Overview:
Estimated achievement difficulty: 7/10
Estimated time for 1000 : 30-60 hours (every game included)
Offline: 82 (830 )
Online: 17 (170 )
Minimum playthroughs: 4 (One for each single-player game.)
Missable achievements: Little Rocket Man and The One Free Bullet
Glitched achievements: None
Cheats disable achievements: Cheats do not disable achievements in Half-Life 2 and its episodes. However, cheats disable achievements in Portal.
Introduction:
The Orange Box has been acclaimed as perhaps the best video game deal in history. It comes with Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. With all these games, The Orange Box composes of 99 achievements. If you follow this guide, you will have no trouble reaching 1000 points.
If you have no shame when it comes to using cheat codes, then you'll be happy to hear that Half-Life 2 has some useful cheat codes to make your gaming experience much easier. This thread has cheats for Half-Life 2 and its episodes that can be entered at any moment. Also, in each game, you can check which achievements can be accomplished in your current title by pausing the game and selecting 'Achievements'. It's a nice little achievement tracker that will minimize confusion when it comes to distinguishing the achievements for each game.
Step #1: Half-Life 2
The first game that you should start out with is Half-Life 2. When you begin the game, turn the difficulty to Easy to minimize the game's difficulty. In the first chapter, be sure to save your game when the cop tells you to put the can in the trash. First, put the can in the trash to get the Submissive achievement. Next, reload your game, pick up the can, and throw it at the cop by hitting to unlock the satisfying Defiant achievement.
When you reach the the level "Red Letter Day", be sure to activate the mini-teleporter continuously until it blows up for the What cat? achievement.
Throughout Half-Life 2, there are hidden supply caches marked with the Greek Lambda logo. Here is a thread locating all of them for the Lambda Locator achievement.
If you follow the achievement guide below this road map, you will be able to get the rest of Half-Life 2's achievements with ease. However, one achievement to be wary of is the Keep Off the Sand! achievement. In the chapter "Sandtraps", you are required to not touch the sand. The best strategy is to save your game after each each tricky area. If you accidentally touch the sand, you will know because the earth will shake. If you hear the earth shaking, reload immediately. Sometimes, the antlions don't emerge from the sand. However, the antlions make an earth-trembling noise even if you barely touched the sand.
Step #2: Half-Life 2 Episode One
After you have completed Half-Life 2, begin Episode One to continue the epic journey of Gordon Freeman. When you begin Episode One, be sure to put the game on Easy and to enter the invincibility cheat code if you want. The only achievement that is actually challenging in Episode One is the The One Free Bullet achievement. You are required to complete the game by only firing one bullet. However, with the invincibility cheat, this won't be much of a problem.
Be sure to fire your only bullet at the lock in the level "Lowlife". After that point, take out your gravity gun and have fun. By utilizing the invincibility cheat and by putting the game on Easy, you can practically run through the game. The One Free Bullet achievement will unlock after you get on the train at the end of the game.
The rest of Episode One's achievements are easily unlocked by simply following the achievement guide below this road map.
Step #3: Half-Life 2 Episode Two
After you begin Episode Two, I advise you to turn the game on Easy and to re-enter the invincibility cheat again. Some of the achievements in Episode Two are harder than anything that has been previously experienced in Half-Life 2. By far the most challenging achievement in Episode Two is the Little Rocket Man achievement. You must find a garden gnome in a shack, take it through the entire game to reach a rocket, and put it inside the rocket.
For the Little Rocket Man achievement, when you and Alyx contact the White Forest base, look under a shelf in the shack to find the garden gnome. Take the garden gnome and carry it through the entire game. This can get tricky. However, the best tips for this achievement can be found in this thread.
Another tricky achievement is the Get Some Grub achievement. You are required to squish 333 antlion grubs in the first two chapters of Episode Two. Thankfully, someone on the forums has located all 333. Look at this thread.
The rest of Episode Two's achievements can be easily unlocked by following the achievement guide below this road map.
Step #4: Team Fortress 2
Now that you have fully completed Half-Life 2 and its episodes, it's time to have multiplayer fun! Team Fortress 2 has 17 multiplayer-based achievements. Luckily, some of these achievements can be unlocked via system link with no opponents. These achievements are Dynasty, Powerhouse Offense, Lightning Offense, Relentless Offense, Impenetrable Defense, Impossible Defense, Head of the Class and World Traveler. The remaining achievements can be easily be unlocked through boosting with friends. Use this thread to find other people willing to boost the remaining achievements.
Step #5: Portal
The last 14 achievements in The Orange Box are included in the mind-bending puzzler Portal. Some of these achievements are story-related and can not be missed. When you gain control of both portals, place one portal directly above you and one portal directly below you. Let yourself fall for a while to unlock the Terminal Velocity achievement. For the Long Jump achievement, follow this thread's advise.
After you complete the game, you will unlock advanced chambers and challenges. For the completion of the advanced chambers and the Vanilla Crazy Cake achievement, many gamers advise going to Youtube to watch strategy videos.
However, the final three achievements in Portal and in The Orange Box are the most difficult. You must get a gold medal on every challenge in Portal to get the Aperture Science achievement. For a great guide on this, go to this thread.
Conclusion:
Well, that's it! If you have followed this road map, you should have finished The Orange Box with 1000 . I hope that you have enjoyed reading my road map as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Give yourself a pat on the back!
[x360a would like to thank Axe Argonian for this Road Map]