Players have been thoroughly exploring the vast world of the critically acclaimed Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain since launch, but with a game this massive, it's easy to miss some things.

In fact, it's pretty easy to miss recruiting Quiet early on in Metal Gear Solid 5, the incomparably dangerous sniper that was revealed to the world in an epic Tokyo Game Show teaser trailer last year. Quiet is one of Snake's most powerful allies in the game, but acquiring her is no easy feat, unless one knows a little trick or two.

This guide will help in recruiting Quiet as well as getting an S rank on Mission 11 in the game, Cloaked in Silence. Following this guide will allow players to recruit Quiet without firing a single bullet, but it will take a couple of supply drops.

Keep in mind that this guide will have some minor spoilers, so reader beware.

1. Finding Quiet

The first step to recruiting Quiet is actually finding her out in the Afghan desert. Don't bother trying to hunt her down right away, as the game will lead Snake to her location naturally.

This comes about during the important Side Op, Extracting Emmerich. This requires players to travel to a power plant in the far north of Afghanistan, and since it's surrounded on all sides by mountains, the only way to get there is by following a very long, winding road from the helicopter drop off point. It's probably best to procure a vehicle or use the horse in order to travel down the road faster. There will be various enemy outposts along the way, so be aware of that. Either infiltrate the outposts and get rid of the enemy presence there, or navigate around them.

Eventually, the road leads Snake to an area called the Aabe Shifap Ruin. Upon entering this area, a cut-scene will trigger, and suddenly Snake will start Mission 11 of the game, Cloaked in Silence. That being said, it's best to just go ahead and finish the Extracting Emmerich Side Op first (which eventually becomes Mission 12), and then return to Aabe Shifap Ruin later.

So, in this initial encounter with Quiet, don't engage her. Use the ruins for cover and continue down the road. Don't go into the open, or she will assuredly take Snake down. It only takes a couple of shots from her sniper to kill Snake, so if she does land a hit, immediately drop to the ground and hide behind something. She won't move around all that much, so don't worry about being flanked or attacked from behind.

Once out of Quiet's kill zone, another cut-scene will play. Go ahead and complete the next mission.

2. How to Defeat Quiet

The next time Snake is in the helicopter ready to tackle a new mission, select Mission 11: Cloaked in Silence. Try to do it during the daytime so that Quiet is easier to spot, and remember that time can be advanced before deploying Snake and also by using his Phantom Cigar.

Approach Aabe Shifap Ruin from the south, basically coming from the same direction Snake did previously. Quiet will be atop the large arch-like ruins to the north. If she proves to be elusive, poke Snake's head out from behind cover long enough for her to shoot, and then duck back down. That should offer a better idea of her exact location.

Once Quiet's location has been determined, prepare the binoculars. Peak above cover just long enough to have her marked. Remember in order to mark enemies players have to zoom in on them with the binoculars. With Quiet marked, her location will also appear on the iDroid map, so get back behind cover and pull out the iDroid.

Instead of going to the actual map itself, request a Supply Drop. When choosing where to have the supply drop land, select Quiet's position on the map. Then just hang tight and wait for the supplies to land on her head. This will cut Quiet's stamina meter in half.

Quiet will then move to another position, but locating her is just as easy as it was before. She usually decides to hang out on a set of ruins just to the west of the arches she was standing on previously. Once she's located, repeat the process to get rid of the rest of her stamina meter.

3. Recruiting Quiet

With Quiet defeated, she will be lying unconscious on a stone path in the middle of the area. Slowly approach her and a short scene will play. Don't press anything and just leave Quiet alone. The helicopter will then arrive for extraction, so pick Quiet up and put her in the helicopter and ride it back to Mother Base. Unfortunately, there is no option to just ship her back to Mother Base via the Fulton balloon propulsion system. Enjoy the cutscenes that follow Quiet's capture.

With Quiet at Mother Base, Snake's band of mercenaries is now significantly more formidable than they were without her, even if she has to spend some time in the brig at first. While her character may have come under fire for being highly sexualized (to the point where her figure actually has "soft breasts"), she's still one of the best characters that players can recruit for Mother Base.

A few missions later, a new Side Op called Visit Quiet will appear. To complete this, go to the Medical Platform at Mother Base. Then take the stairs down that are immediately in front of the helipad. Ocelot will explain Quiet's various abilities. Upon trying to leave Mother Base after this little explanation is over, Quiet will now be a buddy that Snake can take out into the field.

Conclusion

Thanks to its vastness, it's easy to miss some cool stuff in Metal Gear Solid 5, so hopefully this guide will make sure players can recruit Quiet as early as possible, and without wasting any precious ammo.

To make sure your Metal Gear Solid 5 experience is as thorough as possible, stay tuned to Game Rant for more guides, Easter Eggs (like the recently discovered Snake's Birthday), and everything Metal Gear Solid 5.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is currently available for purchase on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.