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Metal Gear Solid 5 - Close Contact: Engineer locations for extraction

How to locate the engineers at Ngumba Industrial Zone and then extract them to safety in the Close Contact mission of Phantom Pain.

Welcome to Metal Gear Solid 5 - Close Contact, the 24th main story mission of the game, following on from The White Mamba.

Close Contact Mission checklist:

  • Extracted the male engineer
  • Extracted the female engineer
  • Extracted 6 Nubians near Ngumba Industrial Zone, SW Guard Post
  • Extracted 4 materials containers from Munoko ya Nioka Station, NE Guard Post
  • Picked an African peach near Munoko ya Nioka Station
  • Extracted a martial eagle near Munoko ya Nioka Station

Now that you're safely back in the air, bring up your mission list and select 24-Close Contact. Pick the northern-most Landing Zone available, then make your way to the Sortie Prep screen. Make sure you pack a sniper rifle (we'll be bringing along the RENOV-ICKX TP), choose D-Dog as your buddy and set the Drop Time to 0600. Finally, commence the operation!

This time around, your objective is to rescue two civilian engineers being held at Ngumba Industrial Zone. Both went missing after visiting the area on behalf of a medical NGO and, as luck would have it, both are being held in the same location - making this a fairly straightforward mission.

Cover image for YouTube video6 Metal Gear Solid 5 Fan Theories So Crazy They Might Be True
6 Metal Gear Solid 5 Fan Theories So Crazy They Might Be True

Close Contact: Locate the engineers near Ngumba Industrial Zone

Once you land, start moving south-east toward the yellow objective marker. Sprint across the farmland and, when you hit the sheer rock face, begin following it along to the south-west. Shortly, the rocks will bend around to the south-east, leading you into a narrow ravine.

At the end of the ravine, drop to a crouch and sneak onto the small raised rock ahead. From here, you'll have a clear view of the entire guard post - so break out your binoculars and scan the area for hostiles. Next, locate the lone green tent in the distance to the south-west. This is where both of your targets are being held.

Shortly, several things will happen in quick succession: at some point, the male prisoner will try to escape. Not long after, the guards nearby will give chase, subduing him and returning him to the camp. Meanwhile, a patrol car (carrying a number of hostiles) will arrive to take the prisoners away. If the male hostage has escaped, the soldiers will take the female prisoner and the male will be executed, instantly failing the mission.


Eliminate the hostiles in the area

As such, you'll need to work quickly to complete your objective. First, step back and crouch behind the rock you're on. Immediately pull out your sniper rifle and zoom in on the two bodies lying inside the tent. This will confirm the identify of the prisoners and add them to your HUD. Next, take a shot at one of the guards positioned outside the tent. As soon as he falls, all other hostiles in the area will go on alert, ducking behind anything they can use as cover.

Your task, then, is simple: use your sniper rifle to bring the hostiles down one-by-one until the camp is clear. Be sure to exit scope view intermittently to check that no enemies are approaching outside of your line of sight. Should anyone get too close, switch weapons to eliminate them swiftly.


Need help with The Phantom Pain? Our Metal Gear Solid 5 guide and walkthrough explains how to complete every main story mission, and explains their many optional objectives. We also have lists of Blueprint locations, Tape locations, Key Item locations, how to unlock S Ranks and a Metal Gear Solid 5 Achievement and Trophy list.


Extract the engineers

Once all enemies are down, sprint over to the tent and Fulton the kidnapped engineers (and any hostiles you like the look of) out of the area. Note that the male prisoner will be writhing on the ground somewhere nearby if he tried to escape during the skirmish - to locate him, simply head toward the green triangle on your HUD.

When all targets have been extracted, summon a chopper to the Landing Zone in the north-east. Head over and climb onboard to end the mission. Once again you'll automatically be returned to Mother Base. Watch the cutscene unfold, then request a helicopter pick-up and return to the air.


- Keep reading for our guide to completing Aim True Ye Vengeful, the next mission in the game.

- For the rest of our Metal Gear Solid 5 walkthrough, head back to the index page of this article.