You've probably been there. You're belly-flopping through the tall grass of Afghanistan, heart hammering because a Soviet guard just went "huh?" and started walking toward your bush. You think you’re being a ghost. Then, suddenly, the slow-motion Reflex Mode kicks in, you panic-fire a tranquilizer dart into a helmet, and the entire base erupts in gunfire.
So much for that S-Rank.
Honestly, finding a metal gear solid v phantom pain walkthrough that actually works in 2026 is tricky because most guides treat the game like a linear corridor. It isn't. Hideo Kojima built a massive, reactive sandbox where the enemy actually learns from your BS. If you keep headshotting people, they start wearing helmets. If you only attack at night, they start using night-vision goggles. It’s a game of chess played with cardboard boxes and rocket-propelled prosthetic arms.
The S-Rank Secret Nobody Tells You
Most players think getting an S-Rank means being a "Perfect Stealth, No Kills" god. While that nets you a massive "No Traces" bonus, it’s often the hardest way to play. Basically, the scoring system in MGSV is obsessed with one thing above all else: Time.
You can literally trigger a combat alert, blow up a tank, and scream through a village on a horse, but if you finish the mission in five minutes, the game will almost always hand you an S-Rank. It’s kinda counter-intuitive for a stealth game. But it’s the truth.
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- Skip the Cutscenes: If you're chasing high scores, hit skip. The timer keeps running during cinematics.
- Focus on the Objective: Don't get distracted by every shiny resource crate or A-rank soldier you see. Get in, do the deed, get out.
- The 130,000 Threshold: That’s the magic number. As long as your total score hits 130k, you’re golden.
Why Your Mother Base Strategy is Probably Slowing You Down
You’ve got to stop micromanaging the staff. Early on, Miller and Ocelot are decent enough at auto-assigning people to the right units. Your real priority should be the Fulton Recovery System.
If you aren't upgrading your balloons to the +2 or Wormhole level as fast as humanly possible, you're playing at a massive disadvantage. The Wormhole Fulton is basically a "cheat code" you earn late in the game. It works indoors. It works in sandstorms. It never fails. To get it, you’ll need to complete Side Op 143 to find the "Legendary Jackal." Do it the second it pops up.
Also, visit Mother Base. Seriously. If you stay in the field too long, Snake starts to smell. Flies will literally buzz around your head, making you easier for guards to spot. Taking a shower isn't just for aesthetics; it provides a mental buff that increases your Reflex Mode duration and makes your Fulton success rates higher.
A Metal Gear Solid V Phantom Pain Walkthrough for the "Impossible" Missions
Some missions are notorious for breaking players. Take Mission 29: Metallic Archaea. You’re stuck in an airport with four Skulls who have armor that shrugs off bullets like rain.
Forget the stealth. This is a boss fight.
Grab the Brennan LRS-46 anti-materiel rifle. It punches through their rock armor like it's paper. If you don't have that yet, lure them near the airport terminal’s roof. They have trouble climbing ladders, which gives you a few seconds to pelt them with explosives or the CG-M25 missile launcher.
Then there’s Mission 45: A Quiet Exit. This is the one that makes people quit. You’re defending a palace against a literal army of tanks. Pro tip: Bring the Parasite Suit with "Armor" cartridges if you've unlocked them. If not, you better have a high-level Battle Dress and the strongest RPG in your inventory. Stay behind the palace walls, and use the supply drop command constantly. Don't wait until you're out of ammo to call for more.
Little Details That Save Your Life
- The Water Pistol: It sounds like a joke weapon. It isn't. You can use it to silently short out comms equipment, power generators, and even "blind" the Man on Fire. Plus, it’s infinite.
- The Cardboard Box Fast Travel: See those orange loading zones in every base? If you stand on one while inside a box and have the right "invoice" (which you pick up from the signposts), you can mail yourself to other bases. It saves so much time compared to calling the helicopter.
- D-Dog > Everyone Else: Quiet is great for sniping, and D-Horse is fast, but D-Dog is basically a wall-hack. He marks every enemy and prisoner within a 100-meter radius automatically. In a game where getting spotted is the biggest threat, information is the most powerful weapon.
The "Demon" Problem
If you play too lethally—killing everyone, building nukes—Snake’s "horn" (the shrapnel in his head) will grow, and he’ll eventually be permanently covered in blood. This is "Demon Snake." It doesn't affect gameplay stats much, but it looks harrowing. To fix it, you have to earn "Heroism" or do the "Refugee Rescue" dispatch mission. Or, you know, just stop murdering everyone and start using the tranquilizer gun.
What to Do Next
The beauty of this game is that the "walkthrough" never really ends because the AI is always adjusting to you. If you've finished the main story, the real challenge is 100% completion—finding every blueprint and extracting every rare animal for the Conservation platform.
Start by going back to the early missions like Mission 3: A Hero's Way. Try to finish it using only a water pistol and a cardboard box. Once you realize how much the game lets you break its own rules, you'll see why people are still playing this a decade later.
Go check your R&D tab right now. If you haven't researched the Active Decoy, start it. It’s the funniest, most effective way to mess with guard patrols and set up easy CQC takedowns.