Half-Life: Alyx - Barney's Hideout? Easter egg

This easter egg can be found in the beginning of chapter 9. I think it's a reference to Barney and his undercover activities as well as his drinking habits.
Source of images used: Half-Life Wiki

[@Loopy1330]

I feel sorry for Barney now that I think about it. -In his locker at Black Mesa he had a picture of a girl who was probably his girlfriend at the time, now his girlfriend and his family are likely all gone. -He had to fight his way through the Black Mesa incident without any kind of special impact-reactive armor like Gordon, Shepard, Green, or Cross had, he could have easily gotten killed like any other security guard with a helmet and vest. -He had his whole life ahead of him like with his college degree, now the planet is infested with man-eating aliens and the totalitarian Combine empire. -Presumably in HL:A he lives completely on his own, and probably hasn't gotten back in contact with Eli or Kleiner yet. -He's risked his life in the chaotic warzones of City 17 during HL2 and Episode 1. -His whereabouts are still unknown after Episode 1, he's never mentioned in Episode 2. -He still has nightmares about that cat (that got turned inside out in Kleiner's teleported). -20 years later after all the shit he's gone through, he keeps to his word and tells Gordon he still owes him a beer as soon as he meets him in HL2.

[@bellidragon540]

I have to see him again in the next game. He’s my favorite character in the series, I have to know if he’s doing fine q-p

[@connorvaughn6460]

All very accurate. The picture of the girl in Barneys locker was a developers fiance though. Although, As a kid I always assumed the same. So I'll just give you that point anyway. :p

[@Calhoun3]

Oh yah

[@lildan1796]

i think that's why barney is the most interesting character in half life

[@wodekw6862]

Yeah, but i think he will never give Gordon that beer...

[@mizaska]

fun fact, according to an email by one of the devs, barney was actually planned for hla, but got cut during the really early stages

[@ihatethis103]

F

[@themountaindude]

@@ihatethis103 akab ysSUS

[@mrfoxfam562]

does that mean that there’s a source 2 model for barney?

[@TRRDroid]

@@mrfoxfam562 "really early stages" don't really imply a Source 2 model existing other than a port of the HL2 model as placeholder at best

[@laranuke1452]

this hurts my heart so bad

[@ace_ofchaos9292]

The conspiracy book seals it. In blue shift he has a lot of them. So if that gearbox game is cannon. What else is? ;)

[@fellower]

Or, whoever it is simply has ties to black mesa, so they would be indeed interested in the book.

[@seifelshenawi6211]

Ace_ofchaos opposing force is canon since shephard was gonna be the protagonist of return to ravenholm

[@keyezax9432]

Sofsof Return to Ravenholm was not going to be canon either, just a spin off.

[@demondeity9816]

@@keyezax9432 spin offs are generally cannon, just not a part of the main story

[@connorvaughn6460]

I'm curious about what happened to him after he got out of black mesa.

[@suburbanwhitedad7338]

I can’t wait for Half Life: Barney

[@potetobloke4731]

So, HL:Blueshift but for Half Life 2?

[@Calhoun3]

Nice

[@virtualashez]

I can't wait for Half Life: Kleiner

[@Sournale]

@@virtualashez half life dr mossman

[@memedude8303]

half life: blueshift 2

[@Calhoun3]

Why are you touching my beer

[@Dopenz111]

What are you doing here barney calhoun? Youre alcholic all the time!

[@Calhoun3]

@@Dopenz111 what no

[@Dopenz111]

Yes you are.

[@Dopenz111]

Ur an anemal

[@LyNx3n1x]

Animals don't drink beer... Unless you're barney the alcoholic calhoun

[@vvshadowzvv1912]

I was expecting a bottle of beer with a label on it saying "For Gordon"

[@ShadowSearcher31]

Barney: so about that beer I owed ya’... someone destroyed all of it, don’t know who, just know someone

[@themountaindude]

I was thinking the same

[@andresiniguez3752]

I definitely had similar thoughts when i came across that room. Even if it isn't necessarily Barney's hideout it definitely is the hideout of someone who's undercover

[@George-pp4vr]

For some reason, i thought it was mossmans hideout

[@BigDaddyMacc]

You can see this sleeping bag as well back at the start in the basment after u leave the train. So that is prob connected to this.

[@OddAntSounds]

Or maybe because "blue shift" (blue), there is a blue book in his locker and a blue book is next to his pillow in Alyx. And literally many things are blue in this hideout. You don't even talk about the most obvious detail that could support your assumption lol

[@JacobVonRoker]

the boots, helmet, and white shirt (minus the vest) was pretty much standard guard attire

[@radiationhazardsfather6310]

@@JacobVonRoker y e p

[@Mr.Twilight1]

@@JacobVonRoker this helmet and the shirt isn't the ones every guard including barney wore at black mesa though

[@megab528]

They should have made him spray "BARNEY WUZ HERE" On the wall.

[@Occycat]

YORE DEAD FREEMAN

[@hierophantpisshierophantle9545]

Gordon!

[@megab528]

@@hierophantpisshierophantle9545 ...

[@hierophantpisshierophantle9545]

@@megab528 Im with you!

[@megab528]

@@hierophantpisshierophantle9545 ...

[@lancejensen9750]

The cat on the plant is probably a reference to the "what cat?"

[@OuredFoster]

You can already tell it’s barney’s hideout because of how much beer it has

[@ShitheadPest]

Honestly surprised he hasnt drank himself into a coma yet

[@EliteFreeman]

Rattman is Barney confirmed?

[@kiernanmccleerey]

Ahh, a man of culture I see.

[@Wolffman109]

Where did THAT come from?

[@themountaindude]

WELL THAT'S NEW WTF COOL

[@oatmealman1586]

That would be a funny Easter egg if one of the main crew was related to rattman

[@himikebye]

This is just a scavengers hideout. They mention it in the Developer Commentary.

[@DeeZeeX]

I'm not sure that it's Barney's hideout, i mean why would he go to the quarantine zone as an undercover CP if there is no citizens in there ? I think it's a resistant's hideout defenently, but probably not Barney's

[@ZeShaMANN]

maybe because it's the safest place from combine? Alyx did say that combine didn't use qz in years. Yes it could be some resistant's hideout but there's a chance that it is Barney's hideout, also the fact that the hideout has a lot of details put in it. (and sorry if i made some mistakes in my grammar, english isn't my first language)

[@Leg8]

and also, why is there a pet cage? doesn't he hate animals?

[@PissByProxy]

@@Leg8 he hates cats and headcrabs

[@schwups5580]

i think this could be before he's actually undercover

[@wodekw6862]

@@PissByProxy he hate cats since the incident

[@indiantruckenthusiast9053]

Also the shelf is made of locker doors.

[@toaster9922]

I thought those pieces of combine masks are from combine that the person killed, and the marks on the wall are how many he killed.

[@antondavidovic3996]

I think so too, don't know why you have such few likes since this makes the most sense to me.

[@masontempleton5894]

holy alcoholism batman

[@Kai-1138]

That Alcohol is a classic Barney move BEER

[@miggy5468]

God, I can smell the room. Ew.

[@spookd8700]

Could say that about any place in the game. Guess it's a blessing we haven't made any olfactory gear to work with VR lol

[@YZYE]

I think it’s just a lair of someone who’s gone undercover as Combine Grunt, I’m sure Barney actually signed up for Civil Protection while this person was probably snuck in.

[@seifelshenawi6211]

TF2_Bugs bruh you cant go undercover as a combine grunt. They heavily modify you and erase your memory every now and then. You cant go back lol

[@yopapasburgeria]

@@seifelshenawi6211 I'm about to say that as well, but how about the broken grunt's mask founded in the lair? Could that be the person living in the lair have beaten up some grunts and have been collecting lenses and pieces of it's victim's masks for unknown reasons? It could be anything.

[@l.d.cfilms4363]

He was stocking up on those beers he owes gordon

[@1337million]

There's also a pair of thick rimmed glasses in the shelf under the mask, it could very well be another Black Mesa scientist(possibly even Kleiner?) hiding there! Keeping a pet rat, later keeping a pet headcrab. Maybe both Barney and Kleiner hid undercover for a while. Also just thinking how weird combine tech is, those visors aren't just glass but a bunch of tech stuff too from the glimpses in this video. Are they perhaps sensors or cameras or something else entirely so the combine can see what the guard sees? Or is the "glass" projecting images into the retina for enhanced vision?

[@pyraffin]

I wanna see what books these are, if they're even labeled at all. And wait- isn't that a lab coat hung on the wall? It's a scientist's hideout, then. It'll explain the alien life captured in a jar for the lighting because it could also be a specimen, then the combine lense studying area, and their pet rat. Barney isn't an animal person- at least not for alien animals- so he would not be collecting alien life to keep at his bedside, and probably did not hold on to a lab coat from Black Mesa. A scientist would've worked with rats a lot, so they won't be grossed out by keeping it as a pet or could be using it for tests. Barney maybe hasn't talked to Kleiner or Eli yet because he's still trying to work up into a decently trusted reputation in the CPs before they'd cut him enough leniency to not be monitored wherever he goes or to leave his shifts long enough to actively converse with the resistance. If he's in the CP then they'd probably provide him a place to stay to surveillance officers off shift.

[@AlexPrime9]

a surviving den and a "military" stlye of counting his body count , makes me wonder it's more suitable for a soldier, maybe adrian shephard... prepare for Half Life: Adrian

[@timejumpingfox3528]

Shepherd was literally locked in a pocket dimension by G-Man. G-Man put him there so he's not a threat to either humanity *or* G-Man and his employers. He basically cut off a Half-Life style Doomguy from being born

[@yume5338]

What's interesting is that there is a pair of red glasses on the second shelf of the shelf where the Combine helmet pieces are. Maybe it's just a random prop to put in but it could mean something.

Dude, those graphics look too good for an VR game.

[@HotCarl73]

RESIN 132!?! What did i do wrong?

[@rearedcascade944]

I do t think he upgraded his weapons

[@dionysus6892]

Could it also have been Kleiner? Judging from the number of books and things, but also the folded up glasses and the pet carrier. Kleiner kept Lamarr in a pet carrier at the start of HL2. Perhaps it's both of them too?

[@tpd1864blake]

In Blue Shift, there’s a blue book in Barney’s locker, a similar book is also seen in the room

[@monochromatikfanaltaccount6386]

the pet carrier was probably used for storage, and probably brought to kleiner once barney got in contact with him.

[@khoiMAXIM]

I was thinking it was Barneys in my first playthrough, it'd be cool if it was. But it could belong to the guy that you save from the barnacle near the Jeff section of the game (Larry)

[@Damian125id]

Call me one of those crazy HL3 conspiracy theorist, but what's that tally marks supposed to be counting? Specifically why is it counting every 8 something? The common tally marks counts every 5 something (4 vertical lines, 1 diagonal line crossing it) but the one in the Barney room is 8 (7 vertical lines, 1 diagonal line crossing it) Is it counting days? Months? Years? his kill count? idk.

[@ceptemzorpus]

Probably days since whoever it is started living in the room. It couldn't be months or years because you would need to count the days first and also know what day of the month it is and what month it is in the first place.

[@Damian125id]

@@ceptemzorpus but why in eights?

[@TehJellyLord]

I think there was a leak or a rumor or something that Valve was planning on making a Barney story campaign for Alyx, but development on that basically halted once the pandemic started.

[@thesoldier365]

Are we going to talk about how much resin this man has?!

[@grassfur1950]

3 weeks ago and on ones talking about it. guess not man

[@thesoldier365]

wow lmao

[@panterus2019]

maybe he was competing with Alyx

[@niogos]

- Very obvious reference to Barney on Alyx - Next game has the codename CITADEL (Barney is an undercover agent for the Citadel) Im pretty sure next half life game is a HL2 prequel with Barney, the seven hours war and the origin of the citadel

[@Myggins]

OO HOO HOO HOO HOOOOO!!!! damn i hope you're right!

[@generaltobias3777]

The hard hat also reminds me of the Black Mesa security helmet.

[@ScientistHL]

Barney's security helmet was in the files of Half-Life 2, it's a shame they didn't remaster it and use that instead of the hard hat. Would've been more confirmation that it's Barney's hideout than just beer and combine shit

[@rey4874]

@@ScientistHL do you have a picture of the helmet?

[@sandrafomenko2537]

@@ScientistHL picture?

[@xxfalconarasxx5659]

Sorry, but I don't think this is Barney's hideout. First of all, he doesn't need to build a metrocop disguise. Civil Protection is a volunteer force. All Barney has to do is join them if he wants the uniform. Secondly, that's not a Civil Protection mask. That's an Overwatch soldier's mask. The lens of a Civil Protection mask is just plain glass. These lenses are opaque with a blue tint. The three "projectors" on the back of the lenses makes it especially obvious that these are for Overwatch soldiers. In Half-Life Alyx, you can occasionally come across bodies of Overwatch soldiers that are unmasked. Their faces lack their original human eyes, having been surgically removed. Instead, they have three prongs in each eye that are meant to fit into these lenses.

[@panterus2019]

i mean, he could have just killed one of the Combine soldiers and take his suit... I think that Overwatch mask might have been something he was trying to dismantle it (here comes the theory that since Overwatch doesn't tend to have normal eyes, the vision image is for example recorded and processed so he can understand what he's seeing, and by the way, let's assume this whole regime used these soldiers as "cameras" too) and to use it as his own mask, but something went wrong so he decided to use CP mask, because it could be easier to remake so that a human could wear them...

[@panterus2019]

it may also turn out to be Kleiner's hideout, but this alcohol doesn't belong here if so... so i guess he might have been hiding here with Kleiner or something, well, why and for what this lab coat and glasses?

[@Mr_Dizzles]

just to state the obvious: just a few minutes before you've seen the shadow of a female talking to an advisor... might as well be her hideout...

[@ZeShaMANN]

but she works for them. why would she be needing a hideout?

[@ColorMeTeal]

Maybe it was Mossman

[@IBrowseThisWebsite]

I never considered it could have been anyone else besides hers.

[@IBrowseThisWebsite]

OK, apparently it's not hers, but it's not Barney's either, but someone else dubbed the "Combine Killer" by a wiki. I guess that makes sense, but the room's proximity to the collaborator makes it confusing.

[@aperamaentertainment]

Interesting idea but I've got to disagree. Those are Combine Grunt eye pieces/helmet bits, not Civil Protection, the eye shapes don't match and neither does the colour. Also Barney was a CP, just also working for the Resistance, why would he need to do anything to his mask when he could just get whoever sorts the uniforms to do it? They'd probably notice if he casually walked off to the QZ and started messing with stuff, especially since they're monitored by the Overwatch AI. So the only thing shown here that relates to Barney are books and alcohol, which is pretty weak since that could also apply to a lot of other people.

[@deadassbird3763]

you fogor the cat. Much things with the blue color. And uhh about the grunt and cp couldn't he just changed his undercover

[@El-Burrito]

For some reason I always assumed this room belonged to the scientist lady, since it's so close by to where to eavesdrop on her

[@BigDaddyMacc]

So at the start when u leave the train and walk down to the basement is that also barney that left behind a sleeping bag?

[@zachlovesaviation3211]

Guys help I turned into a houndeye help

[@enniusdrusus867]

Ah, half-life:Barney, where you play as a purple T-Rex mascot trying to save the scientists' children in Black Mesa. Along your adventures with the children to escape what seems to be the worst "bring your children to work day" Black Mesa has ever seen (rivaling that one incident with a cat a year prior) , they learn the value of friendships, love, trust, tripmines, snarks, ammo conservation, sacrifice and teamwork against the HECU and the Xenian forces. "I love you, you love me, Let's go out and kill a vortie, With a big shotgun, Bang bang from me and you! Won't you say you'd shoot one too?" HALF-LIFE:BARNEY

[@Wolffman109]

Why would Barney Calhoun be stationed in the Quarantine Zone?

[@Kpba32]

Barnet has a knack for being undercover

[@evilboy3521]

Those mask pieces are from a grunt, they're nowhere close to being from a CP, I don't know how you can't tell the difference.

[@drmydoll]

i mean, Barney said he worked undercover with civil protection. he could have worked before as a combine grunt too? idk

[@evilboy3521]

@@drmydoll Grunts are Trans-Human, CP's are not, if he would've been grunt before, they would've had to give him a totally new body, and they wouldn't do that to CP's.

[@drmydoll]

@@evilboy3521 ooh shit that's true, welp then more than abt the books and the beer i don't see good evidence on the vid lol

[@energo2903]

@@evilboy3521 Grunts are not fully trans-human in HL:A, they were atleast somewhat of CP units from HL2, compare the Grunts and HL2 Soldiers, and see that the Grunts are still more human than the HL2 Soldiers, but you can just listen to their dialogue and you can already see.

[@evilboy3521]

@@energo2903 Bruh, have you seen the unmasked Half-Life: Alyx grunt? They might have more emotions, but they LOOK more transhuman then the OTA in HL2, please go ahead and take a look at the unmasked Half Life alyx grunt.

[@theugliestbarnacle816]

This is definitely Barney’s hideout, who else would be tinkering with a combine civil officer mask?

[@panterus2019]

holly crowbar, this easteregg makes plot more... clear? i mean, i was wondering about his story in these 20 years when Gordon was in hibernation... i actually feel sorry for him when you explain it like that... thanks! (why did i find this vid now?)

[@Nipprod]

Is Barney a traitor? In Ep.2, he gets on the train, in the corridor to which the sign Nova Prospekt hangs.

[@SourceSpaghetti]

about that beer I owed ya.

[@TheIndogamer]

2:15 the typical Quran has that cover yet that room also has bottles of alcohol which is definitely prohibited in Islamic beliefs.... Hmmm, Barney is an alcoholic muslim?

[@eustacequinlank7418]

Would it have been obvious if they had two empty beer bottles on the table with two chairs? (edit: or a box on its side as an improvised chair for Gordon XD!)

[@alphenex8974]

It is probably not him since Barney's rank is like the worst in hl2, i dont think he is able to be CP without ranking up or getting demoted. But it is probably a Rogue CP like Barney.

[@alphenex8974]

Also, it is probably a CP that got caught and moved to Quarantine Zone to stay safer from Combine Units.

[@alphenex8974]

That is why he broke his mask.

[@lookstothetroon]

@@alphenex8974 Clearly just a grunt mask, ffs the lenses are blue.

[@alphenex8974]

@@lookstothetroon no? Grunts have yellow lens

[@lookstothetroon]

@@alphenex8974 Fuck. They were blue in the trailer right?

[@TheDeatrockerRoom]

Less of all i thought what this was a barneys place, if there was at least something really referencing... but you are building your conclusions from nothing. You see combines eyes shields and concusing what 'Oh barney was a combine double agent'! but many of combine eyes shields on table looks like theyr just like collection of dead combines trophys or some replacement parts for some engineer who using this for some custom devices or for discovering and researching. look at the clothes near the table and sofa, there is nothing referencing to barney, no special BEER, or beer on special place, there is at most just vodka, no helmet etc. And why the hell barney would choose this god damn place for undercover quaters? Also barney dont smoke, but there is can with cigarette butts. Also there is exclusive book near the photopicture, and its nothin referencing to barney. Yes, there is blue construction helmet, but its so so evidence. Also, barney as i remember dont like pets. I already cant remember when we finding this place and when was Jeffry, but if theyr close in timeline i think this is hiding place for that guy who says us about jeffry or maybe jeffrys himself. If i messed up, i have no clue whos this place belongs to. Also, we need to get in count that scratches on the wall, its all separated by 7, which can count days, 7 days - week. 4 weeks and 3 days. 28 days + 3 = 31. the month. If for somebody it makes sence - share your mind.

[@MorkedUP1]

Unrelated question. Did barney die in episode 2 or something. You never really see him.

[@alapacaso]

no one knows. he did escape with the rebels on the train in front of Gordon and Alex so i think he escaped with the refuges and is still living. him just dying randomly would be quite a lame death for such a loved character

[@MorkedUP1]

@@alapacaso true

[@twelverth]

I assume he made it to white forest along with the other citizens. It's a big facility when you take the number of citizens it's meant to harbor into account. Although, there was hint that he was alive at the end of episode 2 when you take down all the striders. Blue text would appear along with all the people cheering, which is unique to barney only. This was dismissed as a bug by valve, but the fact that they dismissed it as a bug without saying if he was alive or not rubs me the wrong way tbh

[@bellidragon540]

I don’t think he died. It’s sad that we didn’t really saw him in episode two, but it would be ridiculous if he’s just dead. He played an “important” role, I’m very optimistic about that.

[@ScientistHL]

He definitely didn't die. Valve wouldn't just kill off a character without even telling you it happened. Right now, he's in character-hell, waiting to be used again. Just like Shephard.

[@herzogvonosterreich3027]

I just subscribed and I am your 555th subscriber

[@VirgilSonofSparda]

That’s a nice video :)

[@wildman510]

Barney was hiding with bEEr

[@tankguy9091]

The only thing that shows that thats barneys hideout is Bear

[@Chorophilax]

Anyone notice the quran on laying on the wall next to the bed?

[@atoknoor8728]

Yup i saw it

[@Oden-gp8xu]

Honestly I thought it was the female scientist’s room

[@dotnask0001]

I though it was Mossmans room and the one speaking was her

[@straweddd]

I dont know but I think this couldve also been doctor Green hide place cuz her body was never found

[@MatthewFriends]

I think Barney just straight up died or something in the game but we do not know that if he did they would you find his body?

[@BlackMesaEmployee]

uh if he died in hla how come hes in hl2

[@eragonbromsson1122]

Half-Life Alyx is the prequel to Half-Life 2 so Barney can't be dead here.

[@krispo7256]

Isn't this room the combine killer hideout?

[@saulgoodman5042]

who

[@poweringaccounttermination4026]

Who tf is the combine killer

[@krispo7256]

I don't know where I heard/read about it but it was a guy who killed combines and collect their implants as a trophy

[@poweringaccounttermination4026]

@@krispo7256 thats fake its all fan fiction

[@panterus2019]

@krispo7256 if Barney is in the Resistance (or preparing to be) that means he could be a combine killer

[@polkamatic123]

Lol cockroaches are references to half life 1

[@radiationhazardsfather6310]

Man half life 1 made cockrouches a real thing!

[@raritet.7262]

Why do you have 133 resin...?

[@filterfrank6632]

Epic

[@emel3131]

Are u from finland just can hear from ur acesnt

[@JiphoTheJuppis]

Jees ai äm from Finländ

[@user-fo7ch1hs1b]

Wait, remember that this takes place after Black Mesa AND BEFORE half life 2. Keep that in mind. Think of this as Half Life 1.5

[@Someone-rc9ho]

I’m here :D