Navigating Cooling Tunnel B

P10B: Navigating Cooling Tunnel B

You will notice that the marker that Oracle added to your map is in an odd place -- right next to the building in the back!  If you are like me, you were probably expecting it to be some sort of complicated set of pipes and ducts that require you to swing from this and break that off...  Nope, to actually access the Heat Exchangers what you need to do is open a door.  Seriously! 

You open a door and go inside and find yourself in a big industrial room that has a group of thugs guarding it.  Taking them out should really not be much of a challenge for you at this point in the game, because even if you started out as a button-masher, you should now be pretty expert at executing the moves you actually want to execute as opposed to random ones -- I am just saying!

This room should look a little familiar to you as you have been here before...  There is a Harley Quinn Statue directly cross from the entrance door that you should have destroyed previously -- if not remember to do that after you take out the thugs, right? 

After you take out the thugs but BEFORE you do anything else, turn on Detective Vision and look above to a ledge with a weakened wall; while we have not been including the Riddler's Secrets in the main WTG, this are is rather inconvenient to return to casually, so we are going to do them for it as a special effort...  So RB up to the ledge and plant Explosive Gel on the wall, detonate it and pick up the Trophy (it turns out to be Trophy 2-E on the Steel Mill Sets).

With that Trophy added to your collection drop down to the ground-level and hop over the gate to find yourself in front of the pool that is part of the Heat Exchangers system.  Directly across the pool is a Level 2 Console and, hell, since we are here use the Line-Launcher to cross the pool, hack the console, and unlock Trophy 1-E of the Steel Mill sets. 

Navigating the Heat Exchanger Pools in Cooling Tunnel B

-- The Heat Exchanger Pool --

Either before or after you do that you observe to yourself that your suit cannot handle that water -- I imagine it would be pretty hot -- and you point out to yourself that you can probably use a Freeze Grenade to make a raft and...  Dude, you realize you are talking to yourself right?  That is not a good sign...

Basically the water on the surface is not moving as fast as it looks like it is moving, so you can deploy an ice raft and hop on to it without too much concern.  You are prompted to do a Quick Batclaw (Grapnel) move -- do that and pull yourself towards the low obstruction, but remember to hit 'B' to release the Batclaw and Right Trigger to duck before you hit the beam so that you go under it without hitting your head, right?

On the other side there is another ring you can Grapnel -- do that and then listen as Oracle informs you that her dad the Chief has been called to City Hall where Strange is going to announce that he needs to deploy the Emergency Plan called Protocol 10.  He has informed the City Council and the Mayor -- well, assuming that there is a Mayor, is there? -- that a mass breakout is being planned by the residents of Arkham City thanks to the illegal weapons that they have somehow obtained.  Now we know that it was Strange himself who gave the weapons to The Joker, and The Joker who distributed them, but the City Council does not know that...

Clearly this was always part of Strange's plan -- but before we can think about dealing with that we really need to obtain the cure for the poison that is coursing through our body -- and that means finding and dealing with The Joker!  So once Oracle finishes briefing you, hop on to the walkway under which the water is flowing.  You want to hop up there because under the walkway is a large set of blades that are chopping up any solids that float along!

On the other side of the walkway you should deploy another ice raft and use that to get to the opposite walkway/grating, while avoiding the blade in the center of the pool.  Once you arrive there, RB up to the walkway between the pipe here and look around.  You should easily spot the duct grate cover on the left -- tear that open and go inside while you listen to the conversation of the nearby thugs who you can only reach by going through the ducts anyway...

-- Optional Challenge Opportunity --

You may be tempted to sneak up on this group and take them out quickly but you can also stand on the walkway opposite the window and arm the Batclaw, then use it to disarm the trio of thugs inside, which is one of the Combat Move Challenges that I doubt you have completed already.  This is a really convenient spot to do that one in, so why not?

-- After the Challenge --

There are several ways to deal with the group of thugs in the room across the water...

The first way -- and the one you will probably need to use if you decided to unlock the Challenge and disarm three armed thugs in a row -- is to glide through the now broken window and engage them in melee combat.  If you take this approach be sure to have your Grapnel selected and disarm the armored thug, so that he does not just stand there and fill your armor and then you full of holes.  Now simply take out the group and be done with them!

The second way -- pop a Freeze Grenade into the water and drop onto the ice raft, then pull yourself to the right using the Grapnel ring there, switch to Batarang and hit the switch on the wall which drops the bars here.  Now RB to that ledge, rip the duct grate cover open, and enter the duct, go to the end and pick up the Riddler Trophy there (Steel Mill Trophy 5-D).  Regardless of which way you decide to go, you should grab this Trophy anyway since it is in an odd place and you will not want to have to come back for it later...

Now drop back onto an ice raft and let it float to outside of the window with the thugs and then jump or dive through the window and take out the thugs!

After you take them out watch the video display on the wall for The Joker's love broadcast during which he fills everyone in on the recent events and the fact that he is back and healthy.  He then instructs his army of thugs to prepare for the upcoming prison break, and the broadcast ends!

A Montage of Collecting Good XP in Cooling Tunnel B

-- Solving a Contradictory Riddle --

After the battle and broadcast turn around and look on the inside wall for a colorful blue poster that reads "Boyle Cryogenic" -- walk up to it and scan it to solve the Riddle "Who can BOYLE and Freeze at the same time?" (Steel Mill Riddle 5-2).  Because this is in an inconvenient location you should go ahead and solve it now, though we will be doing most of the rest in one go later like we did previously with Side-Trip 1...

Head towards the exit door and you will notice a Harley Quinn Statue along the wall on your right -- you will destroy it but, before you do that use it first!  Walk up to it and press 'A' to listen to the message Harley has for you: "I'm sorry, bozo.  I can't come to the phone right now.  I'm probably off doing something top secret for Mister J, so I can't tell you what it is.

"All you need to know is that you should be doing some work and keeping the Steel Mill free of bat infestations.  Understand?"

Now that you have heard her dulcet tones deliver that message, destroy the Harley Quinn Statue with the REC and then exit the room by the only door in it.