Terminator 2D: NO FATE walkthrough: How to beat all levels

The recently released Terminator 2D: NO FATE has some difficult hurdles to overcome if you wish to save the future from the AI takeover. Here we will go through, level by level, as well as reaching Terminator 2D: NO FATE’s alternate endings. 

Let’s get into exactly how you can avoid termination in our Terminator 2D: NO FATE walkthrough. We’re going through every level in detail, showing you how to optimize your runs and play out the thrilling events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day in throwback retro style. 

Terminator 2D: NO FATE Level 1

After the opening scrawl and cut scene, you are immediately thrust into action playing as Sarah Connor. Given a brief tutorial:

After this, you are brought back into the game. Walk forward, and you will see two enemies that are easily eliminated with ranged attacks. Moving forward, you will have to vault up a platform where an assault rifle will be hidden in a room below you.

Simply turn left after landing, and your weapon will be upgraded. As you continue, you will fight a group of enemies near an explosive barrel, one with a helmet requiring two shots to kill. Use your new assault rifle to shoot the barrel for a multi-kill.  

Continue moving forward, but be mindful of enemies high up. Use the aim function to avoid having to climb. The enemies with helmets will be behind cover, so patiently wait for them to reveal themselves. After dropping down once more, in front of another barrel is a breakable wall with a continue behind it.

Break the wall and get the continue, you’ll probably need it. There’s some more easy shooting going forward, as well as some fun opportunities to shoot enemies from windows so they fall onto other enemies.

After reaching the first checkpoint of the game, you will encounter level one’s boss, “Bandit Bob”. He’s easy enough to beat, as the assault rifle makes short work of him. Simply stay on the other side of the arena to avoid his grenades, slide away if he attempts to jump on you, and slide under his horizontal fire if you are on the same level as him. He will shoot below him, so don’t stand directly under him. After that, a few more enemies block your path, terminate them, and level one is complete. 

Terminator 2D: NO FATE Level 2

The enemies in this level are various police officers, with two immediately engaging. After killing them, climb up the ladder and eliminate the dog in front of you. These dogs can be quite annoying, so take them out quickly. Be mindful in this level, enemies will almost always be off-screen in front of you, so keep your trigger fingers ready.  Another enemy is introduced at this point: a small, exploding robot that is low to the ground.

Simply crouch or aim low to take care of them. There will also be a turret placed on the ceiling; however similarly simply aim high, and it will be destroyed in short order. Immediately after this room is the first checkpoint of the level,  and a lift to the next section. This section features doors that you must slide under. You can shoot the doors to open them as a last resort; however, try and avoid this as you’ll need your gun ready for the enemies. After sliding through a few doors, it won’t be long until you reach the next checkpoint.

Eventually, you will come to the part of the level where lasers block your path. Be patient and wait to run through. More lasers and enemies block your progression until eventually you reach another checkpoint. Immediately after, you will get to the boss, “Lab Security.”

This is an interesting boss, as the total health bar decreases with every goon killed, so find a spot where you can shoot at the most doors. We recommend slightly off-centre for the best positioning. You’ll never find a spot that allows you to shoot all the doors, so move to a better position when necessary. Other than that, it’s just whack-a-mole, kill the enemies before they come out the doors, and it’s one of the easier bosses of the game.

Terminator 2D: NO FATE Level 3

This level has more stage obstacles, so be mindful of lasers, crushers, and conveyor belts that speed up or slow down Sarah. However, the enemies are placed in easy-to-kill spots, so you should reach your first checkpoint with ease. You will eventually come to a section of conveyor belts, and jump over the approaching obstacles. After clearing all that, and a short platforming section where you must take out some more enemies, another checkpoint will be up the ladder and to the left.

After this, there will be some flame-shooting obstacles; simply wait them out. You can even jump over the last one and grab the ladder if you’re feeling brave. More lasers and turrets await until you have to slide under various obstacles. Continue onto the next conveyor belt section, and you will encounter a checkpoint on the lower level. Again, more conveyors until you climb up to another checkpoint behind a crusher, and the level’s boss.

It was against this boss that we realised the game was permadeath, so suffice to say, it is the biggest challenge up to this point. The strategy we found most effective was to stand directly under the large ball in the middle and shoot straight up. The lasers that come from the ceiling can be slid through, so simply stay on the other side of the laser cannon and slide when it fires. 

The biggest threat, the grenades that come from the centre, can also be kicked away with a slide. A few weaker enemies also appear that may give you some trouble, but by the time they do, the boss is almost dead, so it is up to your discretion what to focus on.

Terminator 2D: NO FATE Level 4

At this point, the playable character changes from Sarah Connor in the past to John Connor in the future, armed with an automatic laser rifle. 

John also has pipebombs; use these sparingly, as they are incredibly useful against bosses. It’s mostly run and gun from here, as precision is far less required with John. You will eventually reach a section where you can obtain the temporary power-up “Quad-Particle”, which splits your shot into four. 

Use the power-up to quickly eliminate any enemies in your way, as it will only remain active for 30 seconds. You’ll eventually be met with a mini-boss, but it is quite easy, as there is cover provided. Entering cover makes John unhittable, so simply leave and re-enter cover every time a bullet or grenade passes you. Immediately after this mini boss is a checkpoint and the “Homing-Plasma” powerup, which does as the name suggests.

This power-up makes the next section quite simple. Simply duck behind the provided cover and shoot when able, and you’ll clear the section easily. Soon after, you’ll find some more grenades, and the most broken of these power-ups, the “Deflector-Pulse”. It doesn’t do much in terms of “deflecting”, but it does allow you to shoot through walls. Making it easily the most useful power-up available.

A second mini-boss blocks your path here, but similar to the first, simply duck in and out of cover, and you should avoid most of the damage. After a checkpoint, you will immediately be met with the stage’s boss, the “Centurion”. This is, surprisingly, one of the easier bosses of the game.

The boss has a huge hitbox, so precision is not required. Simply hold the fire button and focus on avoiding attacks. This is a good place to use up any saved grenades, as they will shred the boss’s health bar. Additionally, most of its attacks are well televised and easy to dodge, so this shouldn’t provide much difficulty.

Terminator 2D: NO FATE Level 5

There are a few new enemies on this stage; however, they can be handled much the same as we have up to this point: dodge under their attacks and shoot ’em dead. The dogs make a return, but in robotic form here, and they are equally as annoying.  

When going down a ladder, you’ll see a few enemies at the bottom. Aim while on the ladder to shoot down, and they won’t even fight back. Immediately to the left is a wall which can be broken to reveal a continue. Going forward, you’ll find another homing upgrade. It’s good practice to hold down the shoot button for the full 30 seconds as you sprint forward. 

You’ll eventually encounter revolving platforms with drones, and use the homing shot to take them out quickly. Follow the first set of platforms all the way around and jump to a platform with a grenade refill and a decapitated Terminator head, which gives a hefty amount of bonus points. After the platforms, you’ll get another “Deflector-Pulse” upgrade. Use this to shoot through the ceiling to the enemies above you. A brief elevator section is also made easier, as the enemies can be eliminated before you even reach them. This will take you to a checkpoint and the mini-boss of the stage. 

This boss is quite easy. Stay on the other side of the map to make sure not to make contact with it, dodge the highly televised attacks, and crouch when it shoots. Use a couple of grenades if it’s giving you trouble, as you get a refill right after the boss. After another short corridor, you will see a checkpoint and power up after climbing a ladder. This should indicate that a boss is incoming, the “HK-Bomber”.

As with the previous boss, aiming is unnecessary; simply shoot up with the quad power-up up and you’ll hit the boss and any enemies it spawns. Use the saved grenades here; however, the boss can fly above the grenade’s range, so be mindful of that. The boss’s strongest attack is highly televised, with the game even announcing “WARNING” every time. When you hear this, go to the platforms above the ground, as it will soon be filled with fire. The fire is not active for as long as you’d think, but don’t jump the gun, as it’s quite hard to gauge. Beating the boss will immediately end the level, as you get a brief interaction revealing the primary antagonist of Terminator 2D: NO FATE’s story, the liquid metal T-1000, and a reference to the first Terminator movie.

Terminator 2D: NO FATE Level 6

In level 6, you take control of the titular Terminator in a much more standard beat-em-up set in one of the most iconic scenes of the film, the biker bar. You cannot take damage as the T-800. Instead, every hit subtracts time from the player. The start is easy; ignore the “back attack” move, as it often caused us to take damage, and simply use charge and attack.

Going into the bar, beat up all the enemies using charge and standard attack combos. There is a continue hidden in this level; a blonde biker is seen hanging around a jukebox. Punch said juke box, and the music will change to “Bad to the Bone” by George Thorogood and the Destroyers, and a continue will be granted. The boss of this stage, “Angry Bartender,” is as simple as the rest of the stage. Focus him while staying out of his direct line of sight, and he will likely not even hit you once. After this, the stage will, sadly, end.

Terminator 2D: NO FATE Level 7

Level 7 is another change-up as it is a vehicle level, and not an overly complicated one. Hit the arrows to speed up and avoid obstacles in front of you. There is ample warning for both of these, and the character only has two lanes to drive on, so this section is simple enough.

You are eventually given control of the T-800, where you need to fire backwards at the pursuing truck. There is a continue available at the beginning of this section, immediately after the first obstacle. Make sure to grab it if you can. It took us a second to realise that you need to hold the button to shoot backwards; otherwise, your fire rate will decline. Additionally, you must ensure that you shoot the chain-link fences that appear in front of you; however, in our experience, these all follow a pattern of three obstacles and then a fence. Keep an eye on the pattern, and you should be able to predict when you’ll need to change to firing ahead of you.

Terminator 2D: NO FATE Level 8

Level 8 is arguably one of the more interesting parts, as it’s actually a stealth level. It is a melee-only game, so be mindful not to jump the gun. Take your time hiding when able, as enemies are taken out in a single strike if attacked from behind. If they do spot you, slide into them, as this will stun them for a brief moment. Capitalize on that and attack them; they should go down with little difficulty.

You are immediately met with a locked door that must be picked open. The mini-game is as simple as timing it so that the arrow is on the lit-up area. Get accustomed to the timings, as they will be similar to earlier instances of this, especially when you have to complete these tasks while being chased by the T-1000. Additionally, there are cameras in this level which, if spotted, will trigger an alarm and bring a few enemies. They are easy to avoid, but be mindful of them, as they require precise timing.

Another bonus point can be found on the right-hand side staircase at the top. The T-1000 will appear ahead of you going forward; duck into a doorway way and it will run right past you. Soon after, the T-800 and John will regroup with Sarah, and the level will end.

Terminator 2D: NO FATE Level 9

It’s at this point in the game that you can decide which ending you wish to go for; you will have two opportunities to choose this. Resetting the chip is the canon path, alongside choosing to reconsider whether or not to kill Miles Dyson. 

In the level proper, you will need to place bombs on canisters, which are helpfully pointed out by an on-screen arrow pointing you to the closest one. Most enemies in this level can’t hit you if you crouch, so make sure to do that before firing. There are enemies with shields in this level; simply shoot so they bring the shield up, then melee them twice to kill. There is a grab mechanic against these enemies, however we found it more of a hindrance than a help, so just double melee to kill them quickly. 

Eventually, overhead lasers will appear; the blue ones are easily dodged, but the red ones automatically fire when you stand under them, so try and take them out. A good strategy is to save the bombs in the rooms until last, as they are usually placed with a checkpoint. When you get to the 4th floor, DO NOT go left, as you need to finish with the bombs first, of which there are none in that direction. This mistake cost us a continue, so be smarter than us.

Terminator 2D: NO FATE Level 10

Level 10 is another vehicle level and is arguably easier than the last one. Just dodge the obstacles by going either up or down, and you’ll eventually get to the section where you must fire at the pursuing helicopter. Simply hover the target reticle on the red square in all three of these sections of ever-increasing firepower. Remember to hold the shoot button for the best results and press the cover button whenever an incoming attack is detected.

Terminator 2D: NO FATE Level 11

This level is arguably one of the easiest in the game. Simply follow John and shoot the T-1000 whenever it appears. Do not let John run off without you, though, as the T-1000 is merciless and will kill John (quite gruesomely, might we add) if you do not stop him soon enough. While there is some exploration to be had here, you should really stick to John like glue, as his dying is the only way to fail this level. There will be some sections where precise timing is required, but you should be used to that in this game by now. 

Eventually, you will reach the end of the level, where, after a final volley of shots, the T-800 comes from off-screen to finish off its more advanced counterpart, and this section of the game ends with the T-800 plummeting into lava alongside it. 

Terminator 2D: NO FATE Level 12

It’s back to the future for the final level of the game. Your skills are put to the test here as enemies bombard you from all sides in this level. Run, gun, and never stop firing. You will eventually come to a helicopter mini-boss. Try your best to dodge the enemies while you shoot at it. You can still progress through the level while fighting it, so when in doubt, continue right. Use grenades if it gives you too much trouble, but you’re definitely going to want to save some. 

After getting Deflector-Pulse again and reaching a checkpoint, another mini-boss will appear. Unfortunately, there is no be-all end-all strategy here. Try and dodge out of its attacks, use bombs when necessary, and be ready to “get good”. After beating this boss, a continue will appear in a box; make sure to grab it, as you’ll immediately begin descending. 

This section is very tough, with enemies floating around and lasers that WILL hit you if you don’t take them out. We died here more times than we’d like to admit and found that you can actually roll through the lasers if timed perfectly. We advise you to attempt this, as shooting the lasers will most likely only get you killed. After this, you’ll have to do some brief platforming before you are taken to the final boss.

This boss is fairly easy, as its attacks are very dodgeable. There is an attack that causes a wave on the ground; however, with some skill, it can be jumped over. Like many bosses in the future sections of the game, aiming is barely required here, so focus on dodging. There is a second phase, however, much like the first, it’s very obvious where the attacks are coming from. There is some added difficulty in that the boss is below you, requiring you to stand still and fire down, but as long as you’re not greedy, it should be easily beaten.

Terminator 2D: NO FATE alternate endings

There are two alternate endings in the game, both of which require you to make different choices concerning the fate of Miles Dyson. If you decide to kill him, in either way available to you, you will play through an additional level of Sarah escaping police custody. No new strategies here; in fact, it’s a relatively easy level. 

After completing that, you will return to level 9, this time armed with a machine gun. If you choose to have the T-800 kill Dyson, there will be a section where you play as the robot armed with a mini-gun. As you can imagine, it’s an easy level, mowing down random enemies, even with a fun section where you rain fire on a collection of police cars. There is an additional boss here, but it is relatively easy.

Simply stand at the back, and you’ll avoid most of the grenades thrown by the driver; otherwise, it’s mostly a non-issue. After this, you will replay the stage of level 4, except in control of Sarah (with the same controls as John). After the original stage boss, you will be taken to a new boss fight where you must save John. 

Fighting the two T-808s is tough, mostly because there are two of them. Focus on removing one so that the other becomes easier. The best strategy we found was to stand far away to make the grenades irrelevant and duck under fire whenever they shoot horizontally. This is not a guaranteed win, though, as an immense amount of precision is required to beat this fight. Once complete, John will be free, and the final levels will be played as Sarah.

The same T-808’s boss fight will appear if you decide to have Sarah kill Dyson, as well as the previous police station level. However, the level where you play as the T-800 will not happen, and John will die saving Sarah after fighting the two T-808s. There are a few other minor differences; however, it’s mostly just concerning the order in which you play the previous levels.

And that’s it, we certainly hope this helped if you were stuck at any point in the game. Terminator 2D: NO FATE’s gameplay is certainly a blast from the past in terms of style, but still a fantastic amount of fun. While the alternate endings only add a minor amount, they are still fun to unlock, if not a little tedious. 

But overall, Terminator 2D: NO FATE’s endings are true to the source material, and definitely worth trying for if you are a fan of the Terminator franchise or old arcade beat-em-ups.