Get back your lost buddy in Metal Gear Solid 5 on PC or console with a new reunion mechanic introduced with the November update to The Phantom Pain.

WARNING: Major story spoilers ahead. The events described below take place after Mission 45.

After a series of unfortunate events in Chapter 2, your supernatural sniper Quiet leaves Mother Base, seemingly for good. Even if you’ve spent countless GMP on unlockable outfits and upgraded weaponry she disappears without warning. Needless to say, a large contingent of the fan-base wanted her back. If you’ve relied on Quiet to clear tough challenges and want her to join Big Boss on more post-game missions, check out the all-new method the developers at Konami included with this month’s update.

Celebrate Snake’s Birthday with Quiet, learn how with our Easter egg cutscene guide. Then unlock the amazing gun customization menu with the complete how-to instructions on The Escapist.

How to Reunite With Quiet

Before the November update, there were a few tricks to keep players from losing their sniper buddy Quiet. You could stop playing story missions after Chapter 1, equip certain emblems, avoid getting to Bond Level 10, or download mods on PC to bring her back.

None of that is necessary now. Download the latest update and you’ll find a new unofficial, non-canon method to bring Quiet back to Mother Base, allowing Snake and his soldiers to deploy with the buddy once again.

• 1. Replay and complete Mission 11: Cloaked in Silence seven [7] times in total.
• 2. The mission title will change to [Reunion] Mission 11: Cloaked in Silence.
• 3. Complete Mission 11 again and Quiet will return to Mother Base with all her unlocked buddy upgrades, customization and costumes.

Now Snake and friends can bond with Quiet once again, just don’t expect this to make any changes to the story. Canonically, she’s still a goner — and likely to infect the whole base if she isn’t dead already! This is just a stop-gap measure to bring back one of the most powerful buddies for post-game players looking to earn 100% completion.

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Kevin Thielenhaus is a freelance writer for The Escapist. Find him on Twitter here.