Ravenholm

The player is given a clear early danger of what lurks in Ravenholm, with many warning signs and the corpse of a Fast Zombie.

The town of Ravenholm.

Ravenholm was once a normal mining town, situated close to the coast, until the Combine shelled the defenceless villagers with biological bombardments of Headcrab Canisters. The population, made up of villagers and refugees that had managed to escape from the grasp of the Combine from within City 17, were overwhelmed by the lightning fast response from the Combine, and have since been transformed into the deformed and disfigured hosts of the headcrab. The villagers, now a horde of Zombie (Classic) and other such varieties, such as the Poison Zombie and the Fast Zombie, aimlessly roam the empty and dark streets of Ravenholm under the watchful eye of Father Grigori.

Ravenholm is the sixth chapter in Half-Life 2 and follows on almost directly upon exiting Black Mesa East.

Weaponry

Primarily, Ravenholm is the introductory level for Gravity Gun (Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator) combat. Utilising various items from sawblades to exploding gas canisters, the Gravity Gun becomes the main focus of early Ravenholm.

Later in the stage, Freeman is gifted with the Shotgun (SPAS 12) by Father Grigori. The shotgun has excellent stopping power with a spread shot, ideal for taking down the brutal Fast Zombies.

Terrain

One of Father Grigori's deadly traps.

Progression through Ravenholm is rather hindered because of the randomly scattered debris on the streets and within the apart buildings, most likely from previous survivors trying to stop the ever increasing Zombies from entering certain areas. There is also evidence of Father Grigori's traps around areas of the town, used to kill off the Zombies in inventive and deadly ways, however what is a threat to the enemy is also a threat to the player, who must carefully traverse these deadly traps.

Trivia

Early, spooky image of Ravenholm sits in the sunset.

• At the end of Water Hazard, when the player reaches the hydroelectric dam, the silhouetted outline of a gothic village can be seen against the sunset, this can be visible since the ninth canal map.
• We Don't Go To Ravenholm consists of the seven maps d1_town_01, d1_town_01a, d1_town_02, d1_town_02a, d1_town_03, d1_town_04 & d1_town_05.