Prison Exterior: This place of pain and suffering began as a medieval castle; a series of crenellations and battlements repel attackers and seal prisoners to their fate. Constructed to withstand marauders of the past, it was retrofitted during the early 20th century with the addition of a vertical gulag tower, most recently holding both political prisoners and the worst scourges of humanity.
Entrance and Foundations (Exterior): There’s much to discover and access as you make a thorough reconnoiter of the Prison grounds and inner keep:
Bridge: Drive or run across this stone bridge that spans a plummet to the base of the Prison. Access is from the military post (Prison entrance) or the Prison.
Foundation: The base of the Prison complex is far below the bridge. Skulk around these massive wall buttresses, gathering loot, or drive about to quickly reach higher ground. Also explore the southern perimeter between the gulag and the coast; there’s a small shed (southwest), a log and sleeping bag near an upturned boat (south), and some digging to uncover an old pipe (southeast). What can it all mean?
Exterior Barbican: The fortified gatehouse is the only way to enter this complex, outside of the showers exit or dropping in from above.
Barbican: The massive stone tunnel has two entrances to the left and one to the right. The ones with the sign lead down to an interior staircase that merges at a stone corridor — the main entrance to the interior. The second eastern entrance leads to the fortified barmkin (yard and defensive wall) in the northeastern part of the exterior.
Barbican Battlements: As you enter the massive bailey (interior courtyard), turn around and look up. The ominous barbican has large and scalable battlements to ascend. Climb the building marked “03” next to the large fuel tanks. Hop onto the crate and the corrugated metal roof, and either head southeast to the battlement watchtower (and building 05) or jump across to the west, up a ladder to stairs, a rickety wooden scaffolding and balcony, and an entrance inside.
Barbican (7F Upper Interior): Around seven levels above the bailey on the north side of the Prison are the four mighty bastion turrets supporting the bailey interior. Enter and discover the warden’s office (with three desks), a radio operator’s room adjacent to this office, and an exit onto the north ramparts. Or, head up the wooden interior stairs to a ladder and onto the barbican roof.
Barbican Roof (10F, 11F): Climb out of the trapdoor from the barbican interior to reach the roof. Any of the four bastion turrets has a ladder allowing even more progress upward, to the top of the Prison ramparts! This is the highest point in Verdansk, aside from the Gora Dam, and the views —and sniping potential — are exceptional!
Bailey (Exterior and Upper Interior): The huge courtyard known as the bailey features fuel tanks, tents, immovable trucks, two flat-roofed corrugated metal cover areas, missile batteries, and other areas of interest:
Barmkin and Northeast Turret: A defensive wall links the barbican to the perimeter battlements. Segmented within this area is a parked truck next to a small stone stage, an arched alcove (southeast), and a turret door (northeast). Climb the spiral steps inside the turret to get to and from the upper ramparts. Note the window halfway up the turret you can smash through to get in (usually via a parachute) or out (via the stairs).
Barmkin: Cells and Administrator’s Office (Northeast): Behind the barmkin are wood steps and a small cell block. The cells are on the ground level, and the arched windows house a corridor and two offices; one seemingly belongs to the Prison administrator.
Northwest Barmkin: There’s an almost identical barmkin to the northwest. It, too, has a turret and an office structure on the opposite side of the castle.
Water Tower Watchtower: Close to the entrance is a tall water tank on white metal support pillars. Climb the attached ladder to the balcony platform, and optionally onto the top of the water tank. Snipe from here but beware your limited cover.
Helipad: In need of a quick exit? Head to the helipad, in the central-south part of the bailey. Note you can hide around the elevated edge of the helipad.
Gantry Balcony, Barracks, and Battlements (East and West): On both the east and west sides of the bailey are attached brick structures three levels in height. They contain the remains of chairs, tables, and several barrack beds. Use the exterior steps to reach this area, or head down from the battlements; there are some prime hiding spots in these small corridors and chambers. These are the best locations to go to if you wish to reach the upper perimeter ramparts.
Green Tent and Inner Battlements (West): Munitions are stored under the ramparts, on the western covered battlements behind the green military tent. The large open window offers tremendous long-range combat potential.
Truck Park and Inner Battlements (South): Behind the helipad is a series of large arches, some with parked military trucks in them. There are five “bays” (archways), and openings to the coast; make an escape here by leaping from the battlements.
Fuel Tank Storage (East): Under building 05 and the pair of missile batteries are a couple of large fuel tanks under the eastern ramparts. Use the tanks as cover and the openings to parachute out of if you need an escape plan.
Battlements and Ramparts (Exterior): The massive, circular outer perimeter walls are accessed from the air or by climbing up from the barracks on either side (east and west) of the bailey.
Upper Watchtowers (East and West): These identical structures sit next to a turret and offer another method of ascending to the ramparts. As they are set back from the perimeter, they don’t offer commanding views of the zone, but you can quickly step onto the ramparts if you need that extra visibility. Instead, they offer protection, elevation, and good views down into the yard. Note that the western rampart watchtower is directly above the gulag showers sniping window, so you could jump from the watchtower, parachute down and swing back into the showers in one deft move.
Battlement Turrets (Six): Each of the six massive outer turrets features a door to access (on the lower battlements or barmkin in the case of the northeast and northwest turrets), and interior spiral stairs up to the ramparts. Climb the interior ladder to reach a small stone hut atop the turret, allowing access to the turret roof. Here you can use the hut as cover, and rake fire across the yard or out toward the surrounding area.
Offices and Storage Buildings (East and West): Sitting on the battlements between the turrets are three rectangular structures. On the east side, two of them are numbered (“05” and “07”), and all three are accessible. On the west side, the buildings aren’t numbered, and the low, center metal storage building (right of the turret) is inaccessible. These have single-level offices, storage, and bunk beds inside and can make good areas to retreat to, though they have limited escape routes.
Gun Batteries (South): Modern mortars sit in a row of four, all pointing toward the coast. They aren’t currently functional, and there’s not usually much of an enemy presence along the southern edge of this Prison, making it a reasonable escape option, providing you can use a parachute. The sandbags and low wall also make this a reasonable spot to take down enemies coming into the prison yard as you have elevated long-range views north, down the entrance tunnel to the bridge.
Ramparts: The upper perimeter of the Prison, running around almost all of the outer edge (except for the gun batteries area), offers excellent sniping potential and escape options. The thick stone crenellations act as cover, and you can hop over and parachute to flee the area (or down to a waiting vehicle) from anywhere along the rampart edge.