater feels it is flying a bit too close to the bases in the valley but Redford assures him that the helicopter is officially on a search and rescue mission. Sweetwater still has a bad feeling about it being so close.
Just then, the chopper is hit with a missile and crashes. Redford calls Miss July on the radio, informing her that Serdaristan isn't neutral anymore. She responds, saying she figured that out already and orders the squad to find the President. Redford interrupts her, asking how they are going to get him out without an extraction helicopter. She tells him she was getting to that, and says that once thy find Serdar, they will have their helicopter, eventually.
The valley below will then open up, and the player is instructed to destroy the three SAM sites along the golf course. The player can reach the south site, the closest one, by either going there on foot or taking an empty Vodnik that can be found near the end of the road.
Along the road, the squad will encounter a camp controlled by a few Serdaristani Army soldiers. An enemy Vodnik, two RPG7-wielding Specialists and a few Assault soldiers will be there. The RPG soldiers can pose a great threat to the player's vehicle and should be taken out quickly before they can get off a shot. The enemy Vodnik will also pose a threat as its KORD can rip the player to shreds. Either destroying the vehicle with 40mm grenades or killing the gunner will take care of that threat, leaving only the soldiers to be mopped up.
In case the player's vehicle is destroyed, another is at the camp. The two "X" marks are also of note as the southern one is a repair tool that should be taken so the player can fix their vehicle, and the northern one is a collectible VSS automatic sniper rifle that can take out enemies from range with ease.
The nearby bridge is also guarded on the opposite side from the camp by more Serdaristani troops. A shielded QLZ-87 is in the watchtower and a few soldiers are along the road, one with an RPG. The player should just floor it across the bridge so the QLZ-87 does not destroy either the player's vehicle or sections of the bridge. Then the player can get out and remove the enemy troops and repair their vehicle. before moving on, the player might want to at least grab the collectible PKM on the newly introduced Support soldier that was manning the QLZ-87. The PKM is useful for medium-ranged engagements and has a large 150-round magazine, but is suffers in close quarters from a low fire rate.
On approach to the southern missile launcher, Redford notes there is a lot of activity at the base while Sweetwater thinks out loud, wondering if all of the soldiers are decent golf players, seeing how they are stationed on a golf course. The alarms will begin to sound once the player engages the enemy soldiers. Most will be Assault soldiers, with one in the taller watchtower being another Support soldier and a few further into the base being Demolition soldiers. A KORD turret faces the small river that would pose a threat if the player walked to the base, but if they drove, the soldier manning it can be dispatched with ease. If the player needs a better close quarters weapon, the southern most "X" mark is an NS2000 pump-action shotgun that can easily remove enemies at close range.
Once all of the soldiers are killed, the player will need to destroy the SAM site before moving on. There is some DTN-4 right under the SAM launcher at the "X" mark that will destroy it with one block. There is also a mortar strike designator behind some concrete pipes to the west of the DTN-4. The last "X" is just another repair tool. Once the launcher is destroyed, another Vodnik will approach the base, filled with a few Specialists and a Demolition soldier. The unoccupied BMD-3 in the large warehouse can easily destroy it as the soldiers wont be able to scratch its armor without anti-tank weapons. The player then needs to move on to another SAM launcher.
As the next objective is located closer to the east launcher, the player should head to the west launcher first to avoid back-tracking. The player can take the BMD or a PBL at the dock to get there, with the former being slower but more armored and the latter being faster and less armored. Either way, the player will encounter an enemy BMD-3 on the other side of the river. The PBL can just drive past, but the BMD will have to fight it, as well as some soldiers at the river crossing armed with a QLZ-87 turret and an RPG.
If using the BMD, the player will want to make sure they don't just hold down the trigger and fire all their shots as the cannon will overheat. It is better to fire in bursts and move around the enemy light tank to destroy it. The tank's smoke screen will do little to protect the player as the AI can still find them in it, like many players could if this were an engagement in multiplayer.
Either way, once the player reaches the second launcher, more Serdaristani troops will be guarding it. A 9M133 Kornet launcher will be in the lowered watchtower near the entrance and should be prioritized due to its one-hit-kill potential on the player. Once all of the soldiers are down, the player will again have a number of options to destroy the SAM launcher. There is DTN-4 in the green barracks, an M136 under the shed near the entrance, the Kornet if it wasn't destroyed, and another BMD-3, as well as the mortar strike if the player grabbed it from the first site. A collectible MG3 is located along the fence behind the launcher, and a third repair tool is near the tank.
Regardless of their preferred method, the player should make their way north to another outpost as it contains the level's first gold bar. It is located in the half-destroyed barracks, with another repair tool. A collectible M16 assault rifle can be found in the other barracks. The player will also find another tank on the golf course that should be destroyed.
While driving across the course towards the last SAM site, Haggard will ask what the small vehicles strewn about the course are, wondering if they are some kind of "Russian secret weapon". Sweetwater sarcastically responds that the golf carts Haggard is referring to are "cutting-edge technology" and calls Haggard by his middle name. Haggard thanks him in an angry tone, calling him "Sweatwater". Haggard will also later note how driving a tank on a golf course would probably make enlistment for the Army skyrocket as he finds it fun. The player will also find numerous patrols about the course, and Kornet sites closer towards the bridge to the last SAM site. Much of the patrols will have an RPG trooper among them and he should be killed or avoided as best as possible.
The third site is guarded by a shielded KORD, multiple Assault and Demolition soldiers, a Support soldier, and an enemy PBL that Sweetwater will see coming in that drops off three Specialists and another Support soldier. The KORD can pose a problem bieng shielded, but there is a lot of cover about on approaching towards it. The reinforcements from the PBL will be at the player's flank though, and should be removed before killing the turret operator. Once the rest of the soldiers are dead, the player can destroy the SAM site with any number of explosives, including some DTN-4 located nearby at the "X" mark.
Before leaving the area and moving on after destroying the site, the player may wish to head to the small island to the north as it contains a collectible M24 bolt-action sniper rifle and the second gold bar. The player can then regroup at the red smoke to continue the mission.
Supply Drop[]
Redford calls Mike-One-Juliet on the radio, telling her that they destroyed the SAM sites, but the mission isn't exactly a covert pickup anymore. Miss July says she can't get them a helicopter for extracting Serdar yet, but she is dropping them off something that will make the mission much easier. She orders the squad to make their way to the drop zone as soon as possible.
The drop zone is located south of the player's position at the east SAM site. The player can get there by following the road leading that way. It is advised that the player takes the nearby BMD-3 if they don't already have one as the area after the drop zone is filled with Serdaristani soldiers.
The supplies that Miss July air dropped the squad are an LZ-537 laser designator. When the player picks it up, Haggard is upset as he calls the designator a "big ugly flashlight". Sweetwater corrects him on what it is, informing the player that it is used to call in airstrikes on targets.
As soon as Sweetwater finishes describing the laser designator, an enemy T-90 rolls in to the village from the south. Redford instructs the player to use it on the tank to destroy it. To do so, the player must aim the designator at the tank as they would a weapon and hold down the firing trigger to have the designator paint the target.
After a few seconds of holding the firing trigger down, the player will hear a jet pilot saying to standby for a JDAM (English: joint direct attack munition) bomb that the player must guide towards the T-90, which may try to evade the bomb. Once it is destroyed, Haggard will exclaim how he feels stupid for having called the laser designator a "big ugly flashlight". Redford then orders the squad to regroup for their next orders.
Reach The Supply Station[]
While Haggard and Sweetwater play rock paper scissors, Miss July calls Redford on the radio again. She informs the squad that they've stirred up a lot of activity around the palace as the Serdaristani Army is mobilizing to defend the palace. Redford tells her that they aren't equipped for all-out war. She uploads the coordinates to a Serdaristani supply depot nearby and orders them to take it before assaulting the palace. Redford then tells the squad to get ready to "go shopping" at the depot.
The BMD-3 the player brought along will severely help in taking the supply depot. the entrance is guarded by a watchtower with a KORD turret on the right and an RPG trooper on the left side of the road. There is also a repair tool nearby the player can use to fix their vehicle if they want to keep the laser designator by temporarily swapping it out.
The depot itself is filled with Serdaristani soldiers ranging from Assaults, Demolitions, and Supports scattered about the area. There is also an enemy BMD-3 that will come down from further up in the depot to attack the player. Once all of the enemies are killed, Redford will tell the player to look around for anything useful. Fortunately, there are a lot of weapons in the area, including another VSS, NS2000, MG3, and an M416. There is also a collectible PP2000 submachine gun in the white building with an HVAC unit on top, next to the NS2000. There are also many gadgets about including DTN-4, an M136, another LZ-537
Reach The Palace[]
Before moving out, the player will want to head just north of the parked T-90s and BMD-3. The third gold bar is located just up the hill next to a stone monument and bench. This gold bar is one of the more easily missed ones as they are usually placed in the vicinity of weapons or gadgets. Upon returning to the tanks, Haggard will ask if he can drive one, mentioning that he thinks his insurance will cover it. Redford declines his request and says he needs Haggard to man the gunner seat, ordering the player to drive.
The road leading east out of the supply depot leads all the way to the palace. Near a large bride, the player will encounter an enemy Vodnik coming up from a river crossing. the T-90's main cannon can easily make short work of it in one hit. On the other side of the bridge, a golf cart filled with soldiers and a Vodnik will attack, with an RPG soldier dismounting from the rear of the Vodnik. Both can be easily taken out, but the player will want to kill the RPG soldier before he can get a shot off. If he does, the player can repair their vehicle before moving on if they brought a repair tool. Otherwise, they'll have to avoid further RPGs until they reach the club house along the road ahead.
Further ahead, the player will encounter a second golf cart and now a BMD-3. The golf cart can be taken out fairly easily, but the light tank will require at least two hits to destroy. The player should circle it if need be to avoid being hit. Upon reaching the club house, another BMD-3 will greet the player. It too can take just two hits to destroy, but as the player focuses on it,a golf cart with an RPG soldier will flank the player to try and get off a shot. Haggard on the gunner seat may kill him in time, but the player may wish to dismount their tank before it gets destroyed depending on its health.
The club house also has a few Assault soldiers defending it that should be taken out. There is a repair tool located by the entrance and two MG3s; one in the club house and the second in a one-story house behind it. Another parked T-90 is also alongside the driving range if the player's was destroyed or they are in too much of a hurry to fix theirs. At the edge of the driving range on the far side, an enemy T-90 will start to ire upon the player. It should take about three hits to destroy, but it may take more if the player is hitting its front armor which is the strongest. An infantry patrol will also be near the enemy tank, with one soldier being an RPG trooper. Another tank will also attack from off to the right side of the road near the first T-90.
Further ahead, the road will become a choke point with a tank rolling in to defend it. This tank will take longer to destroy as the player cannot circle it and hit its side as easy, with rock walls protecting it. However, once it is destroyed, the player should head towards the unoccupied T-90 just off to the left of the choke point. The fourth gold bar of this level is located in a trench right next to a repair tool at the "X" mark.
On the other side of the choke point, the road will turn south as it heads towards the palace. This area is guarded with more T-90s as well as a BMD-3 on the road. The BMD shouldn't be much of a problem, but the two T-90s are bunkered down in revetments, covering their sides and rear, forcing the player to attack them head on. If the player keeps moving between shots, they should be able to take down the tanks fairly easily. There is another repair tool about halfway through the area near where the player will encounter the T-90s.
The large bridge leading to the palace is well defended. On the close side, there is a shielded QLZ-87 in a watchtower. The bride itself has many infantry on it. However, when the player tries to drive over the bridge, it will start to explode. Sweetwater and Redford tell the player to get off before it collapses. haggard comments they must have rigged it with C4, mentioning it is an old-school method but he likes it due to the explosive spectacle. Redford says they will have to cross it by foot, to which Sweetwater mentions how high up they are and that it's a "good thing [he doesn't] have a problem with heights. 'Cause that would... you know, be a problem", getting more scared as he progresses.
Before crossing the bridge the outpost on the close side contains a collectible UMP submachine gun in the gatehouse, a PP2000 in the green barracks, and a VSS along the right side of the bridge walkway entrance. The player should take the right walkway over the left walkway as they can continue completely along the side without having to switch over. As the player starts to cross, Sweetwater repeats to himself to not look down, showing he does have a fear of heights.
The bridge walkways are littered with enemy Assault soldiers that will attack the player. On the far side, there are also two Recon soldiers armed with SV98s - one on the left side of the road and one in the green barracks - and a shielded KORD turret between them on the right side of the road. If the player has the LZ-537, they can lase the turret to call in a bomb and destroy it. They can also destroy it with a shot from the M136 if they took one earlier. Otherwise, they will have to either try to hit the gunner through the viewport in the shield or just avoid it as best as possible.
Capture The President[]
Upon reaching the smoke at the far side of the bridge, Serdar can be heard speaking over a loudspeaker. Redford asks Sweetwater to translate what he's saying. Sweetwater says the President is asking for help, to which Haggard asks what kind of help. Sweetwater continues, saying the President is locked in his safe room and can't get out. Redford then orders the squad to get him out.
Haggard will comment on how he is surprised to be at an actual palace and tries to compare it to one he knows of but he is short on words. Sweetwater tries to fill in that blank with the Palace of Versailles, Buckingham Palace, and Disneyland's Magic Kingdom palace. Haggard then gets the word: Xanadu - Kublai Khan's summer palace during the Yuan Dynasty of medieval China.
The palace courtyard is heavily defended, but this time by the Legionnaire Mercenaries. Unlike previous encounters, these mercenaries are armed with M16s, PP2000s and MG3s. There is also a shielded KORD in front of the palace entrance, a shielded QLZ-87 on the left side, and another shielded KORD on the right. The player should stay along the outer walls of the courtyard to avoid being mowed down by the emplaced weapons and focus on killing all the infantry first. Once most of them are down, the player can do their best to either blow up the emplacements with gadgets or try to kill the operators through the viewports. The player might even be able to flank the operators and force them to dismount to attack the player instead.
Upon moving closer to the palace entrance, more Legionnaires may come out to reinforce the courtyard. Before moving in, however, the player may wish to note that a PKM and S20K are in the courtyard at the "X" marks that can aide in killing the enemies within the courtyard and the palace.
The palace is filled with more Legionnaire Assault mercenaries, guarding the safe room where Serdar is. An unused KORD turret sits near the staircase, but it does not aide much in killing the Legionnaires located above and behind it around the entrance. Once they are all down, Redford will order the squad to regroup at the entrance to the safe room. Before doing so, the player will want to grab the fifth and last gold bar of the level in the room behind the stairs.
Upon entering the safe room, the squad will find Serdar practicing his golf swing, indoors. He starts to yell at them in Serdish, a Russian dialect. Redford motions Sweetwater to translate what he says, to which Sweetwater says that Serdar doesn't think they are being nice, something about an enema, and he doesn't want to go with them. Redford then says that all the president has done is pissed him off.
Redford asks someone to translate what he's about to say which is that what the President wants isn't his place to say. Sweetwater tries to get the President's attention, who has returned to practicing his swing. Haggard then tires to get his attention in a "Ruslish" accent by adding Russian suffixes to English words. Sweetwater tries to tell Haggard he can't speak Serdish, but Serdar interrupts them both, showing he can understand and speak English, and says he doesn't need a translation.
Redford then angrily responds, saying that they are there to "bring [him] in", which Haggard repeats. Serdar is surprised that it is only them, which Haggard also repeats. Serdar comments on how "four puny military" have come to capture him, which Haggard again repeats, as Redford yells at Haggard. Serdar though his country was being invaded, but knowing that only four soldiers were in his country, he calls it just trespassing.
Redford calls Mike-One-Juliet, informing her they have the President and need extraction, while he takes another swing and everyone ducks as the ball bounces about the room. Miss July tells them to leave the President there because the Army doesn't care about the squad anymore and isn't sending a chopper, saying they are being denied as if they were captured. Redford asks her how she expects them to get out without a helicopter, and she only responds they will have to do so any way they can. She adds that she's sorry she has to cut them loose, showing remorse for not being able to help even though she wants to.
Sweetwater feels that they will be stuck in Serdaristan. Serdar then implies that he has a way to get them out, mentioning it as "our escape," including himself. Marlowe is surprised by this, and asks what he means by that by repeating it. Serdar then says he has "no other recourse other than exile", adding it was a mistake to hire the Legionnaires. Preston then asks why the Legionnaire is holding him there. Serdar says he was being held captive because he couldn't afford to pay for the Legionnaire's services, and the Legionnaire has taken the country instead as payment. Serdar then goes off in a belief that that his people will revolt and demand their leader to be reinstated from his exile, and starts to sing a song to himself, likely the country's national anthem.
Sweetwater notes Serdar is funny to him when the man is in "a hallucinogenic rage", saying he may come in handy. Haggard disagrees, but Redford tells them to shut up and figure out how they will get out of there. The squad then moves to the palace roof where the President's gold-plated Mi-24 Hind is. He motions them to get in, saying the helicopter is much more stately for a man like himself over the military grunts.
Sweetwater then notes the interior of the helicopter having a disco ball and a hot tub, while moving towards the pilot seat. Haggard tells him to get out and tells Marlowe to drive. Marlowe says he'll "give it a shot" as Redford brings him aboard. Marlowe then narrates how they were in a "pimped-out Russian Hind with a megalomaniac and a rack full of bad CD's". He adds that they have been left to die and now have the world's deadliest army, the Legionnaire Mercenaries, "using [them] as target practice". Marlowe notes this wasn't the first time he flew a helicopter, referencing how he ended up in "Bad Company", but he adds the circumstances were special this time around as the mission ends.
Transcript[]
Related Achievements and Trophies[]
The following achievements/trophies can be completed on this mission.
| Image | Name | Criteria | Gamerscore | Trophy type |
|
He might come in handy | Complete Par for the Course on normal | 15 G | Bronze |
|
Cart Wheels | Complete Par for the Course on hard | 25 G | Bronze |
|
Check my grill | Find half of the gold bars | 20 G | Bronze |
Trivia[]
- There is a gold-plated AEK-971 in Serdar's safe room.
- Sweetwater and Haggard will commonly practice golf swings in the level's cutscenes, when not having a game of rock-paper-scissors.
- The name of the level is a reference to a pre-determined number of strokes a 0 handicap golfer should be able to get in a round on a single course of 18 holes.
- It is possible to hit the first SAM site from the observation point on the hill. To do this, the player must aim their grenade launcher's chevron sight over the SAM launcher and keep moving it up so the bottom chevron is just over the second farthest mountain off in the distance on the left side of the peak. The player should watch for where their round hit to adjust their aim.
- Much of Serdar's palace is very empty, save for a few boxes strewn about. It is likely that Serdar had to sell the palace's assets to help pay for the Legionnaires, but even that was not enough, leaving him to be held prisoner in his own home and his country taken hostage by the Legionnaire.
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