This document is divided into 3 sections. Section 1: Walkthrough Section 2: General Tips and Tricks Section 3: Tips on using your heroes/units The Walkthrough section is divided into 12 sections, with each representing one mission from the game and it includes an overhead view of the mission map. You can get more information about Platoon on its Game Info page.

Section 1: Walkthrough

PlatoonWalkthroughScreenshotsPack.zip (5.47 MB) You can download a screenshot pack that contains images for every mission of the game, to help guide you as you read this walkthrough. Contains 83 screenshots, including full-screen maps of each level.

Our first mission would be a really easy one, a “warm-up” for things to come. After Lieutenant Whitemore debriefs your men and leaves, select all your troops and take the road in the opposite direction from the one Whitemore took. Always wait for your M60 soldier, as he is slower than the others! VCs will ambush you from the shrub (3 soldiers) (1) they will be a problem – just don’t lose anybody! The path suddenly turns, and you have to be extra cautious: examine terrain types, gather your men on the terrain providing maximum bonus cover, and then crawl (except with your M60). If you place your men in the woods (don’t leave them on the path!) you can dispatch all 3 enemy squads without losing too many men (2). Hiding in the woods also means you’re well placed to easily take out the third VC squad coming down the path. The path will lead you to a village: either have your men crawl into the bushes or hide them behind the huts in preparation for the last fight on this mission. Either way, you’ll come out with barely a scratch from the firefight (3)! To finish the mission you have to go near the huts with Sergeant Lionsdale and wait for Lieutenant Whitemore’s troops to arrive.

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You start your mission in the village liberated on your first encounter. You have to find your way through a dense minefield (1). To avoid losing anyone there, have either Sergeant Lionsdale or your engineer advance slowly and cautiously. You may also need to turn them in every direction so they discover all possible mines. The only unit who can defuse mines is your engineer. To cross the cleared path select your riflemen and change their formation to a line, so that they follow in each other’s footsteps and don’t wander onto any mines! On the edge of the minefield leave your engineer way back and place your riflemen and Sergeant Lionsdale up front: VCs are hiding beneath the trees trying to ambush your men. Take them out. (2) Where the path divides in two you’ll have to face more VCs, use the engineer’s grenades for an easy victory. After the cutscene you have to choose the path leading towards the spot the camera showed you, facing one more Vietcong squad on your way. The mission’s final confrontation is on the hilltop (3): select all your men and rush up, pause the game, select your engineer (if he’s still alive!) and throw grenades among the enemy. This will give you an easy victory, and after the cutscene you’ll need to proceed up to your evacuation point, terminating another VC squad on your way (4) in order to finish this assignment.

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This is your first real mission, and enemy units are in abundance. To tackle them you’ll have an M72 grenade launcher. This unit alone represents about half your troops’ firepower but has limited ammunition so don’t waste the ammo! (And keep him alive!) Sergeant Lionsdale will order not to attack the village from the rice paddies, do as he says. Take the path towards the bottom of the map then crawl through the woods (1) (don’t stay on the dirt road) and take out any VCs. You’ll soon see sand bags, shoot in that direction with your M72 then rush the position and tackle the RPD-gunner staggering to his feet (2). If any other VC troops arrive to help him, shoot just one grenade at them and finish them off with your riflemen. Take out the second RPD-gunner nest too and proceed towards the village: you’ll see an old man tied to a bamboo stick – don’t even think about shooting him down. Be warned: this is a trap (3)! Leave Sergeant Lionsdale and your M79 behind; place your riflemen alongside the old man in a crawling position, then advance towards the captive with Sergeant Lionsdale: VCs will rush out from the huts trying to kill your men. Shoot them down, one by one, then free the old man. After the cutscene you must visit the old temple ruins on a mountaintop (4). Once you’ve entered the ruins, prepare for another assault. Use your M72 wisely. Take position on the side of the mountain and surprise the Vietcong going back to the village! Then rush towards the clearing where you saw the enemy truck appearing (5), and shoot the vehicle with your M72. If you can’t take it out, concentrate your firepower on the soldiers and crawl to the evac site.

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This is your first complex mission and it will be long and tough. Get off the road and hide in the woods. First you’ll find enemy troops on the right hand side of the road, then an RPD-gunner on the left – he’ll be quite a challenge! Leave your M60 soldier on the ground, take your M16 riflemen and prepare to take him out from behind. Use Sergeant Lionsdale as bait: once he sees the RPD (1), fire on it with all your units. As you approach the bridge you’ll face another VC squad patrolling on the road – try to fight them from the jungle when they turn their back to your men (2) – and a single Viet soldier. It would be a foolish decision to attack the bridge (highlighted on your map) as it is protected by two RPD-gunners on the other side of the river, as Sergeant Lionsdale will remind you. Turn back, and follow the road to where you encountered the RPD-gunner then take the path leading to the bend in the river (3). After crossing the river, hide between the palm trees and avoid the road then take the RPD-gunners out one by one (4). Leave the Ak47 enemy squad for last. Lieutenant Whitemore will give you new orders and the real fun will start. To successfully complete the mission, place your M60 in one of the bunkers looking on the road, take your M16 rifle squad and put them on the bridgehead. Use Sergeant Lionsdale (he’ll be fine dealing with the scarce VC forces you’ll encounter) to look for the mortar, it’s on the hilltop (5). Once that position is secured, rush with Sergeant Lionsdale towards the other bunker near the bridge – from now on you’ll also have the mortar at your disposal. VC forces will appear (6) trying to take the road to cross the bridge – remember to aim with the mortar about 12-15 meters in front of them because they’re moving. The Viets will try to rush along the road to the bridge so your men in the bunkers and on the bridge will be able to repel them. After the last of them falls, a VC mortar will open fire on your men (7): avoid taking fire by staying on the move towards the small hilltop where the mortar is located. Don’t bother killing the Ak47 riflemen, take the mortar out first, and then exterminate the remaining VC forces. To complete the mission, simply go down to the clearing (8) and take the Huey.

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In this mission you have to save a B52 pilot downed by VCs, and now in hiding from them. At the start you only have your commando, Mitchells, to control: approach the village, (1) avoid the road and the VCs on it. If you encounter enemy units, the best solution is to run away. Search for the village chief (a man in a gray shirt and black shorts) who’ll tell you where to find the pilot and what the VCs are planning. You need to go to the swamp to find the downed pilot (2): go back to your starting point, then turn towards the swamp staying as close to the edge of the map as possible. The pilot is wounded and hiding in a rotten tree, so Mitchells will need medical assistance. You get new units, including a medical officer. Go directly to the swamp (3), you have enough firepower to dispatch enemy units – your only real threat is an RPG7-rocket launcher! Once you’ve treated the pilot’s wounds he tells you he left something important in the plane wreck; your men have to take it back from the VCs. Approach the wreck with great caution (4), using Sergeant Lionsdale as a scout and protecting your medic and the pilot as they’re very vulnerable. If the area is clear, get near the B52 with the pilot to secure the “documents”, but prepare for an attack immediately after he climbs out of the plane (5). Use your riflemen and LAW-unit to dispatch any VC threat then take the same road going through the swamp to the evacuation point (6) to complete this assignment. NOTE: If you wander in uncharted territory while going back to the helicopter, you may encounter RPG7 units and they could easily shoot down the pilot you’re rescuing! Please also note, that the solution written down in this walkthrough and the one depicted differ, both lead to success!

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This mission might look simple, but it isn’t. Be very cautious when wandering into the village – even with so many soldiers and Lieutenant Whitemore the enemy can easily outnumber you. Try to seek out VC troops one by one, as rushing in the village will attract all of them (1) and you’ll lose many men. Your first objective is to explore the house on the edge of the village (2) (the sole hut left intact): this is a trap and O’Brady will end up wounded. Heal him, then make your way towards the VC lair on the other side of the map, this is where the stolen rice is hidden. Crossing the craters an RPD-gunner and several small VC forces will shoot at you. Once you’re in the burnt down woods an enemy squad will strike at your men from the back – be prepared for this attack. Then use your medic to heal any seriously wounded soldiers in preparation for the final battle on this map). Once you start to neutralize the minefield (3) a large party of VCs will come towards your men – you need to prepare for that attack by placing all of your units under good cover lying on the ground, then defuse one mine with O’Brady and run back to your troops (you might even want to place a claymore on the ground and detonate it when the VCs arrive). On the edge of the minefield another similar attack awaits your platoon – take them out in the same way. Now, select Lieutenant Whitemore, lie on the ground and approach the VC complex: once you see the first bunker, request an airstrike on it. Do the same with the second bunker. Then send Sergeant Lionsdale out to the barbed wire (4) and run back once the Viets see him: wait until they stand still and request another airstrike. You can easily dispatch the remainder of their troops and enter behind the barbed wire. Surprise, surprise! You’ll find no rice at all! Instead, guerillas will appear from a hidden underground tunnel shooting down Lieutenant Whitemore. Even if you defeat the VCs all odds are against you: your Lieutenant is shot, you haven’t found the stolen rice and you’re stranded for the night in the jungle... NOTE: The picture illustrates an alternative solution.

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This mission continues right after your troops wake up on the next day. You’ll see a civilian running away from your men (1): if you follow him blindly you’ll stumble into a minefield and be slaughtered. Defuse the mines carefully and prepare for an onslaught. Dispatch the VCs (2), you’ll stumble upon the US reinforcements (3) and the ARVN troops – both mentioned in this mission’s briefing. Proceed towards the waypoint marked on your map (4) with extreme caution: once you see a bunker icon pause the game, search for the bunker and call an airstrike. At the road crossing many VCs will try to take your men out, try to defeat them while lying among the trees. You must take out the last two bunkers with your men – you’ve run out of airstrikes - so concentrate your firepower and you’ll have fewer casualties. Once all bunkers are destroyed get Lionsdale and O'Brady in the middle of the VC encampment and they’ll burn down the rice containers as you don’t have any way to bring them back to the village or to the US camp. Meanwhile you get a new message from HQ asking you to meet up with the ARVN a second time: as you arrive to the meeting point you’ll see them being slaughtered by VC guerillas, but you cannot save them. There’s no need to rush after them as it could be fatal, lie on the ground instead and approach the bunker and the killers with utmost care (5) and shoot them down. As you’ve found a map on one of the ARVN-bodies you are now ready to go to the LZ (Landing Zone). On your way you come under attack from a motorized VC squad, and find a new minefield (6). Find appropriate cover and prepare for this final battle, eradicate your enemies (try to take out the truck first) then clear the mines and go to the evac zone (8) – a well-placed bunker might cause trouble (7), but you can avoid it.

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This is your first mission with an M113 APC: this vehicle can transport your units and also has strong firepower due to its mounted M60 turret gun. You also have a sniper, Pablo, at your disposal. First, it is very important to locate and disarm all mines (1), (2) – if you leave any of them on the road, they might blow up the convoy you’re supposed to protect! Try to shoot the escaping VCs before they reach safety in their well-protected encampment. Also try to dispatch any VC troops on both sides of the camp (3), but take care not to get close to the camp itself yet. Circumvent the camp with Pablo, Lieutenant Lionsdale and your LAW-squad. Ask for an airstrike on the bunker and when it arrives use Pablo to attack one of the snipers and your rocket launcher to attack the other – the airstrike will take out the bunker and any enemy units around it. In the meantime you can attack from the front of the camp, too! In order not to lose any men use your APC as cover (4) and concentrate your firepower on the other sniper. The remaining VC troops can be dispatched with a few sniper bullets and some rockets. Proceed towards the bridge. Use your usual M16 grunts to take out the enemies on the bridge (5); your LAW-unit and Pablo will easily take out the VCs trying to blow the bridge up. If you’ve run out of rockets and sniper bullets, use Lionsdale and the grunts to get rid of the saboteurs. Once you secured the bridge, the convoy will start to roll (you have taken every mine lying on the road, haven’t you?). Get your men in position, as new enemies will arrive with trucks (6); blow the vehicles up before they stop. To finish the mission, scout along the road to eradicate any threat still hiding in the bushes – as the mission is a failure if any of your four US trucks is lost. The mission is complete when the last truck leaves the map.

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Patrolling VCs captured some of your compatriots and they’re holding them near lake Tra-O. You start out with Mitchells, his duty is to infiltrate enemy lines and find the prisoners, then report back to the others. At the crossroads take the path towards the left (1) and you’ll find 3 VCs. Kill them and secure the area (2). Your APC can’t follow the path your commando is taking, so take the dirt road. Advance slowly and take out any opposition. You’ll reach another branch in the road, leave the APC behind; send out Lieutenant Lionsdale to scout... you’ll discover a T54 tank (3). Try to remain undetected until Lieutenant Willis and his M48s arrive (4) and take the enemy tank out (you need 2 shots to blow up a T54). Then send your grunts up front following the dirt road – stay deep within the bushes - followed by the M48s and the APC on the road. You’ll have to dispatch 3 other T54s: once your riflemen see one of them, open fire with both tanks and they’re history. You can even send your APC towards the prisoners; it won’t have any trouble with the VC riflemen. Get the prisoners on board (5) and get ALL your units to the mission’s starting point... you’d better hurry!

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The toughest challenge of the game awaits you! You’re outnumbered, have very little time to complete objectives and sometimes even need to fight on two battlefields simultaneously. Success on this one depends on timing and the effective use of heavy weaponry. When you’re cornered, don’t even try to get into cover and fight back: RUN AWAY, if you still can! Get all your units going and when one of your soldiers suggests turning left, don’t listen to him, turn to the right and get into cover (1). Try to discover the T54 (2) and fire rockets on it (you need 3 rockets to eliminate one), and then dispatch the VC infantry. Don’t worry about the bunkers, they’re deserted. Run along the road, and then divide your platoon into two groups (3) (if you’re on time, the passing convoy won’t see you). Lieutenant Lionsdale and the demolition expert should continue along the road, the others must take the path branching down on your right. With this group fight off the VCs attacking you from the woods (4) – don’t waste any rockets on them – and continue towards the “X” marked on your map on the hilltop. You have to get rid of a group of VCs (which is one of the objectives) – which isn’t a problem even if you’ve lost all your riflemen, as you won’t need them from now on. Now you’ve cleared an area for your first mortar (5). Separate your LAW-squads and turn towards the path from where you came from. Meanwhile Lieutenant Lionsdale and the demolition expert must continue their progress. Run with your main hero to the hilltop and take out any VCs you find (if Lionsdale’s low on health you can use the demolition expert’s grenades). This should clear out the other mortar (7). Place a claymore amidst the two craters on the road (6), and then hide in the woods. The first T54 will appear and attack your LAW-squads, and they must destroy it before it can fire a shell on them. Take your LAW-squads, rush to the road (if you haven’t wasted their ammo they still have at least 3) and take position 20-30 meters behind the claymore. The armored convoy should appear, composed of 3 tanks and 2 trucks. The first tank should be destroyed with the claymore; the two others could be blown away by the mortars (shoot 6-8 meters in front of the moving tanks). If any tanks are still moving after your mortars ammunition’s depleted, use your LAW-squads and your demolition expert’s grenades to finish them off. Then concentrate your firepower on the trucks - they won’t shoot back, so it’s very easy. If all vehicles are destroyed, your mission is a success, if any of them get through the pass you lose.

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The next mission is the longest and most complex of the whole game... Divide your forces into 3 groups. First, get your medic and your demolition expert in the APC and advance them slowly, following the road. The two other groups should advance on the right and left side of the road, behind the housings and shops. On the road leading to the religious center you’ll have to deal with 3 large VC groups (they’ll have an RPG7 rocket launcher, a demolition expert and an RPD-gunner – and of course standard VC riflemen) (1). If you advance cautiously, you’ll see your enemies before they can see you; concentrate your firepower on the heavy hitters and shoot them down first. Make sure you kill all 3 groups, and then advance to the shrine’s complex (don’t wander off the road because of mines). On the other side of the waterfall two RPD-gunners are watching the road. Get into the palm trees and lie on the ground, using your best available weaponry (LAW or your sniper) to eliminate them. You can also use your APC as a bulletproof vest (2). You need to handle the arriving VCs and exterminate them too – the most dangerous is the RPG7, take him out immediately or you’ll suffer great casualties. When you’re done you can advance but once you cross the bridge, new enemies should appear from inside the complex’s walls, but they won’t stand a chance if your units are well placed. Now you are ready to enter the complex: do it slowly and try to keep your men in one group. You have to shoot down a bunch of VCs (including an RPD-gunner and a hidden sniper) (3); you could sacrifice your riflemen and shoot these heavy hitters down with Pablo. After the search through of the shrine you receive new orders from HQ: the complex is a ticking bomb, you have to blow the whole thing up to prevent any further casualties. To get the explosives, gather all your remaining troops and go to the waypoint marked on your map – beware of the minefield and of VC guerillas (4). Once you take the cargo from the Chinooks and blow the shrine, the most difficult part of the scenario starts! Two T54s appear and start shooting the Hueys sent to evacuate your platoon. Rush to the helicopters, the faster the better! You may even want to sacrifice some slower units (but not your heroes!) to slowdown the VCs chasing you (5), but don’t stop at any cost with your main characters! When your last man climbs aboard the Log Birds, they take off (6) and you can watch the most dramatic scene from Oliver Stone’s Platoon: the death of Sergeant Elias (played by Willem Dafoe in the movie).

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Your last mission is not too difficult – compared to the last ones - you need to recapture an LZ taken by the VCs. Mitchells will be your only unit to begin with. Don’t stick to the road; try to go round the camp and suddenly our Irishman comes up with a brilliant idea! Place a claymore on the path of the RPG7 units on the rear area of the camp (1): run in, put it down then run back and when the squad arrives at the exact position, tap on the detonator. Hopefully all of them are dead, now run with Mitchells into the deep woods (2). You receive control of other units. Unite your troops at the rear gate and start an aligned attack (3): lay your troops on the ground towards the camp then select Lieutenant Lionsdale and rush inside (4). When the enemies see him and start to chase him, run away. The VCs following him will be easy prey for your well-positioned troops. (CAUTION: STOP READING NOW IF YOU WANT TO AVOID THE SPOILER) If every VC is dead, Lionsdale will radio back to base... VCs will appear from hidden underground holes and shoot him down. Revenge him with your troops led by Mitchells (5) to see the end of the campaign!

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Section 2: General Tips and Tricks

• Use the Pause feature as often as you wish (just push Spacebar): if you feel lost, or the enemy surprises you at anytime, just enter in Pause Mode to evaluate the new situation and give out new commands to your units.
• It is true that your units benefit from extra cover lying on the ground, but note that their perception values decrease and they need more time to turn around. While standing, they see much further and can hide more effectively (they can run away), but, of course they are more vulnerable to attacks.
• While running, your men’s perception values decrease and they tire out very quickly, therefore only rush with them if they really need to – when they have to get into cover or they simply have limited time to get from one place to another on a map. Crawling is also very tiring, but very effective for getting near the enemy without being noticed.
• In a firefight, always take into account the cover provided by the terrain type: try to avoid open areas or roads at all costs! Even if your enemies surprise you, you could limit casualties by first taking a good defensive position and then start to fight back.
• If you outnumber your enemies, there is no need to lie down and take a defensive position before starting to fight them. But in the case that you and your enemies’ strength were equal, you would have the edge over them if you lie down (extra cover).
• Always concentrate your firepower: the faster you take out an enemy unit, the less damage they could cause to your platoon. If you fight multiple adversaries, always take out the most dangerous of them (T54 tank, RPG7 rocket launcher, mortar, sniper or RPD-gunner).
• Try to surprise your adversaries by attacking them in the back or from the sides: you cause more damage to enemy units who don’t see the attacker and they need time to turn around and fire back on your men.
• Weapon damage varies depending of the distance (this is not true of course for blast weapons, like mortar, grenades, tank fire etc.). Get closer to your enemies then you can take them out more effectively.
• If a soldier starts to shoot on one target, his aim becomes better with each round shot. This is why it is not advised to zap through your foes: stick to a target until it is down.

Section 3: Tips on using your heroes/units

• Lionsdale / Whitemore: These men are your main heroes in Platoon, equipped with M16s. They have the most HPs, and serve as excellent scouts. Bring them into any firefight if they still have enough HP. They are also very useful in detecting enemy units (increased detection range) and mines. They are the ones who can call in airstrikes – if available. NOTE: an airstrike damages every unit, including yours, inside their range.
• Rifleman: Your basic soldier, carrying an M14 or an M16. Their strength lies in their number: they can act as bait; divide the VCs firepower and gain time to apply tactics in firefights. They are ideal to use in any circumstance as their firepower is strong. When wounded they need to be protected until the latter part of each mission, because they still could prove quite useful.
• M60 machine gunner: Slow, but very powerful, he can only shoot if lying on the ground. You may have troubles getting used to his drawbacks but in adept hands he is very dangerous. He is more effective against groups of enemies than against a single VC. Best use: stay at the back, lying down, then shoot on anything your hero discovers in the vicinity.
• M79 grenade launcher / Coffey: Slow, but powerful weapon, but has limited ammunition. Don’t waste his ammo, use it against strong opponents. Use the grenade’s blast radius – exploit the fact that the blast sends every VC soldier on the ground and while they get up you could shoot them with your riflemen.
• Engineer / O’Brady: They detect mines, and can also disarm them. In some cases, they can also place claymore mines and detonate them from a distance – you must take advantage of this destructive power. They also have frag grenades on their belts, which are like the grenades of the M79 unit, but less powerful. Never leave him alone in a firefight because his pistol is very weak.
• Mitchells: He combines the strengths of an M16 rifleman and an engineer. He can use grenades, disarm mines but is also capable of defending himself in a firefight. Usually you have to use him alone when he’s assigned to you, but he is good at protecting himself.
• Medic / Petty: The use of a medic is obvious. Protect him at any costs, as his pistol is no good against even the weakest of VCs. Use his serums wisely (it is much more efficient to use them on heroes).
• M72-LAW: He is the most powerful of the US grunts, there’s no doubt about that. Shoot in the thick of the VCs and you’ll have a moment of silence. He is the best soldier used against a T54 tank. You’d better prepare for the enemy’s RPG7 rocket launchers...
• Pablo: He is very useful against enemy soldiers (one shot=one VC less), but his weapon takes time to reload. Don’t waste his ammo, only shoot on the most powerful enemy soldiers! The best tactic to shoot down the VC snipers is to rush with all units towards them then concentrate all your firepower on them (you’ll lose soldiers, but fewer).
• Mortar: Not only they are extremely powerful, but they can shoot through a whole map. The projectile flies on a ballistic trajectory, so it can take out VCs from behind a hill. You could also shoot with them in uncharted territories (in the blackness of Fog of War). The firing itself takes time, meaning that you have to shoot in front of moving enemies, in order to hit them. Because of its huge range, this weapon is not always on target – you need to consider this when firing. They have very limited ammo, so use every shot wisely.
• M113 APC: The Armored Personal Carrier is useful because it can safely transport vulnerable units, and it has a mounted M60 turret and a consequent firepower. Lightly armed VCs cannot inflict damage on it, you must exploit this. If your APC is seriously damaged, unmount any units inside, because if it blows up any units inside will also die!
• M48 tank / Willis: You do have tanks in one mission, but their real use is in Multiplayer battles. Use against enemy tanks or heavy weapons. If you’re fighting against a tank, spread out your men so that it can cause fewer casualties then rush for cover – the tank is the unit with the worst field of vision in Platoon.
• Airstrike: Not really a unit, but an instrument of your platoon. Easily the most powerful “weapon”, it is also precise, its only drawback is that you have to wait for 10 seconds for it to come – therefore use it against static enemy installations (bunkers etc.). Use it wisely as it could wipe out your own platoon in the blink of an eye.