R-Type Command - FAQ/Walkthrough (for PSP) Version 1.11 (Last update on 08-31-2008) Created by Garamoth Contact: ernestpworell@hotmail.com =============================================================================== = (01) Table of contents = =============================================================================== (01) Table of content (02) Introduction/Updates (03) Walkthrough (04) Strategies/tips (05) Unlockables (06) Contributions/Legal Terms =============================================================================== = (02) Introduction/Updates = =============================================================================== --------------------------- Version update --------------------------- Version 1.11 - 08/31/2008 -- Just corrected a few numbers here and there. Version 1.10 - 07/15/2008 -- Added a list of pilots, finished the Gallery and made some minor corrections/spellchecking. Version 1.00 - 07/03/2008 -- First full version with a description for all missions. I also made a few corrections and added a new strategy. I still don't know what conditions give a specific title, so I'm going to wait a little longer before writing about it. Version 0.90 - 06/30/2008 -- Early version... I don't have the info for some of the earlier missions and my enemy charts are still a little bit off (I haven't double checked anything yet), so my guide will need some corrections/input. I also have a hard time figuring out which units are "real" and which are decoys/mimics... --------------------------- Introduction --------------------------- This is a walkthrough for R-Type Command on the PSP. This game is a departure for the R-Type series, from space shooter to turn-based strategy game (although you still shoot things... and you're still in space). This guide will discuss the game on a mission-by-mission basis, but I will take for granted that you have a basic understanding of how the game works. If you need some pointers on strategy, you should take a look the corresponding section first. You can also consult the unlockables section for any goodies you may have missed or may look forward to. May the hexes be with you. =============================================================================== = (03) Walkthrough = =============================================================================== ----------------------------------------- Mission 1 - Initiation ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 21 x 11 Time Limit - 25 Turns Opposition: Jormungandr x 1 (Flagship) Arrowhead x 2 Force x 1 Midnight Eye x 2 POW-Armor x 1 Easy peasy... but just a little bit less of a joke than most tutorial missions. Just make sure to hit the enemy Arrowheads to empty their charge bar and keep your own at a distance until you use your own charge shot. The Strider's Balmung missile works wonders early on, so resupply it with more with your POW- Armor any chance you get. The Force's ram attack packs a punch so keep your distances. You can land damaged units in your transport to have them repaired by the beginning of the next turn. That flashing box in the middle is a war spoil that lets you create new units, so make sure to get it. ----------------------------------------- Mission 2 - Lunar Training ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 21 x 11 Time Limit - 25 Turns Opposition: Jormungandr x 1 (Flagship) Arrowhead x 2 Force x 1 Shooting Star x 1 Defense Force x 1 Strider x 1 Midnight Eye x 1 POW Armor x 1 This is pretty much the same thing, with a few more ships. You might want to build an extra Strider before this mission, as bombers will always remain useful. Space mines don't do anything, so you can safely ignore them. The shooting star's charge shot has a long range (6 hexes) so keep that in mind. Also, try to destroy the strider bomber before it uses its Balmung missile on you. It may not be such a bad idea to charge the enemy, as you are able to use your charge shot one turn before they do (just don't go too far ahead). ----------------------------------------- Mission 3 - Mars Enigma ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 33 x 15 Time Limit - 30 Turns Opposition: Rebo x 3 Bydo System x 2 Bydo Force x 1 Strobalt x 7 From now on, missions will have fog of war in them, so always put an AWACS in front of your team to scout ahead. This is also your first mission against the Bydo, but don't worry they're not much of a threat yet. Rebos are pathetic melee fighters and Strobalts are just as awful as bombers. Bydo Systems are also no problem if you empty their charge. There are rocks at the begging of them mission that can be destroyed to create a quick shortcut for your team. Just pick up the spoil in the lower right to finish the mission. ----------------------------------------- Mission 4 - First Encounter ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 24 x 11 Time Limit - 30 Turns Opposition: Nozari x 1 (Flagship) Tablock x 1 Bydo System x 5 Bydo Force x 3 Infected POW-Armor x 2 Infected Module x 1 The first mission where you'll get a chance to mine, so bring a Craft Module with you (you should have gotten one free of charge after the last mission). You can also occupy facilities with Craft Modules or POW-Armors to get a few resources and a new point to dock your units. You might want to separate your forces on each side of the main asteroid, but make sure each team gets sufficient firepower and scouting. Be careful of the Tablock unit hiding at the top, it has a longer missile range than your ships (5 hexes). Don't destroy the real Nozari flagship too quickly as the infected module hiding in the back gives you the Floating Container spoil which also comes with a 100 Solonium bonus. The real cruiser is the one that can use a Vulcan melee canon and the decoy can only detonate on the start of a new turn (so it will move in melee range without attacking you). ----------------------------------------- Mission 5 - Jupiter's Shadow ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 40 x 11 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Dobkeratops x 1 (Flagship) Tablock x 1 Pistaph x 2 Gains x 1 Cancer x 8 Rebo x 4 Amphibian x 2 Beast Force x 2 Infected POW-Armor x 1 The first real challenge of the game. Upgrade one of your Arrowheads to a Warhead in preparation for this mission (they also use their own specific type of force). The Warhead can desynch and can be used to scout ahead of surfaces by going through them. While inside an obstacle, Warheads are also immune to all normal weaponry. They use more fuel in that state, so be careful because your unit will die if it runs out of fuel desynched. The entrance is guarded by some Rebos which are no problem by themselves. You will however meet your new archenemy in that same entrance: the Gains unit. It's simply a humanoid robot that can fire a 6-hex charge shot every turn... but that's already more than enough. Make sure to scout ahead with your Midnight Eye to find it and hit it every turn so it never gets to fire. Send your Warhead inside the wall to scout on the other side. If you use a Shooting Star's charge shot behind the blocked upper entrance, you should also hit a Tablock hiding behind. Your flagship should take the upper route to avoid the interference. You can send one bomber and a Midnight Eye to investigate the lower path. There are some turrets waiting for you on the other side, so advance slowly. Make sure to send a POW-Armor to occupy the "IN" facility to get two team members and a new Grace Note and D-Force. Also, don't be surprised if some enemies show up out of nowhere, as the enemy has its own desynched unit deployed. In true R-Type fashion, there is a big nasty monster waiting for you at the other end of the hall. Once it's in view, take a good look at its attack radius with the triangle button. Although it can't move, it can attack from three different body parts. The monster also has three blind spots right underneath its head. Don't shoot it too soon though, as there is a spoil hidden at the left of its tail. Charge up and line all your units next to the head's attack radius. Then use your charge shot on the next turn to neutralize the head (the body won't be able to kill any unit on its own). Do the same with the body, then destroy the heart for victory. The heart has a nasty charge shot, so make sure to avoid/reset it. The tail can also kill you, but the game will warn you if you've parked one of your units in a spot the tail will crush on the next turn. ----------------------------------------- Mission 6 - Saturn's Ring ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 27 x 11 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Boldo x 1 (Flagship) Nozari x 1 Tablock x 1 Avanc x 2 Scale Force x 2 Bydo System x 2 Bydo Force x 2 Infected POW-Armor x 2 Infected Module x 1 You've just been given a free Vanargand, so you might as well deploy it. Its three parts can be used independently, so make sure you've tried using them all before finishing your turn (the bridge gun can only fire upwards, though). Unfortunately, the enemy has also brought a similar ship, the Boldo. Just like your own, the enemy's carrier can be destroyed part by part, but destroying the hull destroys the whole ship. You might want to disable the Boldo as much as you can so you have time to harvest the Solonium at the center of the map. Don't worry, the hull alone can barely destroy one unit per squad with its lasers. ----------------------------------------- Mission 7 - Bestra's Doorstep ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 14 x 38 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Boldo x 1 (Flagship) Tablock x 1 Avanc x 2 Scale Force x 2 Amphibian x 1 Beast Force x 1 Bydo System x 3 Bydo Force x 3 Infected POW-Armor x 8 Another difficult operation. This one is actually vertical, so missiles and melee weapons will be much more useful than charge shots, which you might not even get a chance to use. Bringing 2 Striders, some forces and one of those new bipedal units should do the trick. A Warhead will be very useful for its ability to look through walls. Despite appearances, the Vanargand can actually fit in the vertical corridors of this mission. Its extra speed will help it keep up with the rest of your team. Smaller units can use the fragile walls as a shortcut, but make sure you don't fall into a trap, since most of the enemies and the flagship are all stuck right above the last facility. You'll definitely want to take the long way around to fight them one by one. There are a series of facilities on this map, and capturing each one is worth a quick 20 Solonium, plus a chance to restock your units. Don't forget to capture the facility in the middle for two crew members with an Arrowhead bk/Force combo. ----------------------------------------- Mission 8 - Beast's Lair ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 40 x 11 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Gomander x 1 (Flagship) Baldur x 1 Zoydo x 10 Gauper x 4 This mission is full of nasty beasties, but none of them are terribly tough. First there are a few Gaupers that can only attack adjacent units, so fire at them from afar. Next there are Zoydos and the Baldur, a big plant-like monster that carries more Zoydos. Zoydos are pretty fragile but there are a lot of them. You can save yourself some effort by blowing up Baldur with a charge shot and a nuke before he releases all of them. The Enthrew is ahead, and it's the unit with the most health in the entire game (so soon?). Quickly destroy the segment right behind its head to render it completely helpless. You will then have plenty of time to whittle away at its head. Gomander is the real boss here, yet he's not so bad. But first, pick up the spoil on the ground on its left, which will let you build your ultimate toy sometime soon. You can finish Gomander quickly by using a few charge shots and nukes (you can fire through its tentacle-thingy to reach the core) ----------------------------------------- Mission 9 - Utgarda Loki ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 30 x 23 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Boldo x 2 (Flagship) Nozari x 1 Tablock x 2 Gains x 2 Avanc x 5 Scale Force x 5 Bydo System x 4 Bydo Force x 4 Infected POW-Armor x 2 The first very big map. You have Utgarda Loki on your side, though, so you will be able to obliterate anything in its range on turn eight. You can either take the lazy way out and wait by the solar weapon until it is charged (only moving when an enemy is threatening it) or you can take a more active approach. There's a lot to mine on this map, so you might want to progress with two teams of warships and craft modules right and upwards, which is the method I prefer. Just make sure to pull your units out of the way when the time comes for your big barbecue. The Utgarda Loki won't be able to finish the job by itself, so you'll have to do it the old-fashioned way. In my experience, some enemies always survive the blast and end up near the uppermost mine, as well as two Boldo warships on the far side. The surviving team up top is usually quite substantial and there's a Gains with them, so be careful. As well as the spoil "hiding" right in the middle, there is also one above the lowermost mine that will come in handy in the next mission, so don't forget it. You probably haven't built a Heimdall yet, so this mission is a great opportunity to collect the solonium you will need to do so. Mission 9 has 740 units of solonium in its mines, which makes it the one that has the most solonium in the game. It's an excellent place to come back to if you need that material in the future, but mission 4 is also a good choice (it's easier and shorter). Ultimately, the choice is up to you. ----------------------------------------- Mission 10 - Absolute Zero ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 23 x 11 Time Limit - 25 Turns Opposition: Gusternet x 1 (Flagship) Leidi x 3 Amphibian x 3 Beast Force x 3 Infected POW-Armor x 1 Since this is a water mission, you might be tempted to spend your well-earned cash on the Egir battleship, but believe me, it's not nearly as useful as the Heimdall dreadnought. You can build the Egir when you have more solonium to spare. For now, build the bigger cruiser and spend the rest on one or two frogmen (which are merely useful now but will be essential later on). The mission itself is really short: just a few desynched amphibians and an enemy battleship/crab thingy waiting at the other end. Charge shots at water level are pretty much guaranteed to hit the flagship, so fire away. ----------------------------------------- Mission 11 - Galactic Exit ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 29 x 23 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Kombiler x 1 Nozari x 1 Tablock x 1 Gains x 2 U-Lotch Form R x 6 Bydo System x 2 Bydo Force x 2 Infected POW-Armor x 3 Infected Module x 1 This is your final mission in the solar system, so this is the best time to bring your Heimdall to the party. Build a R-Future if you can, they are one of the best units of the game. This is also your last chance to gather solonium, so I usually send a transport, a craft module and a force together to discreetly collect the upper patch of solonium (you won't get attacked if you don't break too many ice floes). The rest of your armada should travel around Pluto in a wide formation, to detect any incoming units. There's nothing too complicated about this mission, although the unit guarding the space station is a Kombiler, a dreadnought similar to your own. You can destroy it as soon as you see it, since the mission only ends once you occupy Glitnir. ----------------------------------------- Mission 12 - Dimension 26 ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 29 x 11 Time Limit - 25 Turns Opposition: Boldo x 1 (Flagship) Tablock x 2 Gains x 1 Strobalt Bomber x 7 Infected POW-Armor x 1 This is the beginning of a long series of mostly similar and straightforward missions (hey, they had to find some way of padding the game). I should add, however, that your larger cruisers will be deployed sideways in these missions. This means that they will take more hexes, so you should think twice before bringing them in battle (but I just can't resist the Heimdall ;-) ----------------------------------------- Mission 13 - Galactic Exit ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 40 x 11 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Bloom Cruiser x 1 (Flagship) U-Lotch Form R x 4 Avanc x 5 Scale Force x 5 Infected POW-Armor x 1 Watch out for the Bloom Cruiser's charge shot, it charges fast and is quite devastating. You can find a new kind of resource, etherium, in this mission (but this not the best place to collect it). ----------------------------------------- Mission 14 - Between Worlds ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 35 x 11 Time Limit - 30 Turns Opposition: Kombiler x 1 (Flagship) U-Lotch Form R x 1 Gains Mk 2 x 3 Strobalt Bomber x 7 Infected POW-Armor x 1 Another uneventful mission, but Gains are always a threat and there are three in this mission (and now they're upgraded). The spoil in this area is the Etherium cluster, which also gives an extra 100 Etherium. ----------------------------------------- Mission 15 - Tunnel Assault ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 29 x 11 Time Limit - 25 Turns Opposition: Boldo x 2 (Flagship) Amphibian x 5 Beast Force x 5 Yawn, those numbers speak for themselves. Just don't get discombobulated by a rogue triangle now, you hear? ----------------------------------------- Mission 16 - Streamspace ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 34 x 23 Time Limit - 25 Turns Opposition: Boldo x 6 (Flagship) Strobalt Bomber x 4 Infected POW-Armor x 4 Lots of Boldos here, so aim for their main hulls to finish the job faster. ----------------------------------------- Mission 17 - Endless Battle ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 29 x 11 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Blue Gridlock x 1 (Flagship) Red Gridlock x 1 Gains Mk 2 x 4 Cancer x 6 Ok, now things are heating up a little bit more. There's a crazy hexagon blocking the middle, so it's unlikely your Heimdall will be able to cross it (bring the Vanargand instead). There's a squad of Gains just itching to blow you up behind the hexagon, so be extra careful. Gains will be more than happy to shoot each other just to get a chance to destroy one of your units, so you should give them the chance by sending out a lone decoy POW-Armor. Not far ahead is an annoying pair of virtual-reality cruisers who each pack enough firepower to destroy one of your units in a single turn, so don't advance before you've charged up a little. You'll face the red one first, although they are almost identical. Concentrate on the core, as the four other parts will go down with it. A blue one is waiting behind the red, so give it an identical treatment. There's a lonely patch of 160 etherium just above your starting position, with nobody to guard it. Won't you send a Craft Module to keep it company? ----------------------------------------- Mission 18 - Warp Fatigue ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 35 x 11 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Tablock x 2 Strobalt Bomber x 5 Avanc x 5 Scale Force x 5 Infected POW-Armor x 4 Ahhh... no flagship to worry about, so just enjoy the sight of the twisting gravities (who only impede movement in a single direction, if you look at the arrows carefully). ----------------------------------------- Mission 19 - Terminus ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 40 x 15 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Dobkeratops Husk x 1 (Flagship) Boldo x 1 Tablock x 1 Gains Mk 2 x 1 U-Lotch Form R x 4 Strobalt Bomber x 8 Infected POW-Armor x 1 The end of the Tesseract is finally in sight, but it's guarded by another Dobkeratops. Some Strobalts are hiding in the upper tunnel while a Boldo is in the lower one. Be extra careful at the point where the tunnels rejoin, as a Gains and a Tablock are waiting for you. The Dobkeratops is similar to the previous other one, so you probably know what to do (take a peek at mission 5 if you need a reminder). You can try using your flagship's main gun to destroy the boss, if you feel creative (just be careful not to put yourself in harm's way). ----------------------------------------- Mission 20 - New Frontier ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 29 x 18 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Kombiler x 1 (Flagship) Nozari x 1 Gains Mk 2 x 1 Claw Claw x 4 Claw Force x 4 U-Lotch Form M x 3 Morph Craft x 1 Infected POW-Armor x 1 You're finally inside the Bydo star system. Bydogen is the new resource du jour, and there's enough in this map to completely fill your stores right away, so you should do just that. Bring two craft modules with you and a Heimdall and Jormungandr to unload the minerals. Be careful when mining, however, as this mission isn't the easiest or safest. Gains are still the threat they've always been and there are plenty of them here. Ok... there's only one, but the morph craft can mimic the Gains and the charge shots from the Claw Claws are less flashy, but they hurt just as much. Try to end your turns hiding behind Bydogen clusters unless you're positive there are no charged units around. Advance slowly, as most enemies are waiting right in the middle and the Kombiler is just itching to use its Fragrach canon on you. ----------------------------------------- Mission 21 - Uncertainty ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 40 x 11 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Bermate x 1 (Flagship) Bermate Pod x 10 Moora x 3 Middo x 11 Geeta x 4 This mission pretty much proves it: the whackier the opposition, the easier the mission. The Bermate at the other end has a range of 6 hexes, so you will want to destroy it before it does too much damage and also before it releases all the pods it has inside. ----------------------------------------- Mission 22 - Black Hole ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 30 x 23 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Kombiler x 1 (Flagship) Nozari x 2 Gains x 5 Gains Mk2 x 5 Gains Mk3 x 10 Infected POW-Armor x 4 Boy, this is a real challenge, and definitely the hardest mission so far. The black hole itself is more of a minor annoyance because of its three levels of gravity as the event horizon itself cannot harm you (movement is totally impossible in all direction so you can't go out of it, but you can't enter it either... strange). The real problem is the huge amount of Gains mark one and two, but also Gains mark three, who do not have a charge attack but are "only" the best melee unit in the entire game. It's very difficult to split your fleet in two without suffering some heavy casualties, so my suggestion is to send all your units under the black hole to maximize your firepower. Heimdall is a must here, since it will allow you to see the enemy before they see you. Gains can't counter with their charge shot if they can't see you, but you really, really must be sure you're safe. You'll probably catch the Kombiler from below, so you shouldn't fear its main canon. The spoil in on the upper side of the black hole (and it's an important one), so you should keep the Kombiler alive long enough to get it. You can also use this opportunity to destroy 100% of the enemies, since the Gains Mk1 and 2 will be helpless if caught from behind (but not the mark threes, their Excalibur attack is deadly, so keep your distances). ----------------------------------------- Mission 23 - Marine Biology ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 32 x 16 Time Limit - 25 Turns Opposition: Yokegon x 1 (Flagship) Gusternet x 1 Belacinth x 2 Mad Thicket x 5 Ivy Force x 5 Infected Module x 3 Back to the water. Bring your battleship (if you have one, otherwise anything else will do) and at least one frogman. Very fast units like the R-Seraph you just obtained can also travel in the water quickly. New enemies, the Mad Thickets can desynch and have a nasty charge attack, so you might want to bring a Nidhoggr with you for its desynch shot (although I don't like that ship too much). There are two Belacinths (one in the middle, one in the far back), which are two-part mushrooms that can fire from afar. Destroy their heads to finish them quickly. Another Gusternet (the giant crab from mission 10) is waiting for you just above the big pool of water. However, the real flagship is the Yokegon, a completely harmless worm swimming in the large pool at the end. There are two medium-sized Bydogen mines on this map (although they're kinda hard to see), so you might want to let Yokegon swim around harmlessly for a while longer while you harvest some resources. ----------------------------------------- Mission 24 - Deep Waters ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 14 x 38 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Marine Dobkeratops x 1 (Flagship) Yokegon x 4 Leidi x 5 Amphibian x 6 Beast Force x 6 A truly hellish mission. First of all, it's completely underwater which means that anything with a speed lower than 4 will be useless (except frogmen, of course) and that this is one of the few missions where the time limit might pose a problem. This also means that Transports/Craft Modules won't be able to keep up so make sure to repair your units before going down too deep (so try your best not to get hit afterwards). Did I also say this is one of those annoying vertical missions? Worst of all, you have to face a powered-up Dobkeratops at the bottom with your slowed-down units. Anyway, you should bring along 2-3 Frogmen, some fast R-Future/R-Seraph fighters, 1 or 2 Bombers and at least 2 POW-Armors to keep the whole team going. Desynched Warheads are also useful, if you can keep them refuelled. You'll face some Amphibians and Beasts early on, so you can make a short pause to repair your units before going on. You'll find lots of Yokegon snakes, but they're still completely inoffensive. The bottom is the real deal, though: you'll face 3-4 more Amphibian/Beast combos (some probably desynched) near the Dobkeratops. Take care of all the other units from as far as possible before fighting the boss, because he's very dangerous. If you have some Warheads you can desynch them and resynch them inside the boss' blind spot and shoot missiles from there. A C Force attached to your Warhead can also ram it to death in a few turns. Otherwise, you'll have to try the suicide-mission method. Line all of your units outside the head's firing radius and charge with all of them on the next turn. Hopefully, some of them will be able to get in the boss' blind spot (three hexes under the large head). From there, shoot missiles at the heart and hope you finish him before the mission ends :-) ----------------------------------------- Mission 25 - Vulcan's Forge ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 31 x 14 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Gains Mk 2 x 3 Nathrel x 3 Claw Claw x 2 Claw Force x 2 Infected POW-Armor x 1 Infected Module x 2 Compared to the last mission, this one is a joke. Just keep your units out of the lava's path for the next turn. Be careful at the end, as the exit is guarded by a trio of those dreaded Gains Mk2 units. There's a very big pile of Bydogen down the first shaft, so you might want to send a craft module Mk2 to pick it up. ----------------------------------------- Mission 26 - System Chaos ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 40 x 15 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Dopp x 9 Newt x 15 Another easy one. There's no fog of war in this mission, so you can take it slow and navigate through the obstacles. The crawling Newts have a pretty nasty counterattack, so keep that in mind. Just make sure you keep at least one enemy alive long enough to collect the spoil item, as the mission ends as soon as you kill every enemy unit. ----------------------------------------- Mission 27 - Asteroid Labyrinth ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 22 x 21 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Boldo x 1 (Flagship) Tablock Mk 2 x 3 U-Lotch Form R x 3 Mad Thicket x 2 Ivy Force x 2 Infected POW-Armor x 2 This map has a confusing design but doesn't pose too big of a challenge. There's a Boldo carrier directly above you and that's your target. There's nothing much in the outer vertical corridors, so you should concentrate on the inner ones. This battle is mostly vertical, so charge shots aren't as useful as long-range missile units, which will help you against the Tablocks Mk 2. ----------------------------------------- Mission 28 - City of Ruin ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 41 x 11 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Nozari x 2 (Flagship) Boldo x 2 CQB Gains Mk 3 x 1 Tablock Mk 2 x 1 Rebo x 3 Pistaph x 11 Nathrel x 4 Infected POW-Armor x 2 This mission is mostly made up of walking Pistaph turrets which were also in mission 5. Only a Jormungandr transport will fit through the small holes of this mission, so don't bother bringing a large flagship. Don't forget to occupy the facility to get your last team members (and a free Warhead and C Force). ----------------------------------------- Mission 29 - Twisted Skies ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 29 x 18 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Kombiler x 1 (Flagship) Nozari x 1 Tablock Mk 3 x 2 Gains Mk 2 x 1 U-Lotch Form M x 3 U-Lotch Form R x 1 Bydo System x 3 Bydo Force x 3 The end is getting close but this mission isn't very different from the others. It's a tight fit, but the Heimdall can travel in the lower part of the map. Not much to say about this one... you should be able to take care of Kombiler cruisers easily by now. ----------------------------------------- Mission 30 - Heart of the Empire ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 40 x 23 Time Limit - 40 Turns Opposition: Ebon Eye x 1 (Flagship) Kombiler x 2 Boldo x 1 Nozari x 2 Moora x 1 Gauper x 2 Tablock x 2 Strobalt x 2 Geeta x 1 Middo x 3 Rebo x 6 Nathrel x 3 Claw Claw x 3 Claw Force x 3 Avanc x 3 Scale Force x 3 Amphibian x 4 Beast Force x 4 Bydo System x 4 Bydo Force x 4 Infected POW-Armor x 6 Infected Module x 3 Holy moly, what a crowd. You'd better give it all you've got because this is your last mission against the Bydo. Besides, things aren't as bad as they look, since most of the enemy units are obsolete. Interestingly enough, there are resources of every type on this map, but you might be too busy fighting to harvest them (there are better places to mine anyway). You should create two teams, one with the Heimdall to travel the lower tunnel, and one with the Garum to travel the upper one (I'm positive the Heimdall can travel the lower tunnel, but I think it can also travel the upper one... I'm just not sure). You can probably put almost every unit you have on the map, so there's no reason not to do so. The infected modules near the center of the map are sitting by the 36th spoil, so be sure to get it. This is a long mission, but it shouldn't be too difficult if you travel 2-3 hexes at a time and blast anything in sight with your charged canons. The Ebon Eye is hiding in the upper right corner of the map and it is protected by humongous thrusters with very long range, so don't let your upper team travel into the last room before your lower one has detected the lower thrusters (it's pointed right at your upper team so be very careful). You should also destroy the other giant thrusters on the ceiling and then move all your units just outside of the Ebon Eye's firing range. The Ebon Eye has only one attack, but it can destroy most of your ships in a single hit and counter any non-charge attack (which is just as lethal). On the start of a new turn, send all your units to destroy the Ebon Eye with their charge shots... and blow up the two extra infected canons if you feel like it. Hopefully, you have enough firepower left to finish it in one turn. If you do, congratulations you've... won. ;-) ----------------------------------------- Mission 31 - The Nightmare Begins ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 22 x 11 Time Limit - 25 Turns Opposition: Jormurgandr x 1 Strider x 1 Arrowhead x 2 Force x 2 Midnight Eye x 1 Craft Module x 1 Nope, you're not dead. In fact, you're one of the bad guys now. Bad news is, you will now have to go back up the technology tree, but now from the Bydo's perspective. Worse news is, your enemies will always be one step ahead of you in terms of technology and will often outnumber/outgun you. So from now on the rules have changed: you have to use every unit to its maximum (the forces' ram attack are now a necessity and decoys are excellent for scouting/defense) and you'll have to find innovative ways to scout since the Bydo have no AWACS unit. Anyway, back to the mission. Send a POW decoy ahead to scout and make sure the Strider wastes its missile on the decoy or your POW/Module (the AI usually shoots them first and you can repair them). Make sure no enemy unit escapes back to the transport as they'll come right back to cause more trouble. The tunnels are only 1 hex wide so you can't move your transport to the middle, but keep it close by for quick repairs. There's two 160 Bydogen mines on this map (and some Solonium in the facilities on the top and bottom), so make sure to collect all you can because you now have to rely mainly on Bydogen for new units. ----------------------------------------- Mission 32 - Terror in the Skies ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 21 x 23 Time Limit - 30 Turns Opposition: Nidhoggr x 1 (Flagship) Strider x 2 Shooting Star x 1 Defensive Force x 1 Midnight Eye x 1 POW Armor x 1 You don't have any really useful units yet, so you'll have to make do with what you do have. Use decoys to scout ahead safely and forces to provide some heavy melee damage. Again mine Bydogen if you have the opportunity to, because you will need tons of it very soon. ----------------------------------------- Mission 33 - Decaying Metropolis ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 41 x 11 Time Limit - 40 Turns Opposition: Vanargand x 1 (Flagship) Midnight Eye x 5 Warhead x 2 C Force x 2 Shooting Star x 3 Defensive Force x 3 POW-Armor x 3 Odds are once again against you, but with the new Tablock units you finally have a great weapon to fight back with. Build at least two and bring them along. Warheads will probably desynch in front of you during the mission so keep that in mind. You should also be wary of the Shooting Star's long range change shot. Capture the facility to gain another of your most powerful weapons: the Amphibian. He doesn't look like much, but you can use him to scout ahead while in desynch mode. The great thing is you can hide them inside of walls to peek on the other side and even if they're detected, they will still remain protected for as long as they stay inside the wall. This should help compensate for the absence of an AWACS unit. The Vanargand will have its canon powered up when you meet it on the far left, so use an attack to reset its charge. ----------------------------------------- Mission 34 - Asteroid Cage ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 22 x 21 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Vanargand x 1 (Flagship) Jormungandr x 1 Achilles x 2 Grace Note x 4 Defensive Force x 4 Midnight Eye x 2 POW-Armor x 1 Another deja vu mission. You just got the Boldo cruiser, but don't bother with it because its odd shape will get stuck in the vertical tunnels (Man, the Bydo really have it rough...). Bring 2 Tablocks instead and at least 2 Amphibian and Beast teams. Try to keep to your short-range units in the inner left tunnel to avoid the Grace Notes' long charge shot. Desynch an Amphibian and put it inside the wall hiding the Vanargand to identify it as a target for your long-range Tablocks. ----------------------------------------- Mission 35 - Drowned System ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 40 x 15 Time Limit - 40 Turns Opposition: Egir x 1 (Flagship) Frogman x 6 Strider x 1 Principality x 5 Flame Force x 5 Midnight Eye x 4 Once again, you just received a unit you can't use (the Gusternet doesn't fit on the water), so you should bring your Boldo cruiser instead. I'd recommend bringing 2 Tablocks, although those sure take a lot of room. You should also bring an Amphibian for desynch wall scouting. You have a lot of turns for this map, so take your time scouting... you can't afford too many flame charge attacks in your face. You should absolutely pick up the spoil on this map (it's about at mid-height midway through the map), as it will allow you to use the incredible Gains unit. If you're having problem on this mission, you can try collecting the spoil with a desynched ship and trying again after building some Gains. ----------------------------------------- Mission 36 - Fires of Hell ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 31 x 14 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Heimdall x 1 (Flagship) Strider x 1 Albatross x 3 Tentacle Force x 1 Shooting Star x 1 Defensive Force x 1 Craft Module x 1 Considering the new standard of difficulty, this mission could almost be thought of as a break... if it wasn't for the Heimdall waiting for you at the end. I'm saying this because you now have the awesome Gains at your disposal, which is the Bydo's ultimate weapon and can fire its charge shot every turn (build 2-3 right away). You know this mission by now: don't bring a big flagship, avoid the flames... You will need one or two Tablocks for this mission, as their great range really helps hitting the Heimdall at the end (it's in a really hard to reach angle at the top of the other end of the tunnel). There's more than 700 Bydogen on this map and you will need lots of it for developing a Kombiler, whose schematics are on this map. ----------------------------------------- Mission 37 - Galactic Maw ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 30 x 23 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Heimdall x 1 (Flagship) Jormungandr x 2 Grace Note x 10 Defensive Force x 10 Neoptlemos x 10 Midnight Eye x 1 POW-Armor x 1 The numbers speak for themselves. Bring a lot of gains units and your newly- earned Kombiler warship (bring one whenever you can from now on, it's got great firepower and the best scouting range of all Bydo units). The trick here is to use the fog of war to your advantage to make it so the Grace Notes can't use their canons (because they can't see you) but you can use those of your Gains. Destroying the Midnight Eye will definitively help you put the enemies in the dark. If you're doing this right, the Neoptlemoses shouldn't even get the chance to get close to you. You may not want to separate into two teams, although I've done it and I've finished the mission just fine (the spoil is in the lower path, by the way). ----------------------------------------- Mission 38 - Serene Garden ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 40 x 11 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Vanargand x 2 (Flagship) R-Future x 4 Principality x 5 Flame Force x 5 Midnight Eye x 2 POW-Armor x 2 Adequate name. Will all the technology you have now, this one should be no problem. Just use your Kombiler to sniff out danger ahead of you. ----------------------------------------- Mission 39 - Rose Outskirts ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 29 x 18 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Tyr x 1 (Flagship) Jormungandr x 2 Hercules x 3 Strider x 5 Midnight Eye x 2 POW-Armor x 2 Tyr, you ask? Yup, it's an upgraded Heimdall, which you didn't even get to command when you used to be human. The unfairness just keeps going on. If you want to use the Kombiler on this mission, you have to know that it can only travel in the uppermost par of the map (it needs 4 vertical hexes to move). Not too much to say about this one except make sure to stay out of the Hercules' deadly charge shot. This is the last map with lots of Bydogen on it, so get some while you still can. ----------------------------------------- Mission 40 - Homeward Bound ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 40 x 15 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Heimdall x 1 (Flagship) Vanargand x 1 R-Future x 5 Shooting Star x 6 Defensive Force x 4 Midnight Eye x 2 POW-Armor x 3 Back in the Tesseract. It's interesting that Bydo warships take the same amount of hexes inside and outside of warp space (only they're distributed a little bit differently). Scout ahead with your Kombiler and blast anything in sight with some Gains. A Vanargand is waiting for you inside the upper tunnel. There's some Etherium in this map if you need it... it's been a long time since you've had an opportunity to collect some. ----------------------------------------- Mission 41 - Dimensional Undertow ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 35 x 11 Time Limit - 20 Turns Opposition: Vanargand x 2 Strider x 4 Shooting Star x 2 Defensive Force x 2 Achilles x 1 Midnight Eye x 1 POW-Armor x 6 Another dirty trick from the Space Corps... you're caught in the middle of two enemy fleets. One Vanargand is on your right with two Striders and some POW- Armors, while everything else is on your left. You only have 20 turns for this mission, so you don't have any time to waste going right if you want your flagship to reach the goal in time (don't worry, those units will come for you anyway if you want to blow them up). ----------------------------------------- Mission 42 - Corridor Assault ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 40 x 15 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Jormungandr x 3 (Flagship) Albatross x 7 Tentacle Force x 7 Midnight Eye x 2 POW-Armor x 1 Those weird moving lasers will probably destroy your Kombiler, so bring a smaller flagship instead to navigate the obstacles. Nothing much else to say about this one, except that there is a very easy patch of Etherium to mine right under your starting spot. ----------------------------------------- Mission 43 - Rift Charge ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 29 x 11 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Jormungandr x 1 (Flagship) Daedalus x 6 Midnight Eye x 1 Craft Module x 2 Too easy. Let the Daedalus units come towards you or stick to the central obstacles so they don't get the drop on you in desynch mode. Now is probably one of the few times where the Bermate's Desynch Shot is going to be useful, so why not bring one along. Once again, this mission is so easy that there's no reason not to use it as a spot to mine Etherium. ----------------------------------------- Mission 44 - Fissure Strike ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 30 x 15 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Garum x 1 R-Seraph x 3 Arrowhead bk x 3 Force x 2 Midnight Eye x 1 Another generic mission. This is another one with virtual reality obstacles that make navigating the map with a Kombiler difficult (the Boldo is your best bet with its speed of 3). Just time the movement of your warships with the movement of the hexagons. There's a large batch of Etherium in the middle. ----------------------------------------- Mission 45 - Cleft Surge ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 35 x 11 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Tyr x 1 Achilles x 4 Neoptlemos x 3 Hercules x 2 Midnight Eye x 3 POW-Armor x 2 Craft Module x 1 Man, when are they going to run out of synonyms? Another touch-the-goal mission, except with a Tyr waiting to block your escape. Bipedal units are usually pretty helpless, but be careful of Hercules' charge shot anyway. ----------------------------------------- Mission 46 - Egress Onslaught ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 31 x 27 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Garum x 1 (Flagship) Strider x 4 Cerberos x 5 Anchor Force x 5 Midnight Eye x 2 POW-Armor x 4 Craft Module x 1 This map has the most annoying design of them all. First of all, no warship except the Nozari will fit through the small holes between the rooms. Secondly, take a closer look at the interference between rooms: the arrows show that travel is permitted in one direction only, (most units won't be able to beat the strong gravity) so you'll have to follow a path going straight left, then down to the Garum on the opposite side of the map. You will probably face the Garum from directly upwards, so bring Tablocks to make sure you'll be able to hit it. When you're in the room with the repairable facility, you can also travel right, then down to have the flagship in range of your charge shots... but some more Cerberoses will be guarding that path. Be careful when going through the interference, as some ships won't be able to go back to retreat if they're attacked. Desynched units are very useful, as they don't care about movement penalties. I should mention the spoil is right in the middle of the map, so you don't waste time looking around for it. ----------------------------------------- Mission 47 - Hostile Greetings ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 29 x 23 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Jotunheim x 1 (Flagship) Jormungandr x 2 Hyllus x 2 Hercules x 2 R-Future x 4 Arrowhead bk x 4 Force x 4 Midnight Eye x 1 POW-Armor x 2 There are more units you've never seen yet on this map: a huge beefed-up dreadnought named Jotunheim and the Hyllus, a bipedal Tablock wannabe. You should travel down, then left in this mission, as there is no point in taking a sneaky route through the upper ice blocks (you'll end up right in front of the flagship's bridge gun and the Hylluses' missiles. The spoil is located in an annoying spot: it's hidden in the ice in the lower part of Pluto's moon Charon (two hexes right of the solonium mine). ----------------------------------------- Mission 48 - Frozen Sanctuary ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 23 x 11 Time Limit - 25 Turns Opposition: Egir x 1 (Flagship) Hyllus x 2 Frogman x 6 Midnight Eye x 1 POW-Armor x 1 This mission is really easy if you don't mind leaving some of the enemies behind: just fire with Gains at water level to destroy the icebergs and obliterate the Egir battleship hiding behind. On the other hand, destroying everything is not as easy, since there are lots of Frogmen on the far side of the water, and the two Hyllus units above are no joke either. ----------------------------------------- Mission 49 - Solar Menace ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 30 x 23 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Jotunheim x 1 (Flagship) Utgarda Loki x 1 ("Flagship") R-Seraph x 9 Cerberos x 6 Anchor Force x 6 Patrocross x 6 Midnight Eye x 4 POW-Armor x 1 You're now on the wrong side of Utgarda Loki. I hope you remember the superweapon's attack pattern: it obliterates everything in the central corridor of the map, from lower left to upper right. In those circumstances, it's probably safer to travel in a straight line downwards, then left. If I'm calculating this right, Utgarda Loki should be ready to fire at the beginning of turn eight, but you should get your units out of the way before the end of turn seven since the earth side always goes first. As far as I can tell, Utgarda will fire as soon as any of your units are detected in its attack range, even if it means killing friendly units. So it's probably possible to send a decoy in the central corridor to have the weapon waste its charge and even blow up some of its own defenders in the process. This mission ends either when you destroy the flagship or when you destroy Utgarda Loki, making it almost impossible to defeat every enemy. It is possible however, if you somehow finish both in a single charge shot. ----------------------------------------- Mission 50 - Forbidden science ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 40 x 11 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Bred Dobkeratops x 1 (Flagship) Dantalion x 5 Life Force x 5 Hercules x 3 Midnight Eye x 3 POW-Armor x 2 Your old pal the Dobkeratops is back again for a final stand, but he's brought some new friends with him: the Dantalion is an excellent fighter that has a devastatingly wide charge attack and is attached to the Life Force, which can heal itself like some Bydo units. Also, the only warship that can navigate this map is the Nozari. Otherwise, this mission isn't very hard. You can use desynched units in the tight corridors to spoil your enemies' turns and there's plenty of horizontal space to use Gains units. You should know how to deal with Dobsy by now: you can hit it progressively with charge shots on the head, body then heart, or hide a unit in its blind spot to finish it little by little. ----------------------------------------- Mission 51 - Escape from Bestra ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 14 x 38 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Garum x 1 (Flagship) R-Seraph x 10 Patrocross x 7 This mission was really crazy the first time around, but now it's much, much worse. You should bring a good 3-hex wide warship. The bloom cruiser is faster and can take care of the mines easily, but the Gridlock has better health and firepower and seems like a better choice. The annoying part of this mission is that most units are hiding in the wrong angle to use your charge shot and that the enemy's R-Seraph unit can be used effectively in any angle. You absolutely must use a desynched ship to scout ahead of surfaces, as breaking the wrong fragile walls will result in a devastating flood of half a dozen R-Seraph and Patrocross units. You can try the dangerous method of breaking the fragile walls and destroying/ramming enemies to make room for Gains heavy fire, or you can use the safe but slow method of traveling around the corners with lots of long-range missile units like the Gridlock or the Tablock. Don't forget to liberate the "IN" facility to get two new team members and a free Bydo System/Force duo. ----------------------------------------- Mission 52 - Forward Momentum ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 27 x 11 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Muspellheim x 1 (Flagship) Dantaltion x 4 Life Force x 4 Hyllus x 2 Midnight Eye x 1 Craft Module x 1 This mission is quick and nasty, with an even more powerful version of the Jotunheim standing against you. The Kombiler can navigate this map, but you have to go downwards where the first facility is. Nothing else special to say about this one, except that you should stay low if you don't want to stare straight into the enemy's main gun. ----------------------------------------- Mission 53 - Invincible Line ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 29 x 21 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Athenae x 1 (Flagship) Aegis x 12 Grace Note x 8 Defensive Force x 8 Neoptlemos x 7 Midnight Eye x 4 This is another map with lots of long range units so I hope you've perfected the ability to fire at enemies beyond their visual range. Bring a Kombiler, at least 3 Gains, and I suggest bringing a second warship (I have a weakness for the Red Gridlock). Aegis satellites are the main threat, as they are extremely powerful and can both counterattack and block incoming fire, which compensates for the fact that they don't move very much. Aegis satellites have a range of 6 hexes, but their sight range is "only" 5 hexes, so you can sometimes hit them without them seeing you. In all likelihood, you'll probably have to go into a satellite's attack range and destroy it in the same turn, but be careful as many of the twelve satellites are in the range of one another... and you don't want to end up in a hail of missiles. A desynched unit inside the space station's walls will be a great help, but make sure the path to the wall is clear of enemies or your unit will be wiped of the map instantly. Finally, try to finish off any unit close to you before the end of your turn so not to attract a long range unit's wrath. The Athenae core is completely helpless by itself, but before blowing it up you should make sure to collect the spoil located in the lower left corner of the map and rescue the last two members of your team in the facility. You'll also get a Mad Thicket/Ivy Force combo in the process, which is the best force- enabled unit the Bydo race has to offer. ----------------------------------------- Mission 54 - Martian Repose ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 40 x 16 Time Limit - 30 Turns Opposition: Muspelheim x 1 (Flagship) Strider x 10 Neoptlemos x 8 Midnight Eye x 5 POW-Armor x 4 Another narrow mission where only the Nozari will make it to the end. This is also a mission where a Dreadnought is waiting for you directly above you, so the Tablocks will help you hit its main hull. Be sure to scout ahead with desynched units, as the many Striders can quickly ruin your day. ----------------------------------------- Mission 55 - Overlooking Earth ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 25 x 11 Time Limit - 30 Turns Opposition: Garum x 1 (Flagship) Charon x 6 Anchor Force+ x 6 Midnight Eye x 1 POW-Armor x 2 Mine x 32 The last mission without any fog of war. Another strange thing about this one is that all the space mines belong to the enemy, so you'll have to destroy them all to get 100% (but the mines still don't do anything at all). Bring lots of Gains and destroy the mines in a narrow straight line. Hopefully, the Charons will funnel through to be blown up by your long range canons. ----------------------------------------- Mission 56 - In Arm's Reach ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 29 x 18 Time Limit - 35 Turns Opposition: Muspelheim x 1 (Flagship) Nidhoggr x 1 Aegis x 4 Dantalion x 3 Life Force x 3 Charon x 3 Anchor Force+ x 3 Hercules x 2 Hyllus x 2 Patrocross x 2 Midnight Eye x 3 POW-Armor x 1 The last very large mission, and one of the hardest. The dreaded Aegis satellites are back with two of them floating in the middle of the map and two more hiding at the top and bottom. Dantalions and Charons are also here, and although their charge shot range is pretty short, they have an awfully wide "spray and pray" attack radius. The Kombiler can navigate the upper part of this map, but it can also just barely navigate a 3-hex wide path between two pieces of wreckage at the bottom (which is a much safer route). As always, lower is better than higher, since you'll be out of range of the Muspelheim's bridge gun and since Hyllus units usually show up just above the flagship. I personally sent a Red Gridlock to cover the upper part of the map and a Kombiler for the lower, but you could also keep your forces grouped. Sticking a desynched Mad Thicket inside some wreckage will help you find out what's coming ahead of you. There is however, a Nidhoggr in the middle of the map, so you might want to get rid of it before figuring out if it's actually going to use the desynch shot or not. ----------------------------------------- Mission 57 - Homecoming ----------------------------------------- Map Size - 41 x 11 Time Limit - 40 Turns Opposition: Niflheim x 1 (Flagship) Garum x 2 Nidhoggr x 1 Egir x 1 R-Waltz (Arrowhead type) x 3 R-Waltz (Shooting Star type) x 4 R-Waltz (Charon type) x 8 Force+ x 3 Defensive Force+ x 4 Anchor Force+ x 8 Midnight Eye x 8 Craft Module x 4 The final mission... and you can finally do what you've always wanted to do: lay waste to the earth! There's a lot of very powerful opposition, but by now you have all Bydo technology, and those skyscrapers you see can be destroyed to make room for your bigger ships. Besides, I've always found horizontal missions easier than large, square ones. Anyway, put a Kombiler at the front of your fleet, a Red Gridlock right behind, three Gains, one Tablock Mk3 and some support units and you should have all the firepower you need. There is an Egir battleship waiting under you right at the start of the mission, so make sure to take it down quickly. This is only mission where you'll face the Waltz, the so-called "ultimate fighter". They're only Arrowheads, Shooting Stars and Charons in disguise, though... and you've faced plenty of those before. Along with their small upgrades, they also all have the ability to desynch, so be careful when advancing. You can also switch the Gridlock for a Bermate if desynched units stress you out. Earth's final defense is the Niflheim, an upgrade of the Muspelheim ship and the ultimate dreadnought. Ultimate is once again a pretty relative term, as the upgrades on this ship are pretty marginal. With its main gun disabled, it shouldn't pose too much of a threat to your final victory. Congratulations, you've completed the game! But you're not completely done yet... you can still play previous missions to unlock the final three gallery pictures, beat your scores and upgrade your armada. The best part is you can go back to your human armada and build some new units you could only fight against before (provided you collected spoils 58,61 and 62). Those new units are the upgraded Tyr dreadnought, the Dantalion superfighter with its regenerating Life Force and the long-range, bipedal Hyllus (sorry, no super-dreadnought or ultimate fighter :( =============================================================================== = (04) Strategies/tips = =============================================================================== UNIT COMBOS --Fighters/Forces This is a really obvious combo, although it's often a good strategy to have twice as many fighters (and charge shots) than to have fighters and forces. If you detach a force before you move your fighter, neither of them will lose their turn, but if you detach the force after moving the fighter it won't be able to attack (although the force will still be able to move and attack). When teamed, the actual laser attack is coming from the force itself, so keep that in mind when calculating your attack range. --Bombers/POW-Armors Striders have only one Balmung missile, so POW-Armors can give them a fresh one every turn and still keep up pretty well speed-wise. Other bombers also have a limited supply of ammo, so it's a good idea to keep a POW-Armor nearby. --Warships/Craft Modules Using warships effectively is probably the most important strategic aspect of the game. First of all, craft modules can use them to piggyback and travel faster towards resources and then unload them back in. Craft modules can also be used to support dreadnoughts, sticking out of them after they have moved for repairs/resupply and going back in the hangar before it moves the next turn. This is important since dreadnought missile launchers have relatively little ammo. The Kombiler, however, has an awkward design that prevents a craft module from resupplying it with missiles and docking again the next turn (but a POW- Armor can do the job just fine). --Warships/Bombers Warships also team up very well with Striders, since they can hide in one until they need to use their Balmung missile and hide back in for an extra one. The main drawback of this method is that your bombers will only be able to fire every other turn, unlike the POW-Armor/Bomber team --Warships/Fighters Fighters do not accumulate charge when they are inside a docking bay, so you should keep them outside as much as you can before they are fully charged. Once charged, however, you can hide them inside a docking bay so no enemy can reset their charge shot until you are ready to use it. --Warships/Bipedal Units The awful speed of bipedal units reduces their usefulness considerably, but they can be used to protect your flagship. Such an escort can be especially useful for protecting smaller and weaker transports like the Jormungandr and the Nozari. As an alternative, you can also use a force acting independently to perform the same task. ATTACK TYPES There are three types of weapons: A, B and C. A stands for "Attack" and simply means the weapon can be used offensively on your turn. B stands for "Block" and means the weapon can be used as a countermeasure to block all or a portion of incoming enemy fire. C stands for "Counter" and means that after the enemy has attacked, your remaining units will use the weapon to damage the enemy. You can only react to an enemy attack if your opponent is within range of one of your weapons and if it is inside your overall armada's sight radius. No weapon can be used as both a counterattack and a countermeasure. Charge weapons cannot be responded to by any regular weapons, but can be countered by another charge shot, so make sure not to turn your greatest moment into your tragic last stand. If you don't want to take any other action, you can dodge the attack, which will increase your overall evade %. This option is chosen automatically if no other action is possible. SPOILS OF WAR Spoils are technological items that allow you to develop new units. You can find them in three ways: by completing a mission, by destroying a specific unit or by collecting them in containers (most of them are found this way). Finding spoils from enemies/containers also give 10-20 of a resource (although some of them give a 100). You can use the "mission data" option from the menu to know if there are any spoils left on the map to be collected from enemies or containers (although it won't tell you if you've collected the same spoil in a previous attempt on that mission). Spoils are usually "hidden" in plain sight so I won't give out indications as to where they are exactly, except in some cases (you can look at the list of spoils to see in which mission each one is). UNIT HP AND ATTACK POWER Units-type (5/5) troops lose attack power in relation to the amount of units left in their squadron. HP-type units do not lose any attack power. They're either at full power or dead. This means that a Force with 1 HP left can still be a threat. More importantly, this also means that using a charge shot against a fully-charged HP unit is suicide, unless you're guaranteed to finish it off. The loss of units in a squad will also affect their ability to use countermeasures effectively, so keep that in mind. CHARGING UP Your units' charge increases at the end of your turn, which explains why Gains cannot fire on the first turn, or why Utgarda Loki can only fire on the eight turn. Charge does not increase for units that are desynched, in a dock or transformed in bipedal form, although those are good ways to protect the charge those units have already collected. UNIT EXPERIENCE Pilots gain experience for most actions they perform, including of course attacking, but also resupplying/repairing. If you consider that they start on level zero, a pilot can gain five levels of experience, with the fifth one being "ace" status. Every level is represented by four little squares. Each level of experience gives a small boost to one of the four main stats of the squad (HP, Power, Hit% or Evade%), depending on the type of ship being piloted. Whenever one of your ships is destroyed, you lose neither the ship nor any resources, but the squad piloting it will lose one level of experience (4 squares). An excellent strategy to level up your fleet is to put advanced pilots in frontline fighters and rookie pilots in supply ships, where they get plenty of chances to act and rarely get shot at. Midnight Eyes should always be manned by ace pilots, as the rarely if ever get to act and are almost always the first ships to get fired upon, so they definitely need the extra chance of survival. MINING RESOURCES Resources can either be used for building new units or for repairing facilities on the map. In that case, you must harvest the resources on that map and then use them on any hex adjacent to the facility (you must NOT unload them on a carrier, as you cannot retrieve them again on that mission). Repairing facilities is such a hassle and a waste of resources that I can't see any use in doing so (repaired facilities give no advantage except a new point to dock/repair your units). Regular Craft Modules can harvest 50 resources per turn for a maximum of 200, although they can unload them on a carrier and go back for more. Larger, Mark 2 Carriers can harvest 120 resources per turn for a maximum of 480, although they can't unload them on a carrier or dock at all. You can always go back to previous missions to collect more resources (the maximum is 999 per type). They are even transferable between the two campaigns. DESYNCH WALL SCOUT This trick is almost too cheap: desynched units can cross walls, which leads to a very interesting strategy. You can use them to scout ahead on the other side of surfaces and, if they get detected within the wall, they will remain desynched and safe from harm. This even work if the fighter or force is sticking out, provided the other half of the team is inside an obstacle. Even better is the fact that the enemy will still lose their turn if they come in contact with you. In this state, the only threat to your unit is running out of fuel or a desynch shot (but seriously, how often do those units show up?) =============================================================================== = (05) Unlockables = =============================================================================== --------------------------- Spoils --------------------------- Spoils for developing new ships are found in the following missions: 1. Training Supplies - Mission 1 2. Directive 1 - Mission 1 3. Training Supplies 2 - Mission 2 4. Range Wave Module - Mission 2 5. Directive 2 - Mission 3 6. Mars Facility Data - Mission 3 7. R3 Craft Wreckage - Mission 3 8. Split Wave Module - Mission 4 9. Floating Container - Mission 4 10. Desynch System - Mission 4 11. Jupiter Base Records - Mission 5 12. Jurisdictive Dossier - Mission 5 13. Tentacle Remote - Mission 5 14. Bydo Analysis 1 - Mission 5 15. Bipedal Module Data - Mission 6 16. Thermostabilizers - Mission 7 17. Bipedal Heat Axe - Mission 8 18. Letter from Earth - Mission 9 19. Underwater Module - Mission 9 20. Light Alloy - Mission 10 21. Positron Gun Module - Mission 8 22. Warp Coordinates - Mission 11 23. Orbit Fighter Scheme - Mission 11 24. Bydo Analysis 2 - Mission 13 25. Etherium Cluster - Mission 14 26. Current Regulator - Mission 17 27. Anchor Remote - Mission 19 28. Bydogen Cluster - Mission 20 29. Bipedal Wave Module - Mission 21 30. Rotational Thrusters - Mission 22 31. Bydo Analysis 3 - Mission 24 32. Bipedal Engineering - Mission 25 33. Cruiser Modification - Mission 26 34. F-Limit Breacher - Mission 27 35. Bydo Coordinates - Mission 28 36. Bydo Analysis 4 - Mission 30 37. Medal of Honor - Mission 30 38. Mark of Resurrection - Mission 31 39. System Wreckage - Mission 31 40. Bipedal Missile Pods - Mission 32 41. Doomsday Design - Mission 33 42. Viscous Hide - Mission 33 43. Buoyant Shell - Mission 34 44. Bipedal Wave Unit - Mission 35 45. Chaos Schematics - Mission 36 46. Sonic Generator - Mission 37 47. Scale Armor - Mission 38 48. Cargo Enhancement - Mission 39 49. Bipedal Positron Gun - Mission 40 50. Versatility Gear - Mission 41 51. Cybergenetics - Mission 43 52. G-Emitter - Mission 46 53. Force Claws - Mission 46 54. Alien Spore - Mission 47 55. Liquid Metal - Mission 48 56. Bio Weaponry - Mission 49 57. Melee Weaponry - Mission 50 58. Metallic Lifeform - Mission 51 59. Arthropod Bonds - Mission 52 60. Spinate Structure - Mission 53 61. Accelerator - Mission 55 62. Training Supplies 3 - Mission 56 63. Water of Memories - Mission 57 64. Veteran's Insignia - Mission 57 --------------------------- Gallery --------------------------- New gallery images are opened after the following missions: 1. Chaotic Storm - Available from the start 2. Heimdall's Return - Available from the start 3. Cerulean Skies - Mission 1 4. Vigilant Sentries - Mission 2 5. Unified Front - Mission 3 6. Armada in Flight - Mission 4 7. Spawn of the Underworld - Mission 5 8. Renewed Promise - Mission 7 9. Malevolent Pulse - Mission 8 10. The Ultimate Weapon - Mission 9 11. Waters of Serenity - Mission 10 12. Clash in the Heavens - Mission 11 13. New Wings of Courage - Mission 12 14. Unwilling hosts - Mission 21 15. The Black Barrage - Mission 28 16. Truth Beyond Fate - Mission 30 17. Terror Unleashed - Mission 31 18. Legion of the Damned - Mission 29 19. Dual Threat - Mission 33 20. Doomsday Armada - Mission 34 21. Lunatic Velocity - Mission 37 22. Defensive Power - Mission 38 23. Peacemaker - Mission 40 24. Brothers in Arms - Mission 47 25. Darkness Breeding - Mission 48 26. The Four Horsemen - Mission 50 27. BHW-GNS Series - Mission 51 28. BH-TB Series - Mission 56 29. No Direction Home - Mission 57 30. Versatility - Beat mission 57, then complete any 10 missions 31. The Valiant - Beat mission 57, then complete any 20 missions 32. The Forsaken - Beat mission 57, then complete any 30 missions --------------------------- Vs. Maps --------------------------- New Vs. maps are earned after the following missions: 1. Stratosphere 1 - Available from the start 2. Earth's moon - Mission 2 3. Asteroid Belt - Mission 4 4. Saturn's Rings - Mission 6 5. Vertical Zone - Mission 7 6. Major Threat - Mission 9 7. Marine Battle - Mission 10 8. Pocket Galaxy - Mission 20 9. Black Hole - Mission 22 10. Asteroid Maze - Mission 27 11. Bydo Skies - Mission 29 12. Decaying City - Mission 33 13. Burning Hell - Mission 36 14. Digital Space - Mission 44 15. Warp Space - Mission 46 16. Stratosphere 2 - Mission 56 --------------------------- Pilots --------------------------- Here is the list of all the pilots' default names and the mission after which they join your crew. Any mission number followed by * denotes that the pilot must be rescued from a facility marked "IN" during that mission. EARTH SIDE Captains Squads Remotes .================. .================. .================. | Francis | -- | | Johnson | -- | | Sky | -- | | Eduardo | 03 | | Santiago | -- | | Star | 01 | | Deal | 05 | | Liana | -- | | Moon | 03 | | Brunner | 08 | | Kalinski | -- | | Sword | 05*| | Mathena | 20 | | Porter | -- | | Bird | 07*| .================. | Lovering | 01 | | Hill | 09 | | Okuno | 03 | | Bloom | 11 | | Kakajma | 04 | | Sea | 20 | | Velouria | 05*| | Onc | 22 | | Phong | 07*| | Eyou | 28*| | Eunjung | 08 | .================. | Ling | 09 | | Arjuna | 11 | | Sung | 20 | | Kyr | 28*| .================. BYDO SIDE Captains Squads Remotes .================. .================. .================. | Fel | -- | | Ext | -- | | Elov | -- | | Lasle | 33 | | Wok | -- | | Edpla | 31 | | Epan | 35 | | Eupy | -- | | Nete | 33*| | Dwehn | 36 | | Ouwe | -- | | Arthy | 37 | | Youn | 39 | | Reaby | -- | | Oucan | 38 | .================. | Doal | 31 | | Thin | 39 | | Lyo | 33*| | Kot | 41 | | Uwan | 35 | | Not | 47 | | Tisn | 37 | | Hin | 51*| | Owt | 38 | | Gelse | 53*| | Ogo | 39 | .================. | Bac | 41 | | Khom | 47 | | Etoy | 51*| | Ourb | 53*| .================. =============================================================================== = (06) Contributions/Legal Terms = =============================================================================== This guide may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. Thanks to Max Watson for correcting a mistake on mission 39 Copyright (c) 2008 Paul Chenevert