Uploaded January 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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A slightly easy way of getting the prestigious Foxhound rank, and without requiring perfect headshots from great distances. The video assumes the game has been completed on Extreme at least once before, acquiring some of the special camos from the bosses, the Spirit camo (The Sorrow) in particular. For additional strategies, see my video for the Fox rank on Hard difficulty, ‹//youtube.com/watch?v=Yw7YbISob_A&list=PL3YDiPvsfR78LtALDuGyj_93PvIMZEmcg›. Done on PS2, PAL/European version.
Running up behind enemies and slamming them unconscious, without raising an Alert, is easier than it looks, and Snake has quite a long reach for grabbing enemies. Providing the enemy isn't in Caution or Evasion mode, there'll be a brief grace period between the time they hear Snake and turn to face him, and the point at which Alert phase begins. If in Caution or Evasion, however, Alert phase will start the instant they hear Snake approaching. If still finding it difficult, in most cases there should be enough time to either Stalk up to the enemy instead, or execute a close-range headshot with the Mk22. Alternatively, the Spirit camo might be usable to stop them from hearing Snake and turning, though it may make the camo index dangerously low in some situations.
Strategies for the optional areas Ponizovje West and Svyatogornyj East are included, for those that want to visit those areas, but they're optional in the overall run; I don't collect anything in those areas that's used later. I also show how to get some useful enemy drops when backtracking through Krasnogorje Mountaintop, an area which is often largely skipped.
I show a quick strategy for The End for those that want to fight him rather than using the Old-Age trick, which has the advantage of yielding the non-lethal Mosin Nagant sniper, but I don't use it in the run for those that skip The End.
I show locations of rapidly-obtainable useful items, such as Mk22 ammo, Stun & Smoke Grenades, Books, Cig Spray ammo, e.t.c.. In particular I show locations of rapidly-obtainable Suppressors and Batteries. On Extreme, up to 9 Batteries can be acquired, and up to 9 Suppressors of each type. I show these even when full, to show multiple options for getting them.
I also show the locations of enemies that reveal enemy positions on the Map when interrogated. These enemies vary by difficulty, and only a few areas have them.
Many enemies drop Suppressors. The type of Suppressor they drop is random, and will either be for the Mk22 tranquilizer or the M1911A1 pistol. However, if Snake has the XM16E1 silencable rifle, enemies may also drop that type of Suppressor, reducing the chances of valuable Mk22 Suppressor drops. For this reason, it's best to avoid acquiring this weapon.
Special camos that come in useful are the Spirit camo from The Sorrow for silently running around and up behind enemies and bosses, the Cold War camo from Volgin for stopping enemies attacking in the bike chase areas, the Moss camo from The End to negate heavy Stamina consumption and recover Stamina, the Sneaking camo found in Raikov's locker for cutting damage in half, the Hornet Stripe camo for preventing Leeches and potentially controlling hornets to scare enemies in Svyatogornyj (both areas), and the Fire camo for cutting fire damage in half and preventing Burn injuries. The Snake camo from The Boss also briefly comes in useful during the Ocelot Unit boss.
The Foxhound rank is awarded for completing the game on Extreme / EU Extreme difficulty in under 5 hours including the credits, with no Alert phases, no Kills, no Continues used (though Continue screens are fine), no Health items used (such as Life Medicine, though Healing Radio is allowed), having Saved no more than 25 times, having sustained no more than 10 Life Bars of damage, without having used the Stealth Camo, Infinity Facepaint, and I believe the Patriot and EZ Gun, and I think having eaten no more than 20 Meals. Both the Stealth Camo and Infinity Facepaint are awarded for obtaining the Foxhound rank.

Virtuous Mission start — 0:02:30
First enemy area — 0:04:24
Rassvet — 0:06:17
Snake Eater start — 0:12:18
Ocelot Unit — 0:19:09
Bolshaya Past — 0:28:27
Ocelot — 0:35:13
The Pain — 0:40:51
Ponizovje West — 0:49:44
Ponizovje Warehouse — 0:53:34
Graniny Gorki Lab — 0:57:54
Exiting Graniny Gorki Lab — 1:05:40
The Fear — 1:10:35
Svyatogornyj — 1:16:20
Svyatogornyj East — 1:20:27
The End — 1:28:50
Krasnogorje Mountain — 1:37:33
Krasnogorje Mountaintop backtrack — 1:47:41
The Fury — 1:53:21
Groznyj Grad — 1:55:52
Groznyj Grad escape — 2:09:48
The Sorrow — 2:19:37
Groznyj Grad again — 2:27:13
Volgin — 2:37:10
Shagohod — 2:48:41
Zaozyorje — 3:00:33
The Boss — 3:07:38
Rank — 3:15:05