History Main / AlreadyDoneForYou

** Its [[VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammerII sequel]] has other cases in Mortal Empires cammpaigns. Each races has special victory conditions, amongst which are a list of faction to exterminate, but it's entirely possible to have that faction exterminated by one of its wars before you even met them.

* Happens twice in ''Blood Omen: VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'', where you must defeat the members of the Circle of Nine to restore the Pillars of Nosgoth: [[spoiler:The first time is in Dark Eden, where the Circle members there summon fellow Circle member and [[KnightTemplar Sarafan]] leader Malek (who Kain [[HopelessBossFight had to retreat from]] in their last fight) to protect them. Kain responds by summoning Vorador to keep Malek busy while he goes after the other Circle members. After dispatching his original targets, he finds Vordador has defeated Malek for him. The second one is Anacrothe, who escaped from Kain at Dark Eden, only to be dispatched later by Mortanius.]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'', you have to take out three shield generators on the level ''The Covenant''. After deactivating the first one, the second is brought down by the Arbiter. [[spoiler:You still, however, need to take down the third one, because Johnson's team was overrun by Brutes.]]
* In one of the DLC "Headhunter Packs" for {{VideoGame/Borderlands 2}}, the son of a boss the Vault Hunters killed named Captain Flynt contacts them and informs them that he's gotten in touch with six people who each have a grudge against a particular one of the heroes, and they are planning to take their revenge. As you seek out each would-be assassin, you find them already killed by someone ''else'' from the VH's past. Flynt gets increasingly frustrated as he sends you to find corpse after corpse, and in the end he's the only one of the assassins you actually need to fight.
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* In one level of the ''Series/{{Stargate|SG1}}'' game (for the Genesis), O'Neill had to run around Ra's pyramid destroying all the computer consoles, because one of them was supposed to be special for some reason. When you reach the end of the level, you find Daniel Jackson, who tells you he's already taken care of the right one. He then sends you to kill Anubis (no, not [[Series/{{Stargate SG1}} that one]]) and Ra.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''

* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' is ''supposed'' to have quite a few Players also solving the puzzles with you (most of them just seem to be morons who can't even kill the standard Noise). If any Player succeeds at the missions each day, however, any and all survivors will still go on to the next round (this may or may not apply to missions with no time limit). This is surprisingly used twice in the game for plot-related effect, first when [[spoiler:Beat and Rhyme taking out a boss you almost killed right before time runs out]], and later when Neku loses in Tin Pin Slammer (the objective was to claim the Tin Pin Golem via tourney), but two other Players win it instead [[spoiler:when Joshua rigs ''their'' game by switching the non-Player's pins for fakes]], and once just to Handwave something (a wall is up when approached one way, but down going the other way). Also in the endgame area, you find [[spoiler:someone has already killed Taboo Sho for you, and buried him under a pile of his own "artwork". Even though he had no problems kicking your ass and was alive five minutes earlier.]]

* [[Comicbook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool Gwenpool]] picks a mission to intercept a transaction between extraterrestrial arms dealers. When she arrives, everyone is already dead. So, Gwen just pushes the assassin into a furnace when he isn't looking and takes credit for the whole thing.

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* Chapter 1 of ''VideoGame/GrandiaXtreme'' is spent neutralising the "Elemental Disorder", a series of natural disasters. This involves venturing into ruins at the core of these disasters and removing their power sources, dubbed "slabs". Your party takes care of three of the four Disorders, Flame, Aqua and Gale, as the Nortis Army has already dealt with the Land Disorder for you. However, you're still made to do the Land Ruins as a level regardless.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Rayman 2}}'', after flying a pirate ship and saving Globox's babies, one of the babies reveals that he's stolen the fourth and final Mask. The other three were hidden at the bottom of difficult dungeons. This is different in the remake ''Rayman Revolution'' where you have to get the last mask the hard way. The Globox Baby gives you the Rain Mask instead.

* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'': Here [[spoiler:you actually get to fight Letz Shake, who kills ranks 11 through 22 off-screen), along with the fights for ranks 5 and 6 (to repay Travis for getting him out of a coma, Henry kills them, gives Travis the ranks, and sends him pictures of the aftermath just to rub it in) He also mocks the player for complaining about it by saying something about there being no way you could have done these fights anyway, because the game is already packed full]].

* In ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'', as you make your way into Tourian you come across several enemies the have already [[spoiler:been drained by a Metroid]], including what appears to be the final miniboss, a third Torizo statue.

* In one of the DLC "Headhunter Packs" for {{VideoGame/Borderlands 2}}, the son of a boss the Vault Hunters killed named Captain Flynt contacts them and informs them that he's gotten in touch with six people who each have a grudge against a prticular one of the heroes, and they are planning to take their revenge. As you seek out each would-be assassin, you find them already killed by someone ''else'' from the VH's past. Flynt gets increasingly frustrated as he sends you to find corpse after corpse, and in the end he's the only one of the assassins you actually need to fight.

** One popular fan theory suggests a very subtle example of this trope: During Sonic's Sky Deck level, the Egg Carrier's deck is be reoriented while Sonic goes through to the end of the level. However, during Knuckles' run through the level, he flips multiple switches and reorients the Sky Deck ''himself'', and the theory is that it's Knuckles who causes the changes during Sonic's Sky Deck level, meaning that the level shifts required for Sonic to get through the level are already done for him.

* Optional in ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' if you recruit up to three potential allies to aid you in defeating a powerful boss in its lair in chapter 6. After you enter the dungeon and pass the first hallway, you will discover two of them already fighitng and clearing half of the dungeon for you. The third ally just enters with you and can absorb the initial enemies while you sit and wait.

** Inverted in Windspear Hills. You will meet a group of supposed archaeologists that is looking for some items of high historical importance in the tomb of an ancient king. However, they have to fight an invisible magic warden before entering the tomb. So they ask you to collaborate and defeat the warden since you are a skilled adventureer. It turns out [[spoiler: that they aren't archaeologists, but armed robbers looking for treasures, and they just used you to get easy access to the tomb; after you did the hard work for them, they will ambush you]].

* At the end of ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'' [[spoiler: Jasnah]] returns to warn about an impending disaster, and is told it's [[YouAreTooLate already begun]]. Undeterred she moves on to what must be done to survive it, and is incredulous to hear that while she was away someone did those things too.

* The Creator/VickiLawrence song "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" has the narrator's brother coming to Andy's house with a gun intent on killing him for banging his wife, only to learn that he was already dead due to the narrator having already killed him. Unfortunately, the town's law enforcement doesn't bother with an investigation, assuming that the brother did it and hanging him.

* The Creator/VickiLawrence song "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" has the narrator's brother coming to Andy's house with a gun with the intent to kill him for banging his wife, only to learn that he was already dead due to the narrator having already killed him. Unfortunately, the town's law enforcement doesn't bother with an investigation, instead assuming the brother did it and hanging him.

* The Creator/VickiLawrence song "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" has the narrator's brother coming to Andy's house with a gun with the intent to kill him for banging his wife, only to learn that he was already dead due to the narrator having already killed him. Unfortunately, the town's law enforcement doesn't bother with an investigation, instead assuming the brother did it, convicting and hanging him.

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* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' has a case that doubles as a really [[AntiClimax anti-climactic]] BrickJoke: while the Light Warriors are bickering in preparation to finally facing Chaos, White Mage and three other healers kill the beast!

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* ''VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'':
** In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes'', the Sky Temple in the dark world requires 10 keys to unlock. The first key was already found and put in place by a dead Luminoth warrior laying at the bottom of the key pillar, leaving only 9 for you to find.
** In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'', on the first planet, you are charged with the task of getting 3 generators back online. After you take care of the first one, Rundas, a friendly bounty hunter, sends you a transmission informing you that he took care of the second one and that you should go for the third. He did state he was going after that one before you even started, but, given that side characters in these games, whatever they may say, are generally woefully incompetent at solving any problems big enough for the player to handle, it was a bit unexpected that he actually succeeded.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'':
** The second game starts with you escaping the previous final dungeon (with the RandomEncounters turned off, [[AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent since you're level 1 at that point]]). You can only access some of the areas, including a chest that previously contained a very high-level cursed helmet. Even if you didn't take it in the first via OldSaveBonus, the chest is empty... except for the lowest-level healing item (how the first game's party missed it, or why they don't have the helmet when they meet them again, is not mentioned).
** You can find an island with a bunch of easily accessible treasure chests... their contents already taken by the inhabitants of the nearby town. However, there are a lot more that aren't accessible without Psynergy.

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* Lampshaded in the beginning of ''VideoGame/HuntedTheDemonsForge''. "Looks like someone helped us out by knocking this tree down."

** In chapter 5 you can free from an imprisonment spell a wizard that will ask you to guard him while he activates some elemental portals (he needs a few minutes and concentration to activate them and some enemies could spawn from there). Afterwards he will pass through the portals, fight whatever enemies he find in that elemental plane and retrieve loot, of which he will give you some. If you ask for a better reward, he will grudgingly give you a little more but also complain that he took the most risks and toll beyond the portals. If you are still unsatisfied, he will turn hostile.
** Inverted in the Windspear Hills. You will meet a group of supposed archaeologists that is looking for some items of high historical importance in the tomb of an ancient king. However, they have to fight an invisible magic warden before entering the tomb. So they ask you to collaborate and defeat the warden since you are a skilled adventureer. It turns out [[spoiler: that they aren't archaeologists, but armed robbers looking for treasures, and they just used you to get easy access to the tomb; after you did the hard work for them, they will ambush you]].

* In chapter 5 you can free from an imprisonment spell a wizard that will ask you to guard him while he activates some elemental portals (he needs a few minutes and concentration to activate them and some enemies could spawn from there). Afterwards he will pass through the portals, fight whatever enemies he find in that elemental plane and retrieve loot, of which he will give you some. If you ask for a better reward, he will grudgingly give you a little more but also complain that he took the most risks and toll beyond the portals. If you are still unsatisfied, he will turn hostile.
* Inverted in the Windspear Hills. You will meet a group of supposed archaeologists that is looking for some items of high historical importance in the tomb of an ancient king. However, they have to fight an invisible magic warden before entering the tomb. So they ask you to collaborate and defeat the warden since you are a skilled adventureer. It turns out [[spoiler: that they aren't archaeologists, but armed robbers looking for treasures, and they just used you to get easy access to the tomb; after you did the hard work for them, they will ambush you]].

* Inverted in ''Ten Desires'', the thirteenth ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' game. Mamizou was called by her friend Nue to help defeat the BigBad Miko. However, turns out the heroines had already defeated Miko when Mamizou arrived. The Mamizou fight the heroines as the BonusBoss, just because.

** The last mission of the game starts InMediasRes, with the menu informing that two targets are already killed, remaining just the last one for Agent 47 to finish. Those two targets are later featured in the mission Curtains Down from ''VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney'', indicating that this mission is the "first part" of the ''Hitman: Contracts'' last mission.

* Early in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', Crono gets arrested, and since he's scheduled for execution in three days even if you were found not guilty, most players have him escape from prison, causing the trope to be inverted when Lucca shows up to rescue him. No need, Lucca, it's AlreadyDoneForYou. On the other hand, if you don't escape in the ([[InUniverseGameClock relatively short]]) three days, she ''does'' rescue you, and the guards you have to fight on the way out are [[AlreadyDoneForYou Already Beaten For You]].

** The first level starts with you strolling through a room of Agent 48s that have already been killed. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that you killed them in the original Hitman, and ''Contracts'' takes place directly afterwards.

* In ''VideoGame/HitmanContracts'', the first level starts with you strolling through a room of Agent 48s that have already been killed. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that you killed them in the original Hitman, and ''Contracts'' takes place directly afterwards.