Hardest mission to get S rank?

[Diamond Girls]

For me without using tricks, Back up Back down is the hardest. Otherwise, Quiet exit.

Edit:

Extreme and Subsistence not included. Sorry I wasn't clear.

[Captain Boreale]

Not so hard to earn "s" rank in Backup Back Down. There are many methods available to handle that easily. The hardest missions to get "s" rank are replay missions titled "extreme" and "subsistence". Such as mission 49 "subsistence" occupation forces. Which you only play with combat fatigue and no proper equipment.

[GreyCatz]

I'm curious about what you consider "tricks" in TPP - do you mean mods?

Unless you consider NO TRACES a "trick", then BACKUP, BACK DOWN might actually be the easiest mission to S-rank, closely followed by ROOT CAUSE.

But that wasn't your question...

I agree that A QUIET EXIT is difficult, mainly because it's so chaotic. Personally, VOICES always is a challenge - sometimes I succeed on my first try, sometimes it takes 4 or 5 tries before I manage to lure Volgin to the precipice and then run him over.

[LSD]

Prologue/Man Who...
If you didn't get it the first time you played it, then sitting through all the scripted stuff is torture. Ugh.

[wotbop]

Originally posted by LSD:

Prologue/Man Who...
If you didn't get it the first time you played it, then sitting through all the scripted stuff is torture. Ugh.

Yea even if you skip all cutscenes it is still super slow.

[Deathraven13]

Mission 51.

[Diamond Girls]

Originally posted by Captain Boreale:

Not so hard to earn "s" rank in Backup Back Down. There are many methods available to handle that easily. The hardest missions to get "s" rank are replay missions titled "extreme" and "subsistence". Such as mission 49 "subsistence" occupation forces. Which you only play with combat fatigue and no proper equipment.

As a newbie i felt this mission (ep9) is too much and requires handling and managing time. Getting S rank wasn't straight forward.

That before I learned the tricks to it.

[Diamond Girls]

Originally posted by GreyCatz:

I'm curious about what you consider "tricks" in TPP - do you mean mods?

Unless you consider NO TRACES a "trick", then BACKUP, BACK DOWN might actually be the easiest mission to S-rank, closely followed by ROOT CAUSE.

But that wasn't your question...

I agree that A QUIET EXIT is difficult, mainly because it's so chaotic. Personally, VOICES always is a challenge - sometimes I succeed on my first try, sometimes it takes 4 or 5 tries before I manage to lure Volgin to the precipice and then run him over.

By tricks i mean blocking the 1st target with dhorse, fultoning it, then using phantom cigar to finish the timer quickly. You will get no traces bonus that can get u S rank alone.

Fun fact: when I used phantom cigar i forgot how to stop it and my time went to 42 mins. Still got the S rank though.

[Diamond Girls]

Originally posted by LSD:

Prologue/Man Who...
If you didn't get it the first time you played it, then sitting through all the scripted stuff is torture. Ugh.

It is pain in the azz ngl, but I think it is more manageable to get S rank. Haven't tried it though. My rank is still D on that ha ha.

[Diamond Girls]

Originally posted by Deathraven13:

Mission 51.

Indeed. But i wasn't clear in my post so I do apologize. I meant not including the repeated missions.

[GreyCatz]

1. So, NO TRACES is a "trick" in your book? Well, I strongly disagree. It's a very generous bonus for using the built-in features in TPP to their fullest potential. The Phantom Cigar and D-Horse aren't mods - you're actually meant to use them.

2. You can S-rank OCCUPATION FORCES by using D-Horse as a road-block, too (Regular and SUBSISTENCE), but maybe that's also a "trick".

3. You can S-rank BACKUP, BACK DOWN by deploying outside the Supply Post and just wait for all vehicles to pass right in front of you - is that also a "trick"?

4. If you manage not to die, then PROLOGUE will give you your first S-rank no matter how much you mess up otherwise. I'm actually struggling to imagine how to achieve anything less than an A-rank.

5. TPP comes with a host of defined options for the player to use/figure out. and after that you can customize your own play-style for S-ranking almost indefinitely. A few examples:

a) Always deploy at 6 AM. Night-time is so much easier I actually consider that a "trick",
b) After 8 missions, always use a DD-soldier and do without Snake's bionic arm features, Good luck with that.
c) And, of course, make sure to have fun....

[Diamond Girls]

Originally posted by GreyCatz:

1. So, NO TRACES is a "trick" in your book? Well, I strongly disagree. It's a very generous bonus for using the built-in features in TPP to their fullest potential. The Phantom Cigar and D-Horse aren't mods - you're actually meant to use them.

2. You can S-rank OCCUPATION FORCES by using D-Horse as a road-block, too (Regular and SUBSISTENCE), but maybe that's also a "trick".

3. You can S-rank BACKUP, BACK DOWN by deploying outside the Supply Post and just wait for all vehicles to pass right in front of you - is that also a "trick"?

4. If you manage not to die, then PROLOGUE will give you your first S-rank no matter how much you mess up otherwise. I'm actually struggling to imagine how to achieve anything less than an A-rank.

5. TPP comes with a host of defined options for the player to use/figure out. and after that you can customize your own play-style for S-ranking almost indefinitely. A few examples:

a) Always deploy at 6 AM. Night-time is so much easier I actually consider that a "trick",
b) After 8 missions, always use a DD-soldier and do without Snake's bionic arm features, Good luck with that.
c) And, of course, make sure to have fun....

By trick, I mean, bypassing the normal gameplay. Sure, blocking vehicles with D Horse and fultoning them isnt a trick. Dropping outside the Supply outpost (news to me, gonna try that thanks) isnt trick, coz in the process, u captured all vehicles, which is the main objective. Why using phantom cigar in Backup Backdown is a trick? Simple. You need to capture as many vehicle as possible but u only captured one, and by using phantom cigar u got no trace bonus that would otherwise A or below have u tried to captured all vehicles without it.

One more example of trick:

Dropping supply box on Quiet in Ep11.

[lhapekl]

Originally posted by GreyCatz:

2. You can S-rank OCCUPATION FORCES by using D-Horse as a road-block, too (Regular and SUBSISTENCE), but maybe that's also a "trick".

pretty sure you can't use D-horse in SUBSISTENCE, you can however call for helicopter pick up in the middle of enemy base which will kill everyone there and distract tanks while you fulton them. i got S rank that way.

[GreyCatz]

Originally posted by lhapekl:

Originally posted by GreyCatz:

2. You can S-rank OCCUPATION FORCES by using D-Horse as a road-block, too (Regular and SUBSISTENCE), but maybe that's also a "trick".

pretty sure you can't use D-horse in SUBSISTENCE, you can however call for helicopter pick up in the middle of enemy base which will kill everyone there and distract tanks while you fulton them. i got S rank that way.

Yes, you're right about no buddies in SUBSISTENCE - I forgot about that. And your heli pick-up approach is a great idea that I need to try out myself.

[GreyCatz]

Originally posted by Diamond Girls:

By trick, I mean, bypassing the normal gameplay. Sure, blocking vehicles with D Horse and fultoning them isnt a trick. Dropping outside the Supply outpost (news to me, gonna try that thanks) isnt trick, coz in the process, u captured all vehicles, which is the main objective. Why using phantom cigar in Backup Backdown is a trick? Simple. You need to capture as many vehicle as possible but u only captured one, and by using phantom cigar u got no trace bonus that would otherwise A or below have u tried to captured all vehicles without it.

One more example of trick:

Dropping supply box on Quiet in Ep11.

OK, I really don't mean to be a nit-picking jerk about this, but in my opinion there is no such thing as "bypassing the normal gameplay" in TPP; it's exactly what makes this game so great and popular.

You can do whatever you like (in most missions) and come out with a perfectly legitimate and valid experience. The fact that there are no defined difficulty levels is also an indication that as long as you finish the mission and enjoy yourself doing it, you're playing the game as it was intended.

Indeed, "bypassing the normal gameplay" will in some cases yield unexpected results or "hidden" bonuses. Your approach to TPP is perfectly OK. I may disagree about what you consider tricks, but it isn't about you or me being right or wrong.

[apple juice]

The only thing I can think of that I've done that I would consider a 'trick' is a smoke grenade in a jeep. I don't know if it works as intended or not, but it just feels wrong. And looks wrong. Everything about it is wrong. But it is really funny and an easy way to S rank Skull Face.