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- The Tip of the Day.
THIS HEAT, AN EVIL HEAT is the encore mission of the PRELUDE, and the first encore mission in the game. The level resembles a frozen over Prelude layer, with ice and snow accumulating within the layer. Halfway through, the heat turns on, melting all snow and ice and introducing the Heat Resistance mechanic. This level also features the first appearance of Radiant enemies in the main game.
Major Areas[]
Intro[]
Upon entering the level, there's a branching hallway with two doors, one in the front and one on the right. The one in the front, labeled in blood as the "EXIT", is blocked off by ice, leaving only the right door currently accessible.
Cerberus Arena[]
A tall chamber with a square base, with a layout similar to the Revolver Room in [ 0-1: INTO THE FIRE ], the corners of which are decorated by four Cerberus statues. Upon entering the room, the two Cerberi in the front awaken. Once one of them is killed, or enough time has elapsed, the two Cerberi in the back awaken. Upon killing all Cerberi, the door ahead unlocks.
Spinning Hallway[]
A small room with what appears to be some sort of terminal with breakable glass in front. The glass must be broken in order to move on to the arena; a hallway lined with multiple rings similar to the Spinning Hallway from [ 0-4: A ONE-MACHINE ARMY ], with a small room halfway through and a Checkpoint. Two Malicious Faces spawn in on either side, with a Gutterman assisting the one on the opposite end of the exit.
Menacing Room[]
A long corridor with multiple layers being connected by a flight of stairs, similar to the Shotgun Gauntlet from [ 0-3: DOUBLE DOWN ]. A pile of snow also sits in the center of the floor. In this room, one Swordsmachine, a Guttertank, and a Virtue spawn in. A Checkpoint is located at the end of the room in front of the door to the next arena.
Projectile Arena[]
A large room with a lower and upper section, akin to the Projectile Arena from [ 0-1: INTO THE FIRE ], with the lower section being covered by snow. Two inactive Cerberi statues adorn the arena. Upon entering the room, four Mannequins spawn on the upper section and two Malicious Faces spawn on the lower section. Upon killing the Malicious Faces, a Sentry spawns on the overpass leading to the exit, along with two Schisms, two Soldiers, three Drones and a Virtue.
Crusher Hallway[]
A hallway filled with snow and ice, resembling the Crusher Hallway from [ 0-2: THE MEATGRINDER ], with a Reusable Checkpoint at the beginning that replenishes after placing skulls inside the Pedestal Room ahead. This room splits the level in twain: sliding under the door to the left leads to the Red Skull, while the door to the right leads to the Blue Skull. Aside from those doors, the hallway extends past the frozen crushers toward an inactive fan. Another door is at the other end, leading to a stairway, resembling the one in [ 0-3: DOUBLE DOWN ], connecting to the Frozen River.
Red Path[]
Streetcleaner Vents[]
After sliding under the left door from the Crusher Hallway, the right door can be taken, leading up a small stairway. Three Streetcleaners will round the corner upon entering the corridor, with a Checkpoint beyond them in front of the door.
Parallel Arenas[]
A small arena split in half by metal bars, akin to the Parallel Arenas from [ 0-2: THE MEATGRINDER ]. A Malicious Face spawns in the center, protected by an Idol on the other side, accompanied by four Soldiers in the corners of the room. Once the Soldiers are dead, three Schisms will spawn by the metal bars, and the leftmost Cerberus will awaken. Afterwards, a Swordsmachine will burst in from the other side of the room, breaking the barrier and allowing access to the Idol.
The doors in the main half of the room remain locked after clearing the encounter, with the way ahead being positioned on the other half.
Drone Hallway[]
This hallway, resembling the Parry Hallway from [ 0-1: INTO THE FIRE ], is completely filled with ice, making the floor very slippery. Four Drones spawn upon reaching the corner, with two on each side.
After leaving the hall, a tall spiraling staircase suspended above a deactivated fan must be traversed downwards into the Malicious Chamber, with a Checkpoint in front of the door at the bottom.
Malicious Chamber[]
A cubic room with a glass platform below the ceiling and two cages covering the doors, resembling the Schism Arena from [ 0-3: DOUBLE DOWN ]. Four Malicious Faces spawn on each of the corners upon entering. Upon killing any of the four Malicious Faces, two Stalkers spawn to promptly sand the remaining three. After both Stalkers or three Malicious Faces die, a final Guttertank will spawn.
Once all enemies are dead, the gates will open, allowing access to the Red Skull and access to the Frozen River.
Blue Path[]
Snowy Slope Room[]
When passing through the right door from the Crusher Hallway, a room with a snowy slope in the center is reached, resembling the Blue Pedestal Room from [ 0-2: THE MEATGRINDER ]. Two Streetcleaners, two Mannequins, and a Virtue initially spawn here, and two Malicious Faces join after killing said Virtue.
A long hallway lies ahead after the arena, where two Mannequins and a Guttertank will round the corner at the far end. A Checkpoint is placed at the door to the next area.
Break Room (Unforgettable Luncheon Room)[]
A vertically challenged cafeteria with tables and lockers, referencing a secret location connected to the Grinder Arena in [ 0-2: THE MEATGRINDER ]. A Radiant Swordsmachine runs in from the other end and serves to introduce the player to Radiant enemies.
Pipe Room[]
A tall room adorned with pipes and glass panes, similar to the Pipe Room from [ 0-1: INTO THE FIRE ], where a Radiant Gutterman bursts out of the wall ahead while three Soldiers appear on the other side.
Immediately after is a frozen waterfall; sliding down the ice leads to the Blue Skull and access to the Frozen River.
Frozen River[]
A large corridor with snow and ice filling the center, reminiscent of the Lava River from [ 0-5: CERBERUS ]. This is where the twin paths reconverge, as well as connecting them to the Pedestal Room and a stairway back up to the Crusher Hallway.
Pedestal Room[]
A big room with a large fan at the very top, resembling the Lower Arena from [ 0-3: DOUBLE DOWN ]. Inside are two pedestals which retract into the floor when the appropriate skull is inserted, and a Reusable Checkpoint that reactivates after placing a skull. When both are inserted, the entire facility starts heating up, damaging V1's temperature regulator and causing the Heat Resistance meter to appear. This is when the level's title drop occurs and the music changes.
After heating up, enemies also spawn in. Initially, there are two Swordsmachines and four Radiant Drones. Upon killing the Drones, four Schisms take their place, with one in each corner.
Frozen River (Hot)[]
The previously Frozen River has now unfrozen, with lava pouring in the middle as intended. Upon entering from the Pedestal Room, the player will enter a cooling chamber, the same ones seen in [ 0-4: A ONE-MACHINE ARMY ], replenishing Heat Resistance back up to max capacity. From there, the Red Path must be traversed backwards as the frozen slide at the end of the Blue Path has melted. The stairway connecting to the Crusher Hallway is still present however, and can be used to skip a majority of the encounters along the main route.
The other side of the river, leading back to the Malicious Chamber, has a Checkpoint placed on it.
Malicious Chamber (Hot)[]
The same octagonal room as before, but hotter and far worse. Two Radiant Malicious Faces spawn on the left and right sides of the room, with two additional Soldiers appearing after each Malicious Face is killed.
The spiraling staircase follows after, but the giant fan at the bottom is now activated and lethal. A Mindflayer spawns in the middle of the room, and another cooling chamber is located at the very top of the stairs. A Checkpoint lies ahead within the now-heated Drone Hallway.
Parallel Arenas (Hot[]
The same bisected room as before, with the metal bars still broken. Entering the original main half of the room will fill it with four Radiant Soldiers and a Radiant Schism, plus a Stalker. Clearing the encounter will finally open the previously-locked doors leading further back into the level.
Streetcleaner Vents (Hot)[]
No enemies are encountered here, however a portion of the corridor has collapsed above vent grates on the floor. Attempting to pass under the collapsed ceiling will cause the grates to break, forcing a drop into the now-active Crusher Hallway.
It is possible, by quickly sliding, to skip the dropdown entirely and move through the original entrance to the corridor onto the next area.
Crusher Hallway (Hot)[]
The previously-frozen Crusher Hallway is now fully active, with crushers slamming together. Upon reaching the other end of the hallway, gates lower over two of the three doors, leaving only the door originally leading down the Red Path available. Two virtues spawn after reaching the gates, with one virtue at either end of the hallway.
Going left from there will lead to an room with a hole in the floor, leading to a flooded corridor. Heat Resistance will gradually repair while submerged in the cooling water.
Projectile Arena (Hot)[]
The snow in the Projectile Room has melted in the intense heat, providing cooling water. A Checkpoint is placed in the water after entering. Upon entering, a Gutterman and two Virtues will spawn. In addition, several 1000-THR Defence System installations have activated: two Rocket Launchers on the walls initially, plus two Mortars for every Virtue defeated.
Menacing Room (Hot)[]
Revisiting the Menacing Room, two Radiant Streetcleaners will spawn ahead, with another two spawning behind. A Virtue also spawns ahead, directly in front of the exit door.
Spinning Hallway (Hot)[]
The active Spinning Hallway features six Radiant Filth ambushing from above, breaking through the glass on the right. Afterwards, head through the now-empty Cerberus Arena and turn right through the now-thawed door. The next room has a cooling chamber, and entering it will fix V1's temperature regulator, disabling the Heat Resistance mechanic for the rest of the mission.
The downward stairway ahead contains the final Checkpoint alongside a Terminal for the arena ahead.
Radiant Cerberus Arena[]
The final room in the level reflects the Cerberus Arena from [ 0-5: CERBERUS ] with minor changes, most notably the lighting within the room changing to more of a yellow hue. Unlike the original Cerberus Arena, both Cerberi are Radiant, and both wake up at the same time instead of one after the other. The room's size and increased speed of the Cerberi make this fight difficult.
Upon defeating both Radiant Cerberi, the big door will open, leading to the Level Exit.
Ranking Requirements[]
| Rank | Kills | Time | Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | 111 | 9:30 | 48,000 |
| A | 105 | 10:00 | 44,000 |
| B | 90 | 12:00 | 35,000 |
| C | 75 | 15:00 | 20,000 |
Trivia[]
Gameplay[]
- This is the first main level to contain Radiant enemies.
- 0-E currently holds the title for the highest style requirement for a P-rank, with an S-rank requirement of 48,000.
- Repairing V1's temperature regulator, then loading a Checkpoint prior to the one before the final room has some unintended effects.
- The Heat Resistance meter remains disabled, allowing the player to replay previous areas without worrying about it
- If a Checkpoint is loaded after the music fades in the stairwell leading to the Radiant Cerberus Arena, then the player returns and enters the room, both "A Heart of Cold" and "Cerberus" will play at the same time.
- In the Parallel Arenas, if the Swordsmachine is instantly killed using Cheats, the hole in the bars will not exist for the player to get through to the next room.
- Before the facility heats up, the glass in the cooling chambers can be broken before they slide into place later on. This allows the cooling chambers to continue refilling Heat Resistance without needing to stay in them after entering.
- This effect only happens when all four panes of glass are broken in any cooling chamber.
- The level's beginning design could reference the saying, "When Hell freezes over/until Hell freezes over."
- The level's name is could reference the experimental noise rock albums This Heat by This Heat and An Evil Heat by Oxbow.
- The use of previously seen arenas in unfamiliar orders could back up the idea that Hell is "its own time-space" that "warps its own structure at will" to make sure that "the entrance to the next area has to come from somewhere."[1]
- The Heat Resistance mechanic was originally planned to be in [ 0-4: A ONE-MACHINE ARMY ] during the rework, but it was repurposed for this level instead.
- If the Disable Enemy Spawns Cheat is enabled, the Earthmover Mortars and Missile Launchers will still be present, but inactive.