R-Type Command - FAQ/Walkthrough (for PSP)
Version 1.11 (Last update on 08-31-2008)
Created by Garamoth
Contact:
[email protected]
===============================================================================
= (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
