Metal Gear Solid 5: Mission 36 [Total Stealth] Footprints of Phantoms

This guide will help you earn an S Rank score in the story mission [Total Stealth] Footprints of Phantoms in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, and includes a list of the mandatory and optional objectives available for this mission. Keep in mind that it is not necessary to complete all the objectives to earn an S Rank. All you need is an accumulated score of 130,000 or more, and earning a high time bonus will greatly increase your chances of achieving an S Rank for the mission.

Objectives 

• Eliminate all Walker Gears (Mandatory).
• Extract two prisoners held at Ditadi Abandoned Village (Optional).
• Extract all Walker Gears (Optional).
• Pick a Digitalis (Lutea) plant at Ditadi Abandoned Village (Optional).
• Extract a truck at Ditadi Abandoned Village (Optional).

Walkthrough 

This mission is another repeat version of an earlier mission of the same name. However, this time you must complete the mission in total stealth. If you follow along with our guide, you should be able to pull this off in just a few minutes, earning you an easy S Rank rating. 

First, prepare for this mission by bringing some C4 to take out the Walker Gears. If possible, choose a drop time of 1800 in order to use the cover of darkness to your advantage. After your helicopter drops you off at the starting point, begin by riding D-Horse to the right toward Ditadi Abandoned Village. The goal with this mission is to not get spotted by any enemies, so approach the area with caution.

Approach the village from its southeast side, and be careful not to step on any claymores that may be planted in the area. Lay prone and start crawling toward the Walker Gears that you need to destroy. If enemies come near you, lay still until they pass by. Keep your tranquilizer pistol ready and neutralize any enemies that come too close to you. You may want to switch to D-Dog to make spotting enemies a bit easier. 

The Walker Gears are standing in pairs at the camp. There are two Walker Gears on the southeast side, and two on the northwest side. Crawl up and plant a C4 on each Walker Gear, moving slowly and quietly so that you do not alert the nearby enemies. Prepare to go into total stealth mode when enemies get too close, and tranquilize enemies when necessary.

Once you have planted C4 on all four Walker Gears, it’s time to exfiltrate from the village. Get to a safe area, and then blow up the C4 to destroy the Walker Gears. There is a chance that the explosion will kill some enemies, which will hinder your No Kills bonus, but you should still have enough points for S Rank nevertheless. 

After you have eliminated the Walker Gears, get up and run away towards the open landscape. When you run far enough to clear the hot zone, the mission concludes. If you were able to complete the mission in about five minutes and without being detected, then you will have earned an S Rank from the high time bonus alone. 

Continue with Mission 37: [Extreme] Traitors’ Caravan, or return to the Metal Gear Solid 5: Walkthrough and Guide.