Trigger Hill: Proving Grounds 9 (Bastion Guide)

Trigger Hill is the proving grounds for the Army Carbine. It’s probably the easiest one in the game because of the weapon’s inherent excellence.

Your mission here is simple: destroy all targets.

They come in two batches.

First, balloons and vineapples will appear on the left side. Next, Turrets will pop up on the right.

Clear them all in under 35 seconds and you’ll get your first rank prize: unlocking the Trigger Blitz Secret Skill for the Carbine.

Trigger Hill
Rank	Requirement	Reward
1^st	35 seconds or less	“Trigger Blitz” Secret Skill
2^nd	50 seconds or less	“Something Coarse” Upgrade Material
3^rd	First clear	“Something Fancy” Upgrade Material

Preparation

Improved Aim Speed Negates the Carbine’s Weakness

The Carbine can knock the targets down in one shot. Your only hurdle to acing the test is the gun’s aim speed.

You can fix that by getting its aim upgrades.

In fact, you only need the one at tier 2 to win the 1^st prize. It’s more than enough to complete the test in half a minute.

Army Carbine Upgrades
Tier	Upgrade Name	Effect
1	Speed Tuning	+30% Movement speed while aiming
2	Marksman Barrel	+50% Aiming speed

Strategy + Tips

Use Power Shots to Clear the Vineapples

Tip #1: Make the vineapples explode with Power Shots

After picking up the Carbine, targets will start appearing on the left side of the grounds.

There will be three pairs of balloons.

The first ones will spawn right next to you and won’t be a problem.

The second pair will come with vineapples. To trigger their explosions, you must hit their balloon pair with Power Shots. A normal one will only pop the balloons themselves and not affect the vineapples.

Burst the Last Balloon Pair with Aimed Shots

Tip #2: Reset your aim after each shot while waiting for the next target

The third balloon pair will spawn on the farthest rocks. Because of the distance, you’ll have to hit them with Power Shots or fully aimed ones.

You should set up either shots before they appear. You’ll save time by having an aimed shot ready for them in advance.

Switch to the Right Side and Destroy the Turrets

Tip #3: After popping the third balloon pair, immediately roll towards the right side of the Hill

Your next targets are Turrets, which will spawn on the Hill’s right side.

You can destroy them with one regular shot, but you still need to aim well so as not to miss.

Tip #2 (reset your aim early) should apply here as well.

Don’t worry about the Turrets’ projectiles. Their damage isn’t enough to kill you, and they’re also slow. You can simply sidestep to avoid them.

Prizes

Taking All Three Prizes in One Run

You’ll earn rewards based on how fast you complete the test.

After your first attempt, you’ll always get a Something Fancy, which you can use to upgrade the Carbine.
If you complete it in less than 50 seconds, you’ll also receive a Something Coarse for the Scrap Musket.
If you complete it in under 35 seconds, you can learn a Secret Skill for the Carbine — Trigger Blitz.

Secret Skill: Trigger Blitz
(Army Carbine)

You fire a shot that penetrates through everything as it flies in a straight line. Any foe that it hits will be crippled and take damage over time.

It isn’t as powerful as a regular Carbine Power Shot.

However, its quick release and precision makes it useful when you don’t have the time to aim.

BACK TO THE MAIN GAME Bastion Full Strategy Guide

Guide Navigation

Bastion
- Trigger Hill: Proving Grounds 9 (Bastion Guide)

Louie Nelson Zafico

44 articles

As a frustrated otter who dreams of getting published, Louie instead wastes his life cuddling his cats. He spent his childhood playing Suikoden, grew up with Total War, and matured (somewhat) with EU4. He hopes to someday find a geopolitical JRPG with the 4X systems of a Paradox game.

View Writer's Posts →