Darren van Haussen is a character featured in Jagged Alliance 2, as an NPC and potential adversary.
Character Info[]
Night manager of the boxing club and deputy mayor of San Mona, Arulco, Darren works for and is fiercely loyal to San Mona's de facto sovereign, Kingpin.
As Kingpin's most trusted lieutenant and right-hand man, Darren seems to wield considerable power and clout among the gangsters of San Mona. Most importantly, he is the only byline into personally getting an audience with Kingpin, and to obtaining access to his manor in San Mona.
Spike calls him "boss", and appears to be directly on his payroll.
Judging by his accent and surname, Darren is Dutch.
Carlo Santos works in his club as well, though he seems to be more of a fixture than an employee, as he doesn't seem to have any qualms about his assumptive employers dying under your gun.
Inventory[]
San Mona Boxing Club[]
Kingpin's boxing club is a large structure on the north side of sector D5. Like most hangouts on Arulco, it features a bar, billiards, arcade, and is also home to an infamous "extreme boxing competition", complete with a ring and a stable of practiced unlicensed boxers.
Darren manages the club in its entirety, though he only can be found in the club (and at all) during the night, and supervises the boxing matches that take place.
Extreme Boxing Competition[]
"Here are the rules. Heh, there are so few of them." — Darren van Haussen
Any one of your mercs can participate in the extreme boxing competition simply by speaking to Darren, who will extend to you an offer immediately after introducing himself. If accepted, Darren will accept any amount between $1000 and $5000 as a bet that one of your mercs will win in a hand-to-hand match against one of the club fighters. Notably, at this point Kingpin himself will make an appearance ringside, as it is noted that he personally enjoys attending every match.
Once the bet is placed, a bell will sound and the first merc to jump over the ropes into the ring will be designated the chosen fighter. This merc must not use any weapons, which includes all guns, knives and blunt weapons or they will be disqualified - with knuckle dusters and smoke grenades (not landing on the opponent) being the only exception to this rule. They will engage in turn-based hand-to-hand combat with an opponent until one of the two combatants is knocked out (floored for two turns) or killed, and the winner awarded with twice the amount bet. Any attempts to fire weapons from outside the ring at any point during this process will not only disqualify the merc from the match, but also result in deadly retaliation from Darren and everyone else in the club.
Kingpin will take special notice of you once your mercs win a total of three matches, and will invite you to his house to speak with you. Initially, there are a total of three opponent boxers waiting ringside, and each fight you engage in is progressively more difficult, with the final opponent possessing Martial Arts skill. After several combats, the pool of reserve fighters shrinking will result in sometimes less than three competitors.
Hints and Tips[]
- No matter which merc you choose to take into the ring, make sure they're equipped with a pair of knuckle dusters as it grants them a bonus to damage and energy loss for each successful blow they land.
- Marbles can be extremely helpful here, as a well-placed toss will send the opponent sprawling to the ground, costing them their turn and allowing you to pound on them with impunity.
- You can compete in three matches every other night (potentially earning 15000 every other night).
- DO NOT stay in the bar after the matches. Spend your time in another sector while waiting for the next series of bouts. Staying in the bar until the next series of matches begin will result in the opponent fighters not healing. This may cause you to kill them with even just your first punch.
- If ever you get stuck in the loop where Darren keeps returning your money and not starting the bout, just quickly exit the sector and come back. This will reset the bar area and you can initiate the fight again (upto a maximum of 3 bouts per night)
- Recommended for the match are mercs skilled in martial arts (Dr. Q, Blood, Numb) or mercs such as Grizzly, Bull, and Bubba who combine hand-to-hand skill with extremely high strength.
Quotes[]
- "You will pay dearly!"