How to Raise Grip Level in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

When Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was released, it brought a slew of new welcome gameplay mechanics to the series. One mechanic that may seem curious to those playing Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol.1. is the grip bar.

The new bar was tied to the ability to hang from railings, offering players a new way to avoid enemies. Interestingly, this bar had a level attached to it, but many playthroughs likely ended without the gauge ever leveling up.

So what gives? Is it hard to level up or something? Actually, no, it isn’t … but you don’t level it up through just natural use. Grab Snake and Raiden a protein shake because we’re going to show you how to raise the grip level in Metal Gear Solid 2.

How to level up grip in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

The grip bar operates much like the health bar or oxygen meter. Over time, it steadily depletes as Snake or Raiden clings to surfaces. Once the gauge depletes entirely, the character releases their grip, potentially leading to a fatal fall or enemy detection in most scenarios.

Elevating the gauge to level three significantly enhances your hanging endurance. dramatically extending your ability to hang on. To raise your grip level in Metal Gear Solid 2, you must perform pull-ups while hanging from a railing. Snake or Raiden can do a pull-up by holding the back shoulder buttons and then releasing them once the character reaches the “top” of the pull-up.

This sequence counts as one pull-up. To reach grip level two, you need to perform 100 pull-ups. To progress even further to level three will require another set of 100 pull-ups. This task is pretty daunting, but it significantly increases your grip strength.

While doing pull-ups is the conventional method for leveling up the grip, there’s a faster technique you can use. Find two railings running parallel horizontally to increase grip faster without the monotony of pull-ups. Drop from one railing and quickly grab onto the other while falling. Doing this counts as 10 whole pushups.

While three is the max level for grip, if you do a further 100 pull-ups, you’ll get a pretty funny codec call telling you to get on with your mission. There’s also a trophy/achievement for reaching max grip level, giving that added incentive to spend time doing virtual pull-ups. So, if you typically end Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty runs on grip level one, maybe rethink having Snake and Raiden skip arm day.

The Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 will launch on October 24, 2023, across various platforms, including the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and Nintendo Switch.