Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a stealth game in which players take the role of Punished "Venom" Snake from a third-person perspective in an open world.[1] Gameplay elements are largely unchanged from Ground Zeroes, meaning that players must sneak from several points in the game world, avoiding enemy guards, and remaining undetected.[2] Included in Snake's repertoire are binoculars, a variety of weapons, explosives, and stealth-based items such as cardboard boxes and decoys.[2][3] Following one of the series traditions, The Phantom Pain encourages players to progress through the game without killing, using non-lethal weapons such as tranquilizer darts to subdue enemies.[4] Players may traverse the game world with vehicles such as jeeps and tanks, in addition to traveling on foot or on horseback, and as certain locations are mountainous,[5] occasionally, players can opt to go rock climbing as a shortcut.[6] They may call for helicopter support against enemy soldiers or request airstrikes that can bomb the target area or change the weather.[7] Snake can call on AI "buddy" companions—including Quiet, a silent female sniper with supernatural abilities; D-Horse, a horse capable of wearing armor and hiding Snake during travel; D-Walker, a manned, highly agile mobile weapons platform that can provide heavy weapons support; and D-Dog, a wolf pup raised to assist him in the field.[3][8][9] The companions' abilities and their effectiveness depends on the player's relationship with them.[7] There is a large emphasis on tactics in The Phantom Pain.[10]