Highway to the Ranger Zone

Everything you'll need to know to solo Inferno as a Ranger. Weapon information, tactics, strategies for difficult levels.

|| Version History ||

Version 1.0.0. Date: 4/14/19

• Guide completed with Trooper Strats for all necessary missions and some Ranger Zone Strats for missions 1, 62, 65, 73, and 89 on release.

Version 1.0.1. Date: 4/21/19

• Various Errors in Writing fixed.
  
• Changed Loadout for Mission 64: Bug Tower.
  
• Finished the missing chunk of Information for Mission 69: Towering Beast.

Version 1.1.1. Date: 5/5/19

• More various errors in Writing fixed.
  
• Added additional strategy to Monster Camp, for those who couldn't perform the Stingray Strategy which has been designated as the Ranger Zone Strategy.
  
• Fixed mistake of not adding new Monster Camp Strategy to Update List.
  
• Informed Zeddy that the Wasp Enemies are not "bees".
  
• Ranger Joke Strategy made funnier.

Version 1.1.2. Date: 7/9/19

• More writing errors corrected.
  
• Additional information added to Mission 56: Transport Ship Surprise Attack, as additional bullet at the bottom.

Version 1.1.3. Date: 8/19/19

• Even more writing errors corrected.
  
• Additional voice lines added to the end of Mission 86: Battle to the Death for additional dramatic flare.

Ranger Basics

At the surface level, Ranger is a simple class. You probably already know almost everything you need from playing other third-person and first-person shooters. He can run, switch weapons, jump, dodge, and shoot. It's a very small set of controls, and this makes Ranger easy to pick up and play. The game will explicitly recommend you start with him.

- Why play Ranger?

Players are often turned off by Ranger when they compare him to other classes. That lady can fly! And her laser gun is destroying things in an instant that you need to spend a lot of time shooting at! That guy is calling in a mech and bombing all the enemies in a flash! And that guy is in the middle of a bunch of spiders and they're barely even hurting him!

It's true that Ranger can appear underwhelming, but he's more than capable of handling himself. It's also easy to focus on just the cool stuff other classes are capable of and lose sight of their drawbacks.

• Wing Diver always has to manage her energy. There are times when a Wing Diver has to choose between attacking and staying on the move. Ranger needs no such compromise, and can fire and reload his weapons any time he wants.
  
• Wing Diver has no dodge move, she can only take off using energy. That particular burst of speed is not as effective at avoiding individual hits as rolling is, and rolling can be used as much as is needed with no consideration.
  
• Air Raider has no direct combat weapons. This puts him in a bad position if enemies get close, and is basically helpless should he get grabbed. When that happens, he'll appreciate Rangers giving a helping hand.
  
• Air Raider can run out of credits and be left with no equipment to use.
  
• Air Raider cannot roll through obstacles.
  
• Fencer is very difficult to use.
  
• Fencer lacks indirect means of attack and must always put himself in harms way.

The guide will elaborate more on Ranger's strong points when it comes to his weapon categories.

- Advanced Techniques

There's a number of techniques you can use with Ranger to fight more efficiently. Some are widely known and simple input tricks, others are more strategic and situational.

Diagonal Rolling

Everyone knows this one, but it's mentioned here anyway for completion. Ranger's default running speed is not great, and you move approximately twice as fast by continuously rolling instead. As you're already aware, you can roll by pressing the jump button while moving sideways, but doing so makes it difficult to see where you're going.

A way to increase vision while rolling is to instead move diagonally to roll. Rolling triggers instead of jumping somewhere around the 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock directions. This means that gamepad users are able to roll more forwards than keyboard users, giving them a slight advantage.

Some people believe that the ranger roll contains invincibility frames. This is false.

You should still roll to avoid attacks, as the hitbox and movement it provides is very helpful for avoiding hits.

Switch Shooting

Many Ranger weapons have a low rate of fire (0.7/s or less). By equipping such weapons in both slots, it's possible to fire them in alternate to effectrively double the rate of fire and ammo capacity in exchange for added reload time. A popular choice for this technique is Lysander.

Note that Switch Shooting has a lot of (often unexplored) depth and goes a lot further than simply doubling up on Lysanders. An example could be fighting at close range and long range simultaneously by mixing shotgun and sniper fire, or swapping between rockets and snipers to deal with mutants mixed into weaker hordes.

Switch Reloading

This is related to switch-shooting, but instead of increasing rate of fire, you effectively eliminate reload time. To perform this, simply switch to a weapon in need of reloading between shots of your other one. Easy to mix with Switch Shooting.

Recoil Cancelling

Some weapons will lock Ranger into an animation where he deals with the after effects of whatever powerful weapon he just fired, with a widely-known and notable example being Stringer. In addition to freezing Ranger in place, it also delays the time until the weapon can start reloading.

To eliminate this animation, simply switch weapons. Switch twice to immediately start reloading of the weapon in question.

Roll Charging (Hand Grenades)

If you roll while winding up a hand grenade, the grenade keeps winding. This can make hand grenades a particularly effective weapon for close range brawling as they never need to reload.

Roll Locking (Missiles)

You can achieve missile locks while rolling, making them fairly effective at fighting on the move. Just don't roll while firing!

Cooking (Hand Grenades)

Timed hand grenades start their countdown from the moment you start winding them. This means two things. Firstly, if you wind up a grenade for too long, it'll blow up in your hand. Secondly, if you wind up a grenade just right, you can hit enemies with them as if they were impact-based.

Stack Attack (Delayed Weapons)

Some Ranger weapons have a delayed effect after firing them. While this is often viewed as inconvenient, it can also be turned around and utilized for adding up a lot of damage in a sneak attack. Some examples:

• Firing many Air Tortoise or Prominence at an enemy from afar, then sniping them at the first impact.
  
• Placing multiple timed grenades at a tunnel exit to deal damage and clear line of sight.
  
• Firing multiple rounds of Splash Grenade into an underground hallway.
  
• Putting two rounds of Sticky Grenade on a target to heavily soften them up before combat starts.

Panic Bomb (Explosives)

More of a thing to keep in mind than a technique. If you get an enemy in your face and your only weapon available is an explosive, aim at the ground or a wall behind the enemy in order to catch the enemy in the blast without hitting yourself. To make aiming at the specific spot on the ground easier, shoot while jumping.

Sometimes you can bring certain weapons with the intention of safely panic bombing yourself, as is the case with Reverse Shooter and A1 Plasma Bomber.

Switch Scope (Scoped Weapons)

Certain long-ranged weapon such as Stingray M99 or AF99-ST don't come equipped with a scope. If your other weapon has one, you can align your shot using that, then switch.

Jump Rope (Piercing Weapons)

When aiming straight forward with Ranger, your shots will align with just underneath the bodies of most giant insects. To maximize the amount of pierced enemies with Stringer or Slug Shot, jump before firing to bring your weapon into ant height.

Rocket Jump (Launchers)

While ill-advised and with limited use-cases, it's possible for a Ranger to blow himself up in a controlled direction to get places he would normally not be able to. As he recovers quickly from ragdolling, Ranger can also perform a roll once in mid-air in order to further control where he ends up.

Burst Fire (Flamethrowers)

Flamethrowers pierce as many enemies as you can gather up, but they're also good tools for gathering up enemies in the first place. By tapping the fire buttons in small bursts at approaching enemies, you can allow more of them to gather up in your range while keeping what's in front of you stunned. This can easily increase the amount of bugs killed in a single tank tenfold, which ïs important due to the long reload times on flamethrowers.

Assault Rifles

This category is considered Ranger's primary weapon. It's a pretty self-explanatory category.

Common attributes for assault rifles include:

• Medium range
  
• Decent to high damage over time
  
• High rate of fire
  
• Easy to use

- AF-series

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★★★
Range: ★★★☆☆

The standard Assault Firearm is good for taking down bugs one at a time. The consistent hail of bullets makes it easy to hit enemies. As the reload time is short, and damage and accuracy is decent, it's an overall reliable weapon. Rather than focusing on one enemy at a time, the fire can be spread around to maintain stunlock on multiple bugs for safety.

Variant: AF-RA Series

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★★☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

The RA variant has a considerably higher rate of fire than the usual AF. Because of this, damage output is increased. Combined with a larger magazine, fire can usually be sustained for longer, as well. The drawbacks are a considerably increased reload time and reduced range, but those can be worth it if you're expecting to get overwhelmed by a lot of bugs that need to be hosed down in quick succession.

Variant: AF-X Series

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★★☆
Range: ★☆☆☆☆

The X-variant is a shotgun pretending to be an assault rifle. It trades a lot of firepower for a lot of accuracy and will usually not hit anywhere close to where you're aiming.

Variant: AF-ST Series

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★★★★☆
Range: ★★★★☆

With high accuracy, range, and stopping power per bullet, there's a lot to like about the ST variant. Bullet travel time is also considerably faster than usual, and this makes it much easier to hit moving target at long distance. ST suffers mostly from poor magazine size and long reload times, but performs admirably as a hybrid between assault rifle and sniper rifle.

Variant: AF-B Series

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★★☆
Range: ★★★★☆

The burst-fire rifles are quite powerful, with the most notable drawback being the strain it'll put on your trigger finger. It also lacks the sheer rate of fire to be an effective crowd control weapon.

- Fusion Blaster

Damage: ★★★★★★★★★★
Speed: ★★★★★
Range: ★★☆☆☆
Limited use

This is the game's strongest weapon, and is not to be taken lightly. It's firepower exceeds beyond Wing Diver's Rapier, and even a Fencer dual-wielding Disruptor. Fusion Blaster fires instantly with pinpoint accuracy, and will carve through enemies like a superheated nuclear laser blast through warm butter.

Fusion Blaster only has two drawbacks. The first is its fairly limited range, but the more pressing drawback is that it cannot be reloaded. Once you run out of Fusion Blaster, you're left to using only your other weapon for the remainder of the mission. Both of these can and should be worked around to utilize it's terrifying power.

Even though it can't be reloaded, Fusion Blaster comes with a considerable magazine size, and can sustain constant fire for 20-25 seconds. This is also the gun's default mode, as simply tapping the trigger will make the gun empty itself. However, this is easily worked around simply by switching weapons when you want to stop output.

A last note about Fusion Blaster is that unlike most other weapons, the laser follows where the barrel is aimed rather than where the crosshair is. This has significance when rolling during the gun's burst or being stuck in a Retarius web.

Shotguns

Assuming you've played a shooter before, shotguns should need little introduction.

Common attributes for shotguns include:

• Short range
  
• Good burst damage
  
• Firing a spread of pellets (usually)
  
• Long reload time

- Buffalo

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

A solid, all-around shotgun that works as you'd expect it to. Buffalo fires an oval spread of pellets that makes it easier to track small targets moving sideways and kill them in one shot. It's a solid weapon against indivdual flying enemies, and for immediately taking out a target that's too close for comfort.

The long reload time is a drawback, but since damage over time remains about even with assault rifles, it supports a playstyle to spends more time dodging and less time constantly firing. This can sometimes be safer.

Later Buffalo variants increases in reload time considerably along with its ammo capacity. This makes them undesirable to many players.

- Governor

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

It's not immediately clear what seperates the Governor and Buffalo series of shotguns.

Where Buffalo fires vaguely in an oval, the spread on Governor is larger and more even, as well as consisting of much more pellets. This adds up to terrifying damage up close, or very large coverage at a distance.

Governor reload time never increases, and will stay at 4 seconds.

- Wide Shot

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

As its name implies, Wide Shot will fire in a very wide spread that can hit a lot of enemies horizontally. The damage is very respectable point blank, as well. The spread can be utilized for some crowd control on open flatland, but will be wasted in tighter spaces.

Variant: Wide Shot VR

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

More powerful than its main line, VR will have a tall vertical spread. While this is decent for not having to worry about aiming at fliers vertically, the real boon is how the spread pattern lines up nicely for hitting a hector at medium distance.

- Slug Shot

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★☆☆☆☆

Unlike most other shotguns, Slug Shot fires only a single bullet. Said bullet carries enormous power, however, and will even pierce through enemies.

While the range is short, and it fires slowly, Slug Shot can achieve unprecedented killing power when duel-wielded or just used intelligently.

- Sparrow Shot

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★★☆
Range: ★★★☆☆

A rapid-fire shotgun that can put out respectable burst damage at decent range. It's only drawback comes from the high rate of fire making it run out fast, so you'll spend a lot of its use-time reloading.

Sniper Rifles

Sniper Rifles allow Ranger to attack from long distances, and that allows him to drop enemies before they're close enough to fight back. They can be used to precisely draw aggro, keep a boss stunned at a distance to keep them from becoming a threat, hit aerial enemies no matter how far they fly, and provide long-ranged support for your team.

When an Air Raider's vehicle blows up and gets snapped up in a red ants jaws, or when a Wing Diver gets snatched by a Retarius web, a Ranger equipped with a Sniper Rifle is best suited to save the day.

While the other classes have options attack from long range, none can do it as precisely and easily as Ranger. Sniper Rifles allow you to hit the insides of transport ships with barely the smallest speck of weak point visible, right between dodgerolls. The combination of accuracy and mobility is unmatched.

- MMF

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★★★☆

A relatively quick sniper rifle. While you never quite know what you get with this line, most MMF performs respectably and are easy to use. While the accuracy isn't perfect, and the bullet speed isn't amazing, most MMF rifles will hit what you point at. As the series fluctuates wildly, here are some noticable outliers:

• MMF40RA

  Weaker shots, but like/unlike Assault Rifles: The RA Models are faster fireing, but also remain accurate. Recommended, but avoid using at close ranges like the description suggests.
  

• MMF41

  Can't hit a barn at long range due to A- Accuracy. Avoid.
  

• MMF41-B3

  All "B" models fire in Bursts equal to the number beside it. B3 stands for a 3 round burst. Awkward to get used to and slightly lower damage, but still more accurate than the regular MMF41 it's spawned from and has more range. Recommended.
  

• MMF42

  Has surprisingly superb bullet speed that's comparable to some Inferno Weapons, unlike the rest of the series. May prove useful even on higher difficulties. Recommended.
  

• MMF50

  Can't hit a barn at point blank due to B Accuracy. Avoid.
  

• MMF100

  The exact point when the Lysander Series is challenged. Recommended.

- Stringer

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ★☆☆☆☆
Range: ★★★★★

Many sniper rifles have the drawback of being poor against crowds. Stringer goes against this so hard it's arguably Ranger's best crowd clearance weapon. In addition, its damage output is game-changing, easily taking out even heavier targets in 1-2 shots.

Stringer, as its name hints at, is a piercing sniper rifle. The bullet will go clear through as many enemies as you can line up, with the exceptions of various spawners like tunnel exits and transport ships. As its output is enough to oneshot even most most mutants online, all you have to do is line them up, and fire once.

And fire once you will. Stringer's capacity never increases beyond its single shot. Later upgrade lines also stack on reload time. This combined with its inherently massive damage output keeps even the level 36 Stringer J2 relevant for Inferno difficulty.

Stringer is not just strong for a Ranger weapon, it's a low-level gun that gives the other classes' superweapons a serious run for their money.

For a fun demonstration, here's Stringer being used to instantly wipe out the final wave of the first mission:

One thing to keep in mind is that the game's engine will not always correctly detect hits from Stringer. The shots are notorious for flaking out when attacking transport ships, an effect that compounds at low frame rates.

- Lysander

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★★★★

Powerful and accurate, Lysander might be the first thing that comes to your mind at the words "sniper rifle". While the low fire rate makes the damage over time not so impressive, its true power can be unlocked by equipping two of them and switching between each shot. Doing so will double your damage output over time (before reloads), bringing it up to a level that competes with assault rifles.

While dual-wielding Lysanders gives you poor crowd control abilities, it makes you a shoe-in for the dedicated sniper in a team setting, and comes highly recommended if your expected targets are few.

Lysander needs not be dual-wielded with only itself; it also pairs well with many other weapons, such as being used to stack extra damage between shotgun blasts, or switching with Stringer/Goliath, keeping that weapon in hand in order to actively reload it while Lysander cools down for free in the background.

- Nova Buster

Damage: ★★★★★★
Speed: ★☆☆☆☆
Range: ★★★★★
Limited use

Nova Buster deals terrifying damage, has pinpoint accuracy, enormous range, and a fast traveling shot. It can oneshot anything less than a boss almost all the way until the end-game.

The catch? it only has one shot, and after that can not be reloaded.

If you find yourself in a mission thinking "I could handle this easily if only that one thing was dead", you're looking at the right situation to bring Nova Buster.

Zero Laser Rifle

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ★★★★☆
Range: ★★★★☆
Limited use

This is the rifle used by Omega Team. Or at the least, a prototype of it. While those guys can reload it, you can not. Capable of 18000 damage after 3 seconds of sustained fire, and after that it's out.

The low ammo capacity, sustained nature, and ability to stop firing at any time makes it good for exactly one thing: taking out transport ships. This is a job it's damned good at. Online it'll be enough for two transports and change, offline it'll be enough for every transport in the level.

Sadly, this level 25 variant is the only one available.

- Five Card

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★★★★★

There's only two of these, but Five Card is a very noteworthy sniper for the hard/hardest area. While a bit of an oddball, this shotgun/sniper hybrid handles decently, and the pellets add up to a respectable amount of damage.

The spread makes it particularly easy to hit fliers, and Five Card XB is particularly interesting because it has the longest range out of all sniper rifles, even gaining an edge on Wing Diver's thunder sniper.

Rocket Launchers

If assault rifles are ranger's bread, rocket launchers are his butter. It's an amazing category of weapons you should default to if you don't have any better plans. Rocket launchers are categorised by:

• Insanely long, unmatched range
  
• Decent damage
  
• Exploding on impact

- Stingray

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★★★★★★

Probably the game's most versatile weapon. Stingray is quick, easy to aim, and powerful. The explosion radius is not the biggest, but exists instead at a comfortable level where you can feel somewhat safe using it even at close range.

With stingray you can blow away close enemies to send them further away. Its 3000m range means you can attack enemies no matter how far they are, and the blast radius means you can take them on no matter how many.

In addition to this, the launcher his very accurate, and the rockets travel very fast. Later versions even come with a scope, so this can replace a sniper with ease.

When you start the game, it defaults you to a Stingray. This is with good reason.

- Volcano

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★★★★

Volcano is a high-damage, clunky alternative to Stingray. It's characterised by smaller blast area, longer reload times, and burst-count of the entire magazine. The burst can be circumvented by simply switching weapons, turning it into a stingray that trades blast area and accuracy for magazine size.

Variant: Volcano W

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★★★★

The W-variants fire multiple rockets in a spread, which results in a lot of damage. The tradeoff is that the rockets are very slow. Sometimes useful.

- Cascade

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★★☆
Range: ★★★★★

Cascade is an easy-to-use paralell to Volcano. Damage and blast area is usally less than Volcano, but on the flip side you don't need to switch weapons to stop firing with it. In the end, Cascade wins the arms race because there's a level 70 Cascade Iota, but Volcano stops much earlier.

Taken on its own merits, Cacade is capable of an incredibly amount of burst damage and can squeeze out 9000 damage over 2 seconds from anything across the map, and 2.5 seconds later it's ready to do it all again. This compares favourably to several sniper rifles, but due to having a small amount of explosive radius can also be used to disperse of enemies that are getting too close, with little risk of hitting yourself in the process.

The best angle to compare Cascade Iota from is comparing it to AF99-ST, and that angle puts it in a very good light. It compares like so:

• + Bullets explode
  
• + More range
  
• + Fires faster
  
• - Less ammo
  
• - Individual bullets are weaker (but higher DPS)
  
• - Somewhat less accurate

- Plasma Bomber

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ★★★★☆
Range: ★★★☆☆
Limited Use

There's 3 different Plasma Bombers, and they're distinct enough that each one must be talked about individually. Generally they're very powerful, but drain shortly, and shouldn't be brought without an idea of which specific places you'd like to use them.

Lv11 A1 Plasma Bomber

This one only has 4 shots, doing 250 damage each. At level 11, 250 is very good for a rocket launcher, but the big draw is of course the 40m blast radius. Since you're likely to be playing on normal mode when using this, you could fire it into the ground as a panic bomb and clear every insect around you, taking a mere 75 damage yourself.

Lv29 A2 Plasma Bomber

As much as a series with 3 wildly different weapons can have an outlier, this one is it. A2 doesn't have the impressive blast radius of its siblings, opting instead to go with a huge amount of total damage per shot. A2 Plasma Bomber is essentially an incredibly strong long-range plasma shotgun, doing damage comparable to level 90 shotguns but at over twice their range. You run out after 20 shots, or a total of 60 000 damage; more than the lv32 Fusion Blaster G2., or the lv55 Nova Buster DA.

Lv57 A3 Plasma Bomber

At a solid 2000 damage per shot, and a very respectable 30m blast area, A3 can get rid of huge swathes of enemies in one or two blasts for you. Many missions will have few enough large clusters of enemies to make bringing this a good option.

- Goliath

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★★★★

If Cascade is an explosive AF-ST, then Goliath is an explosive Lysander. Equipped with a scope, Goliath can be used as much for sniping as for heavy crowd control. The only reason it's not a top-tier inferno weapon is because the line stops at level 50, and later, faster launchers catch up to its amazing damage.

Can be switch-shot to great effect with Lysander.

Missile Launchers

Like most of Ranger's categories, missile launchers need little introduction.

Common attributes for missiles include:

• Holding down the trigger to lock on to one or more enemies, then releasing the full mag in one burst.
  
• Homes onto enemies.
  
• Explodes.
  
• Usually short reload time.

- Air Tortoise

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★☆☆☆☆
Range: ★★★☆☆

On paper this looks like a no-brainer to bring, and while it's a fantastic weapon it comes attached with a warning label: handle with care.

Despite heavy damage, large blast area, perfect tracking and decent range, Air Tortoise suffers from the missile itself traveling slower than you can run. Eneemies can easily walk away from it, so it should be reserved from situations where you expect to hit regardless, such as against a slow Hector, or a big clump of advancing insects.

- ME Emerald

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★★☆☆

When you hear the phrase "missile launcher", this weapon is likely to be exactly what comes to mind. It's very solid at its job, which is to comfortably deal with a reasonable amount of enemies, flying or otherwise.

- MLRA

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

What seperates this from Emerald is that it trades blast area and range for an absurd amount of missiles, with the final spec launching 40 at a time distributed over 20 enemies. The missiles are quite fast, and will track their targets well, but you will need several rounds to kill any indivudal enemies.

Due to the vast amount of lock-ons, MLRA is a great tool for maintaining stun on easily ragdolled enemies like spiders and dragons.

- FORK

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

Fork converges all of its missiles on a single target. If you've got problems aiming, it might be helpful, but for targets you could think to use it on such as elite drones, the first missiles will often push the target out the way of the remaining 80%.

One advantageous use of FORK is as a drill that will surgically bore through any amount of buildings blocking the line of sight between you and your target.

Damage output compares poorly to just using a sniper rifle, but that's to be expected.

- Prominence

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ☆☆☆☆☆
Range: ★★★★★

Everything is fantastic about this missile except for its prohibitive lock-on time. It can sometimes be used for long-range surprise strikes that will eliminate any insects in a tremendous blast area, but the lock-on window is too large to reliably lock onto the target you desire.

The big sell for Prominence, apart from the damage, missile speed, tracking and blast area, is the way it's launched upwards when fired, flying all the way into the stratosphere before coming back down. This makes it leap over any terrain or buildings that should come between you and your target. As missiles are perfectly happy achieving locks straight through walls, you can potentially murder a lot of enemies that you never need to see.

Grenades

Compared to rocket launchers, grenades trade simplicity for firepower and subtle tactical advantages. The category is actually further split into Grenades and Grenade Launchers.

Grenades are categorised by:

• Exploding either on impact or after an uncomfortably long timer.
  
• Winding up the throwing arc by holding the trigger, then release to throw.
  
• Operating on a hidden cooldown rather than a reload.
  
• Short to medium range.
  
• Excessive firepower.

Grenade launchers are categorised by:

• Exploding or burning either on impact or after a timer.
  
• Launched grenades travel in a steep arc.
  
• Fairly long reload times.
  
• Medium to long range.
  
• Great firepower.

- MG

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

The Manual Grenade line offers a lot of damage and comparitive blast area to similar level Stingrays, and you don't even need to reload it! The tradeoff is that while Stingray flies in a straight line for as far as the eye can see and then some, MG is thrown in a short arc and as such is strictly a close combat weapon. This makes it automatically riskier.

The MG line is tragically cut short at level 27, but the pure damage of MG20 stands equal to Ranger's strongest rocket or grenade launchers alike.

Variant: MG-J

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ★☆☆☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

The J-line offers even more damage and blast area than their impact counterpart. The trade is that they explode after a set time rather than impact, and as such needs to be used with planning and timing. Most MG blows up after a uselessly long 10 seconds or even 30 seconds, but you can get around this either by spamming a lot of them in an area and backing off, or by "cooking" them.

As grenade timers start the moment you start winding up the throw, you can simply hold the trigger for about 7-8 seconds and have them act as an impact grenade. Since cooking greatly reduces the rate of grenades you can throw out, it's not generally recommended.

Notable: MG13

Damage: ★★★★★★
Speed: ★☆☆☆☆
Range: ★☆☆☆☆

As iconic as Air Tortoise, MG13 has been a mainstay in EDF from the start. It offers hilarious firepower for a level 8 weapon, but the problem is that its blast radius exceeds its throw distance, making it effectively a suicide weapon.

In previous games this could be worked around by throwing it off terrain, but in this game it's even easier: After going through the throw animation, simply switch weapons and roll to safety.

Notable: MG14-J

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

This hand grenade has a mere 5 second blast radius. That means it explodes shortly after landing, making it extremely useful in general combat. A good use case is as a panic bomb, throwing it right at your feet and rolling away from the enemy. Enemies in pursuit will blow up.

Unique Variant: Bound Grenade

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ☆☆☆☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

This is a frustrating version of the MG-J line. In addition to the unwieldy 10 second fuse time, bound grenade is extremely bouncy and it's very hard to predict and control where it's going to be at the moment it explodes.

If you cook it, you're rewarded with 7000 damage in a 20m blast radius. Not the worst for a level 52 weapon, and definitely solid for a surprise attack.

- DNG

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ★☆☆☆☆
Range: ★★★☆☆

A long-range hand grenade. Excels in damage, blast area, and range compared to other hand grenades. The only problem is that you cannot move while winding it up or throwing it, as both actions lock you into an animation.

Both animations can be cancelled at any time by switching weapon, and you can save a lot of time by switching straight after the grenade leaves your hand.

Even online, these usually provide one-shot kills against insects in an enormous area.

- UM Grenade Launcher

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★★☆☆

The grenade launcher lines, compared to Stingray (as all things must be), packs more damage and blast area, and can generally also wins out in rate of fire.

The most tangible drawback is the steep reload time. While the amount of grenades you put out per minute is still greater than the amount of rockets per minute of Stingray, that 5 second downtime of later launchers really stings.

When used effectively, however, there'll be nothing left alive to threaten you for that duration after you've rapidly emptied your launcher over the battlefield.

The second possible drawback is the arcing and accuracy. UM launchers are hardly pinpoint, and as such fairly unsuitable for long-range sniping. The arcing is more of an opportunity than a problem, and allows you to hit things you might not usually have a clear shot at, such as the various curved tunnels underground.

Variant: UM-J Launchers

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

UM-J launchers send out timed grenades rather than impact based ones. Some might perceive this is a drawback, but for those who don't the added firepower, blast area, and decreased reload times make these a straight up better alternative.

As the grenades travel slower and with less accuracy, they're unsuitable for long-range combat but unbeatable in close-range.

Notable: UMRA Grenade Launcher

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★★☆☆

This is the grenade launcher version of Cascade, and it's a monster. The sheer speed and low blast radius makes it a suitable replacement for an assault rifle, although other launchers will outdamage it. The biggest drawback is that this level 17 variant is the only version.

- Stampede

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ★☆☆☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

A portable airstrike or a shotgun from hell, Stampede can be whatever you want it to be. Out of every weapon in Ranger's arsenal, Stampede XM has the highest damage per minute from a weapon that can be reloaded.

The individual effect per grenade is nothing to write home about, but there's just so many of them!

The total covered area when launched in an arc, and the total damage when focused on a single huge targets makes Stampede as ideal for hordes of incoming bugs as it is for bosses.

- Splash Grenade

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

This is a spiritual sibling of bound grenade that releases a hail of bouncy grenades. In theory the damage output is insane for its level, but since the grenades will spread around to all corners of the earth with no control over where they end up at the time of exploding, effective output tends to fall short of the theoretical one.

This guide will never discourage you from trying a weapon out, but try to have a plan in mind.

- Sticky Grenade

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

This is a weaker version of Splash Grenade that trades firepower for usability. Fuse time has been lowered to a comfortable 4 seconds, and the grenades will stick rather than bounce, making it more likely that you'll hit what you're aiming for. Compared to equal level stampedes, blast radius is higher although bullet count is lower.

Since there's danger of insects bringing stuck bombs back to you if used at close range, Sticky Grenade should be reserved for medium range, or fired strictly at the ground.

Variant: Sticky Grenade α

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★★☆☆

The level 62 Sticky Grenade is quite an odd one out. It launches a single, powerful grenade that fills a 20m blast radius and hits for 5000 damage, one of the most powerful explosives in the game only superceded by an arsenal of overpowered missiles and airstrikes, and capable of oneshotting most insects even online.

The reload is a comfy 3 seconds, almost allowing it to be used as mainstay a brawling weapon. What's peculiar about it is that, like with splash grenade, the fuse time is longer than the reload time.

It's not recommeded to hit enemies directly with it, as that leaves less control over where the explosion ends up. Instead, aim for the ground ahead of the enemy or directly at your feet, and kite enemies into it.

Another advantage of the fuse being longer than the reload is that you can hit a target twice with it before getting any aggro, allowing you to deal a 10000 damage explosive surprise attack before even getting your other weapon involved.

- BRUTE Triple Grenade Launcher

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★★☆☆

This decent grenade launcher exists in the hard/early hardest range, and is very competent. BRUTE fires three grenades, one of them right down the middle making it easy to use. The only thing that makes it bad is the weapon that comes more than ten levels earlier.

Notable: BRUTE-J Triple Grenade Launcher

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★★☆
Range: ★★★☆☆

Brute-J is a weapon that's eleven levels lower than its big brother regular BRUTE, but you wouldn't know that from looking at its performance. BRUTE-J has a much larger blast radius than its impact variant, and reloads significantly faster. This adds up to a whole lot more insect destruction, and even make it easier to fight hectors at a distance by spreading the grenades around their feet.

The only reason to prefer impact BRUTE is if you want to use it against flying enemies, such as bees or a transport ship.

Notable: CRUMBLE Twin Grenade Launcher

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★★★☆

A spiritual successor to BRUTE, CRUMBLE launches two grenades in a wide spread. With no grenade coming down the middle, it's a bit more awkward to use, but that makes no difference in skilled hands.

Exceedingly good at dispersing of crowds, even for Inferno.

- Volatile Napalm

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★★☆☆

Napalm grenades are primarily good for underground combat. On impact, it sticks and starts emitting fire for a duration the stat screen will refuse to tell you. The listed damage is defined by adding up all the fire damage, rather than being per flame.

If launched directly at an enemy, the enemy will usually not take the full damage promised by the stat screen, as the fire will spread randomly and a lot of it will miss the enemy underneath. If an enemy dies and disappears, so will the attached napalm.

The best use is to hit a wall or a piece of ground in a chokepoint, and that'll slow enemies down. If actively maintained at all times, enemies can even be completely stopped.

Since the game never mentions, here's more precise stats for each napalm:

Lv	Name	Ammo	Reload	Damage	Projectiles	Burn	Dmg/Flame
DLC	Volatile Napalm	4	2.3s	240	120	6.0s	2
35	Flame Geyser	2	6.0s	1400	300	15.0s	4.7
40	Volatile Napalm D	4	3.7s	900	120	6.0s	7.5
55	Volcanic Napalm	1	23.3s	20000	600	30.0s	33.3
69	Flame Geyser DA	2	6.0s	3000	300	15.0s	11.7
80	Volatile Napalm ZD	4	3.7s	2000	120	6.0s	16.7

Every napalm emits 20 flames per second. Flames last for 1 second after spawning, but will grow at different rates and travel at different speeds. Unlike flamethrowers, indvidual flames will not be able to hurt the same enemy over again.

Notable: Volcanic Napalm

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ☆☆☆☆☆
Range: ★★★☆☆

Due to its long duration, massive coverage, and having the biggest, strongest individual flame particles, the level 55 Volcanic Napalm is simply the best of the line as long as you can stand the hefty reload time. You get about 7 seconds of doing things that aren't reloading napalm in order to maintain 100% uptime.

- Flame Geyser

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★★☆☆

Flame Geysers are individually stronger than Volatile Napalm, but the ammo capacity is lower and reload time longer. The real difference, apart burning almost twice as long, is that the fire is emitted in a single, focused, high-pressure column rather than dispersing in a small area. This makes Flame Geyser capable of hitting even aerial enemies, and has great effect against dragons.

For more detailed stats on Flame Geyser, see the section for Volatile Napalm.

Special Weapons

Special Weapons includes an assortment of oddball equipment, of which is defensive in nature or features enormous firepower that's difficult to employ.

- Acid Gun

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ★★★★☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

A top-tier assault rifle that fires a continous stream of Acid. Super Acid Gun at level 57 gives the level 85 AF100 a serious run for its money. The only inconvenience about it is the short range and sharp arc, but work around that and you've got a very solid end-game weapon on your hands.

Variant: Acid Shot

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★★☆☆

The other type of Acid weapon are shotguns. They compare poorly to normal shotguns in the same level range.

- Flamethrower

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ★★★★☆
Range: ★☆☆☆☆

Flamethrowers are very advanced weapons. They spew out a continous stream of fire, and each flame projectile will pierce through enemies and affect them multiple times, as well as being able to hit multiple enemies. This makes them marvelous crowd-control weapons capable of stunlocking a swathe of enemies, either until the flames kill them, or something else does.

Exceptionally good in tight caves and against bosses up close.

Since the game is coy about revealing the exact stats on the weapon, here's a table:

Lv	Name	Ammo	Damage	Range	Lifetime	Min T	Max T	Min DPS	Max DPS	10m DPS
0	Torch	900	0.1	0.2m	0.07s	90	90	6	6	6
5	Flamethrower	900	0.15	18m	1.0s	135	8100	9	540	300
29	Flamethrower α	2700	0.6	18m	0.5s	1620	48600	36	1080	600
55	Flame Cannon	900	2.7	42m	0.5s	2430	72900	162	4860	1157
82	Magma Cannon	900	3.9	42m	0.5s	3510	105300	234	7020	1671

Min T and Max T is the theoretical total damage of an enemy getting hit by each flame. Min T supposes that each flame only ticks the enemy once, while Max T supposes the flame ticks the enemy for the entirity of its lifetime. The range between these two theoretical limits is extremely wide, and in practice you'll find yourself on the lower half against small bugs and on the upper half attacking something like an ant queen. 10m DPS refers to the flames passing through a target thats's 10 meters in length, roughly the length of an ant.

All flamethrowers fire 60 flames per second, and need 3 seconds to reload. Flamethrower flames inflict damage every frame, or 60 times per second, but the collision detection is flawed and it's unlikely to ever reach the full damage potential even firing through a Titan tank. Torch seems to specifically be configured to only tick once during its lifetime.

- Firecracker

Damage: ★★★★★
Speed: ★★☆☆☆
Range: ★★☆☆☆

This weapon lets you throw a handful of small grenades, The blast area and individual damage is nothing to write home about, but you can distribute damage and stun around vaguely, or focus it on all on a single target for superlative damage. It's like a miniature Stampede you never have to reload.

Firecracker is not particular good underground, but can have surprising capabilities in the open.

- PXX Bound Gun

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★★★★☆
Range: ★★★☆☆

Bound guns are weaker versions of assault rifles, usually a modified variant of a gun from 10-20 levels earlier, that adds a bit of range and makes the shots bouncy.

Can be used for some trickshots, but so can timed grenades.

Variant: P89 Bound Gun

Damage: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★☆☆☆☆
Range: ☆☆☆☆☆

The weapon's description will act like nothing's wrong with this gun, but as soon as you squeeze the trigger you'll notice that the bullets travel slower than your own running speed.

The gimmick is interesting, but the firepower is not enough to justify it. Once upon a time it might be have a role as area denial, but Ranger has no shortage of weapons that fills that role better.

Variant: PX90 Bound Shot

Damage: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★☆☆☆☆
Range: ★★★★☆

This gun used to be amazing in caves, but it's simply too weak. The recoil animation can be cancelled via switching.

Due to its long range, there's potential to use it as an anti-air shotgun.

- Reverser

Healing: ★★★★★
Speed: ★★★★★
Range: ☆☆☆☆☆

Limited Use

Self-Heal

These work just like flamethrowers, but will heal instead of damage. The healing also affects enemies, but that's usually not a big deal.

Reverser can heal many party members at once, and there's a lot of stock to boot. Ideal for levels that are stingy with health crates such as City of Horror.

Despite what the weapon description claims, it's possible to heal yourself by aiming at the ground and running along, or by firing at a wall. It's not perfect, and a lot of healing might be wasted.

- High-Cycle Reverser

Healing: ★★★★☆
Speed: ★★★★★
Range: ★★☆☆☆

Limited Use

Probably meant to heal allied vehicles at a range, high-cycle reverse is like an acid gun that heals. The capacity is very large, but the weapon can only heal one thing at a time, and due to each projectile only healing once, total healing potential is lower.

If fired at a blocking Fencer, you can launch them very far, as well as heal their shields.

- Reverse Shooter

Healing: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★★★☆

Limited Use

Self-Heal

Don't let the stats fool you; Reverse Shooter is top-tier.

While the total heal output is lower than other healing guns, two aspects makes Reverse Shooter the preferred option for many rangers. Firstly, the heal is instant. In the heat of battle you often don't have time to wait for several seconds of spraying, but Reverse Shooter will give possibly full health back at the blink of an eye.

The second aspect is that, as an explosive weapon, Reverse Shooter will send surrounding enemies flying to the stratosphere. That gives you a lot of breathing room, and can make Reverse Shooter useful even if you don't need healing at all.

Reverse Shooter is also very easy to self-heal with, simply fire it at the ground.

Variant: Reverse Bomber

Healing: ★★★☆☆
Speed: ★★★☆☆
Range: ★★★★☆

Limited Use

Self-Heal

If the only way you use Reverse Shooter is firing it into the ground, this is functionally the same. At a distance the pellets spread out, making it like a healing stampede.

Missions

To list every single mission in this guide would be unnecessary. In general, you pick a set of weapons that you feel comfortable with and suits the situation. It's not a guarantee that any mission not listed in this guide will be easy, only that it hasn't been found necessary to use anything other than core skills, good weapons, patient kiting, and tactics mentioned for other missions to beat them.

Not every mission listed will be particularly difficult, some might be mentioned because strategies exist to beat them with great speed and ease, allowing for repeated completions should it be desirable to collect weapons and armour from them.

In addition, these guides will not always be complete from start to finish, and might only highlight difficult sections within the missions. It is assumed that the reader of this guide is reasonably familiar with the game and has already attempted the mission before.

Should you struggle with a mission not listed in this guide, it might get added, possibly with a video, if you mention it in the comments and specify an amount of health you're trying to attempt it with. Any tactic mentioned here has been personally used in offline single player with 2000 armour or less with some notable exceptions and any strategies provided by co-writers.

Trooper and Ranger Zone

Sometimes the guide will offer multiple ways to beat a mission. These most often, but won't be specially categorized, will be the Trooper strategies. Safe, reliable, and easiest to execute even with just the recommended equipment. Trooper strats are not always fast, but they will keep you alive and be the most efficient for success. A true Trooper shall steadily march on.

Ranger Zone strategies will ask you to execute daring feats, land trick shots, pull off some tricky maneuvers, and likely have you using less armour for those who like to do things dangerously. These strategies tend to be much faster and a helluva lot more dangerous, yet a bit stylish too. Ranger Zone strategies might require multiple attempts, and wear on your sanity. But hey, some people want a little extra challenge.

- 1. Reconvene

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman.

Recommended Equipment:

• 1000 Armor (200 Minimum)
  
• Lv64 AF99 (Assault Rifles) / Lv46 AF20 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv62 Stingray M99 (Rocket Launchers) / Lv40 Stingray M4 (Rocket Launchers)

Ah yes, the first mission of the game. The introductory point to the War of 2025, and also the first mission that's basic enough to not really need a strategy from us. But hey: Every Ranger Zone Strat needs a Trooper Strat to balance it. So here's where I come in. I've given you Two Loadouts to work with, both capable of being used for the same rolls. The Lv 60 Weapons will give you an easier time, and the Lv 40 Weapons are for those who want the challenge of using the Bare Minimum.

Enemies

• 4 Swarms of basic Black Ants. (Yes we know they're grey colored, but the manual calls them black ants. We don't write the rules here, we just provide strategies.)

Allies

• A Ranger Team and a Tank at the start.
  
• 3 More Tanks appearing during the 2nd wave.

The entire mission is way too simple for me to have to write out a full strategy for you, so i'll simply give you some tips to get you on your way.

Tip #1

Keep your distance, and don't go rushing in. Focus more on destroying them with your Rocket Launchers, and use your Rifle when they get closer. An obvious one, but hey: Can't hurt to be reminded.

Tip #2

Make an attempt to keep the buildings you see from being blown apart too quickly. The Giant Insects will stick to them, making them easy pickings for your AR. Especially the Bridges. If the Ants get stuck to a section of a bridge, they'll get stuck there like a Fly in a Spider's Web.

Tip #3

Let your Ranger NPCs and the tanks take the lead, especially when the 4th wave hits. Do NOT take your enemy lightly, or they will chew you apart if you aren't careful. Let your Allies help you help yourself, and just cover them with Rocket Launcher Fire from a distance as best you can.

If all goes well, it should be all too easy for you to see success in the end. But just remember... this is but the beginning of a long, treacherous war before you. Best of luck to you, Soldier. Good hunting to ya, and I hope that for you it will be...

MISSION CLEARED!

- 1. Reconvene =| Ranger Zone |=

Recommended equipment:

• 1200 Armour
  
• Lv50 Buffalo G9 (Shotguns)
  
• Lv52 CRUMBLE Twin Grenade Launcher (Grenade Launchers)

The 1200 armour is for surviving an accidental misplaced blast. Being the first mission, it's trivial and you'll be spared any unecessary details.

Leave the third wave mostly alone, maybe give it a few blasts to speed things along and avoid getting distracted. At the plaza is a blue parasol. You want to stand at the tile to the left and back of it, respective to where the fourth wave spawns.



You want to aim exactly at the light post ahead, aligning the bottom of your reticule with the ground. From this angle, fire both your shots to clear away any structures, then wait. Pay attention to the radar and notice when the final enemy dies. Wave 4 will spawn exactly 10 seconds after that.



Fire both shots at the count of nine, then pull back to the NPCs so they can help with the last group.

- 11. Air Force

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman.

Recommended Equipment:

• 1500 Armor (1000 Minimum)
  
• Lv65 Governor 100 (Shotguns)
  
• Lv60 MMF200 (Sniper Rifles)

Buckle up! This mission is fast, so we're gonna explain it as fast as this strategy is dangerous!

Enemies

• 4 Massive Waves of Flying Drone Swarms from the Mothership.

Allies

• 2 Ranger Teams. One with Rocket Launchers, other with Sniper Rifles.

Ready?
Set?

GO!

Grab the Rangers with Rockets to the Left while shooting drones out of the air with your MMF200. Don't use your roll, it'll slow down your fire rate! Once the Rocket Rangers are gotten, go to the right to grab the Sniper Rangers while shooting down more drones. Once you've taken command of both: Start backing up to get onto the road behind you. Keep blasting them out of the air with your sniper as you back up.

The Drones will start Wave 2, and start focusing the Civilians. Keep sniping until they're all clumped together, then pull out that Governor to try and spread the damage across several of them! Don't even think to pull out that Sniper for a while, because those drones will start swarming all over you when the Civilians escape after Wave 3 starts. This is where you'll start backing up again, making your way to the back wall of the map as the Genocide Gun fires into the area in front of you.

This is where a bit of luck and prayer will be needed. Luck for Med Drops, and Hope for the drones to mostly focus on the Ranger Team. Once you're at the back wall, go back and forth across a short area to spread you and your NPC teams out. Fire on the Drones when you can, but focus on not dying by the laser fire. If you survive until the Naeglings come around: You win! But Wave 4 will likely be where you'll die the most. Just focus on running, rolling, shooting when it seems clear around you, and grabbing med kits for both yourself and your NPCs.

MISSION CLEARED!

Variation: Shotgun Approach

For gamepad users who find precision shots against many fast enemies to be strenous, the mission can also be cleared by doubling up on Governor 100 and switch-shooting it for massive close-range air control. This helps a lot when you're swarmed at the end.

- 13. Takedown

Recommended equipment:

• 1000 Armour
  
• Lv51 AF20-ST (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv55 Nova Buster DA (Sniper Rifles)

Destroy the transport in front of you with Nova Buster, then recruit the rangers and head right. Follow the train tracks until a batch of rangers spawn and recruit those too.

From this neighbourhood the ants will be hindered and you'll have many rangers to cover you while you shoot down the next transport (15 shots).

When done, head left along the river until fencers spawn. Under their cover, destroy the final transport.

- 22. A Trap

Recommended equipment:

• 1500 Armour
  
• Lv62 Stingray M99 (Rocket Launchers) / Lv50 Goliath Z (Rocket Launchers)
  
• Lv57 A3 Plasma bomber (Rocket Launchers)

The video shows the approach using Goliath, but Stingray M99 is a much easier time.

On both ends of the catwalk above you is two tunnels. Every enemies in the level will come out from there; you can stop that. By using Plasma Bomber sparingly, you should be able to vaporize most enemies about to enter the hall

Stingray can be used for this purpose, but the blast area is nearly half the radius and won't work as well. Still, stick to Stingray for the smaller fries, and for clearing enemies that managed to enter. To defeat enemies that get close, aim for a surface behind them with Stingray. You can also use it to hit the catwalk and scrape enemies off from it.

- 23. Giant Robots

Recommended equipment:

• 1500 Armour
  
• Lv50 Stringer J3 (Sniper Rifles) / Lv32 Stringer J2 (Sniper Rifles)
  
• Lv57 Super Acid Gun (Special Weapons)

Giant Robots is notorious among new players who haven't yet grasped the fundamentals of surviving in EDF. These fundamentals are as follows:

• Don't let yourself get surrounded.
  
• Recruit the squads.

With that in mind, move forward (hereafter referred to as "East") while picking up every NPC in your way until you reach the map's edge. When you do, follow the map counter-clockwise and pick up all the NPCs that spawn on your way. Maximize your damage during this trip, and prioritize hectors that are in your way, then try to line up hectors with Stringer.

In total, there are 6 squads to be found around the maps, with a seventh WD squad triggering from either of the other two WD squads. Behind you, to the west, are all the wing divers, and you wanna save those for the difficult third wave.

By the time the third wave spawns, you should've been able to make a near full round-trip and spawned the extra wing diver squad that'll head for the center and keep the majority of enemies busy. It's too dangerous to rush into them, so support them from long-range instead, while prioritizing any hectors that get close.

- 26. Crimson

Recommended equipment:

• 1000 Armour
  
• Lv50 Stringer J3 (Sniper Rifles)
  
• Lv50 Stringer J3 (Sniper Rifles)

The second stringer is your backup, in case you run into trouble during a reload or you find a really good cluster of ants where two shots would make a large difference. It can otherwise make recoil cancelling easier by letting you switch weapons just once instead of twice.

Crimson is notorious for being one of the worst map a ranger can find themselves alone in. Red ant's combination of high health and speed is not great for Ranger's setbacks of having middling damage and mobility. None of that matters right now, because you brought a oneshot rifle capable of killing as many mutants as you can line up. As ants have spindly feet, and their bodies hover over your aim height, you want to make hop every time you fire to line up as many ants as possible.

With that in mind, your general strategy is to string up ants and keep your men alive. Prioritize long lines or thick clusters of ants, and if any men are grabbed try to free them. You'll need as many alive as possible for the third wave.

Before the third wave comes, position yourself below the cliff where you started, where you can line up the frontline of purples, additionally you should find yourself far enough away that ants will ignore you for as long as you have men. During this wave, freeing grabbed men is more crucial then ever. Grabbed men draw no aggro.

Aim well, and be all that you can be.

- 29. Brute Force

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman.

Recommended Equipment:

• 2500 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv56 AF20RAR (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv50 Stringer J3 (Sniper Rifles)

This is where the Ravagers step things up a few notches. Most of the different enemy types you've encountered previously will be conglomerated into an enormous battle that's heavily stacked against you and your NPC allies. But no matter what, you must hold this line of defense. Even if you are the last one standing. Ready your guns, Soldier! Because the enemy won't be holding anything back here!

Enemies (Wave 1)

• A small army of Hectors stands before you, too many to count. Equipped with every weapon type available spread across them. Machine Guns, Explosives, and the most dangerous: Plasma Artillery.

Allies

• Four Ranger Squadrons.
  
• Six Gigantus Tanks.
  
• Charon Tactical Bomber Squadrons, and an Artillery Team.
  
• One Brave Little Titan Tank.

The weapons in your hands and the brave men following you into battle are all you have to fight against this enemy. Steel your nerves. You will win this battle. You will defend the citizens, the cities, and your headquarters from the Marching Hectors! For the pride of the EDF! For honor! For EARTH!

"All troops! Prepare for Battle!"

Leave the NPC units to their own accord, and fall back. When the mission begins, take aim for the Artillery Hectors that plan to barrage your allies from afar! Remember to Animation Cancel to reload the weapon faster, and try to hit multiple enemies at a time with every shot! If you can't, then just focus on your main target! Trying to hit two birds with one stone might end up making you miss completely.

Once the NPCs have moved forward a bit, head to your immediate left to keep away from the NPCs and move forward to get ahead of them. Stick to the left to avoid the Incoming Air Raids, then aim into the Hector Forces to spread the damage across them! Your main goal is still to destroy the Artillery Hectors, but this will make it easier for the NPCs to destroy the Robots that are getting in their faces. Once the Artillery Hectors are gone, focus on the remaining enemies until they're all taken down!

Enemies (Wave 2)

• Around 10 Hectors, none with Artillery Cannons.
  
• 3 Shield Bearers, defending the Hectors from Air Raids. Priority Target!

A new batch!

This is where things start getting dicey. Shield Bearers are defending the Hector Units! Don't worry about them just yet though, focus on attacking the Hectors that are still a part of the 1st wave until they're gone! After that, move forward down the left side. When the shield bearers drop again after the Air Raid Attempt, fire a few Stringer Rounds at the Hectors that are closest to your side of the map. Keep your distance until you see that the NPCs have drawn the attention of the Hectors. Now is your time to strike!

Your job is to focus on destroying the Shield Bearers. Get inside the shield while keeping your distance from the Battle Machines. Should take 3 or so shots to destroy a Shield Bearer with your Stringer J3. If you're lucky: Some of the Shields may gather next to each other due to the Hectors gathering around the NPCs. Don't waste this opportunity for a good Piercing Shot through them if you get your chance! Once all 3 Shields are destroyed, run back and grab any NPCs that you can and open fire on the Hectors. They will help you with what's coming next, so heal them up with any Med Crates you see!

Enemies (Wave 3!)

• 4 enormous swarms of Grey and Red Ants!

"Giant Insects are coming!"

When the bugs arrive, book it for the hills! RUN! Fall back behind the line of Gigantus Tanks with the NPC units you took command of, because another Air Raid will be coming! They'll be more likely to hit you and your NPCs than they'll hit the bugs! As you fall back, take out as many of the Ants as you can with Stringer rounds! Remember to focus on destroying what remains of the Hector Units too! If they get too close, use the AF20RAR to fend them off but the Stringer will be able to kill most of them!

Enemies (Wave 4!!)

• "There are Flying Drones in the sky! There are hundreds!"

"Some of the Drones are heading towards Zone 2!"

Finish killing the Bugs, and any Hectors that might remain, then let loose with the AF20RAR into the air! They weren't kidding when they said there were hundreds! The NPCs will draw most of the attention of the Drones! Just keep Shooting, Running, and Healing your Allies if their health starts getting low! Things are getting real hectic now, but just keep shooting down drones!

Around this point, it's likely that the number of NPC units that are still fighting are dwindling to quite a low number. If this happens, the Armor Division will be called in to support you with Reinforcement Units.

Allies (Possible Reinforcements)

• A new line of Gigantus Tanks, around 5 to 6.
  
• 3 or so Fresh Squads of Rangers to back you up!

The fight isn't over yet, however. More enemies approaching!

Enemies (Wave 5!?)

• An ambush of Hectors to the Left of the Gigantus Line! ALL equipped with Artillery Cannons, and some with another weapon to pair with it!

"It looks like an Attack Craft Artemis Formation is breaking into the Combat Zone!"

Bomber Charon and Artillery Team have already retreated by now, but Bomber Midnight is coming in to support with a Cluster Bomb Attack! When the sky has been mostly cleared of drones, Hectors will arrive to try and finish off what little infantry remains! Leave the remaining drones to the NPCs, just focus those Hectors with Stringer rounds! Keep moving and keep your distance to avoid getting hit by Artillery fire! Hang in there, it's almost over!

Enemies (Wave 6: Final!)

• Hector Units converging on the Right Side of the Gigantus Line, Artillery Cannons and Side Guns like the last wave!
  
• A Swarm of Black and Red Ants are supporting them this time!

"The Attack Artemis Formation has arrived in the Combat Zone! Air Raid will commence!"

You've made it. This is it, the Final Wave! Bomber Midnight will swoop in and damage the Hectors and kill most of the Giant Insects! What survives will be easy pickings for you and your Allies. Stay at a distance, and open fire with your Stringer on the Hectors! The other Zones will have finished off the Invading Units on their fronts, and victory will belong to the EDF!

Revel in your victory, Soldier. But don't think this war is over yet. This is one of many massive battles still to come! For now, enjoy the equipment you earned from the boxes / enemy samples gathered on that battlefield! This is...

MISSION CLEARED!!

- 30. Charge Phase 1

Recommended equipment:

• 2000 Armour
  
• Lv71 Slug Shot DA (Shotguns) / Lv36 Stringer J2 (Sniper Rifles)
  
• Lv55 Volcanic Napalm (Grenades)

The general strategy is to get aggro on the enemy, place Volcanic Napalm at a chokepoint (easiest is to aim the ceiling), then watch enemies kill themselves on it from a safe vantage point. Most points should die out in one napalm, but reload it during the burn just in case and keep your gun ready for juicy clog-ups or in case anything gets through.

It's recommended to shoot the leader of the rangers, as he will otherwise guide his men through your napalm and into the enemy. Everyone stands a better chance of survival if the command is on you.

After the hall with the purple ants is a wide chasm with assorted ants, including golds. Throw a napalm on the catwalk and retreat, and an ant should eventually walk into it and trigger aggro. Put the next napalm in the chokepoint before the purple ants.

In the hall at the end, put a napalm at a currently unoccupied section of floor in the hall (if one isn't available, then wait), then retreat as quickly as possible. An ant will also eventually walk into the napalm and the battle begins. You want to get into the spider bend and keep your fight there. Let your napalm and men do most of the fighting, poriritize golds, and then purple ants targeting your men.

- 31. Charge Phase 2

Recommended equipment:

• 2500 Armour
  
• Lv67 UMAX Grenade Launcher (Grenades)
  
• Lv67 UMAX Grenade Launcher (Grenades)

The first 30 seconds of this strategy will be highly luck-based, depending a lot on how enemies move and their corpses ragdoll. It may take a few attempts, but once you're in the chokepointer with at least a couple of grenades at the ready, you can consider the mission successful with due diligence.

Regarding dual-wielding UMAX, the idea is that by swapping to your empty UMAX between each shot, you can get it fully reloaded by the time your current one runs out, effectively granting yourself infinite ammo. It's not as magic a bullet as it sounds, as you'll be in a lot of trouble at close range, and it's crucial to pace your shots out.

With that in mind, head to the right as fast as you can, don't even bother waiting for the loading screen to be done. As soon as you hear in-game sounds, move. To the right is two corridors splitting left and right. With three grenades down the left, and one to the right, you need to be able to clear out all of their contents.

Hurry up and roll left, turning around and hitting the fork or ceiling to clear pursuing enemies while you keep moving, then concentrate on clearing out anything blocking the way between you and the dead end ahead. Get your back to that dead end, then use blast away any enemies in sight.

The mission is now simultaneously over, and just getting started. Frrom this position, use grenades around corners and at walls to clear enemies before they enter sight. Your radar will tell your all you need to know to judge this.

If a spider manages to jump close, aim at the ceiling a bit away from you, but close enough that the blast area gets you. To deal with silvers, make sure your grenades hit in front of them, so that they're blasted away from you.

- 32. Charge Phase 3

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman.

Recommended Equipment:

• 3000 - 4000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv55 Flame Cannon (Special Weapons)
  
• Lv67 UMAX Grenade Launcher (Grenades)

Man. The Charge Phase Missions are NOT friendly to the Ranger. Phase 1 and 2 had to use complicated strategies to get through them! This one is fine for the most part, until you get to the Queen's Hall at the very end. Then it requires a massive amount of patience and a hint of luck, which is obviously frustrating and annoying. At least this version of this mission is better. In the earlier games: The entrance to the Queen's Hall was just a straight tunnel that you had to tank through with lots of Armor. This one at least makes it a 90 Degree Turn, so it's BETTER. Still annoying, but it's better.

This mission doesn't really need an Enemies and Allies list. There's nothing but bugs, and every NPC ally you find will spawn in the Linear Path you'll be taking. That being said: Time to begin the Mission! ...For better or worse...

"This is Ranger 25!"

Moving forward, you will immediately come across a small squadron of Rangers. Recruit them, make sure they're out of your way, then fire some grenades down into the path in front of you to destroy the Black Ants in your way. If the enemy gets to close, whip out the Flame Cannon to take them down to avoid blowing yourself up. Try to hit multiple enemies at once with the grenades, instead of just one at a time.

When this group and the next are destroyed, keep moving down the tunnels. The next swarm you'll fight consist of Black Ants and Jumping Spiders. Moving down these halls, the Spiders have a chance to try and hit you through the walls that rest between you and them. But you can't hit them back until you turn the corner, so just keep moving while you clear the path forward. You'll come to toss them around like a Salad with those grenades, but remember to be careful. One of your own grenades to your face is never a pleasant ordeal.

"I'VE LOST MY TEAM! WHERE DID EVERYONE GO!?"

Hark! A cry for help! Quickly, keep moving forward down those tunnels! A Wing Diver Team, equipped with Idunn Blasters, will be there to support you. Electric Weapons work beautifully underground, even for NPC units. Keep them close, because they will prove to be a massive help. Further down the hall is another swarm of Giant Insects. There's Black Ants, Jumping Spiders, AND Red Ants. It's a Smorgasbord of Bugs! Get in close to fire out a Grenade to aggro them to your position, then fall back into the larger chamber behind you. Funnel them into the entrance tunnel, and destroy them with your Grenades. Watch out for Bug Guts bouncing into your face.

Once this group is cleared, move forward and take a left turn until you find a small entrance tunnel. The next swarm is nothing but Jumper Spiders. Carefully take a few steps into the tunnel in question, fire off a grenade into the room, then fall back when the bugs are active. Funnel them into that tunnel, and destroy them with grenades like before. With that group cleared... what's that? An ally blip on the radar? It's the Ranger who called for help! Poor guy's been through a lot. Keep him safe, will you?

"You're angels in this hell!"

Here we go, the final stretch. Next room over is just another swarm of Black Ants. Blow 'em up, and move on. In the next room is a Bridge with a pit below it, with more Insects attempting to attack your allies who have gathered for the final charge. Doesn't work out too well for those bugs, though, because there are a lot of NPCs in that chamber. More than likely: The Ranger Units you kept safe up to this point will fall into the ravine and be left behind. All for the better, really, because here comes the worst part of the mission.

Up ahead is the Queen's Hall. While it would be more dramatic for you to join them in the charge on the nest: It would be best if you went ahead of all of them to engage the enemy before they can catch up. Or, hell. It might be better for you to K.O. the Commanders of the Infantry Units so they don't just run in like a pack of Lemmings when they get there. Whatever way you want to go about it, it would be best for you to run ahead of your allies to attack the swarms that guard the Queens.

This will take a while...

Here we are, the Queen's Hall. Now whatever you do: Do NOT go into that room. You will die almost immediately if you take one step in front of that entrance. On Inferno, there are Three Queens you need to destroy. But first, you need to clean out all of their children. Once you get close, the enemy will automatically aggro onto you. So take some steps forward until you hear them shrieking, then fall back. Fire some grenades into the tunnel as they try to come out, but don't forget you brought a Flame Cannon for a reason.

Once all the children are dead... here's where it gets annoying. Again, do not step into the chamber because you WILL die and start over. Sadly, those Grenades don't have a lot of explosive radius. At least not enough to hit the queens most of the time from the tunnel entrance. So get this... the best way to deal with this? Letting the Wing Divers with Idunns deal most of the damage. If the queens get in close enough to that entrance, you CAN damage them. But don't go trying to get in close, a wall of acid will meet you if you try.

This portion might take several minutes, but patience is absolutely a virtue here. Sometimes they'll move away from the entrance just enough so that the Acid won't be pouring out of the entrance, so MAYBE you can get a few shots in there? But I wouldn't risk it. Too much progress is at stake for you to risk dying here. Eventually, with enough persistence and patience, you'll get to one queen remaining. That's when it's time for you to go in and burn them with the Flame Cannon. Unless, of course, you're too cautious to make the attempt. Understandably so, if that's the case. But either way, the attack on the Queens is definitely the worst part of this. At least for Ranger.

At the least: You'll never have to see it again. Once the queens are dead, it's...

MISSION CLEARED!!

- 33. Thunder

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman.

Recommended Equipment:

• 2500-3000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv69 AF99ST (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv71 Slug Shot DA (Shotguns)

This one's a bit rough. The Mothership is right above you, showering Genocide Gun Blasts every couple of seconds onto the city below. The area that it hits is essentially a Death Zone, where it is very likely you'll take extremely heavy damage. That is, if you don't die in one hit. In this death zone are multiple units of Ravager Machines and Giant Insects, and unlike you: They don't take damage from the Mothership's Attack.

Thankfully the Mothership never turns the Genocide Gun or moves from its position, meaning that the blast will always predictably land in the same area every time it fires. You can tell what this Death Zone is by the rubble of destroyed buildings that you see. Stick to an area that has its buildings still standing, and you'll be perfectly fine when the Genocide Gun hits. But even knowing this: You still have a lot of enemies to deal with. We've divided these enemies into groups, based on how many you'll likely be going against in each attack.

Enemy Groups / Ally NPC Spawn Points

Group #1: First Trial. One Hector guarded by a Shield Bearer, Supported by Small Bunch of Black Ants. The Ranger Team will be here at the start of the mission, ready to provide backup.






Group #2: Red Wings. One Hector, One Shield Bearer, Small Force of Red Ants. Wing Divers will spawn near this area.







Group #3: Courtyard Cluster. Everything you see here will be aggroed on you really quick once you engage any of the targets, so the only logical thing to do is group them all into one enormous group. Four Shield Bearers, A Swarm of Grey and Mutant Gold Ants, and Four Hector units. Some of the Hectors are equipped with Artillery Cannons. Take extra caution when dealing with this group in particular.

Group #4: Back Alley Bots. Just like Group #2, but in an Alleyway and No Wing Diver Units to pick up. One Shield, One Hector, Swarm of Red Ants.







Group #5: Striking Bloody Gold. The final targets of this mission, besides any possible stragglers you might not have attacked before. 2 Shield Bearers, each with their own respective Hectors, and a swarm of Red Ants and another of Mutant Gold Ants. Fencers will appear in this area to provide support, but are likely to take damage from the Mothership's Genocide Gun.


Though it may look rough, you will come out on top in the end if you follow these directions. Just take a deep breath, and lets get this mission started.

Your first move.

Grab the Ranger Team, and fall back a short distance away from Group #1. Once you're at a safer distance away from the Hector: You can see that the Grey Ants will poke their heads out from the dome. Fire on one to aggro the group. The Hector will attempt to get closer, but the Shield Bearer will have expanded its dome. Until it's able to be hit, slowly kill the Grey Ants coming towards you one by one to make sure the Bearer remains raised in place. Once the Hector is out of its shell: Open fire! When the Hector is down, start moving forward to attempt an attack on the Shield with your Slug Shot. It will take a couple shots, but try not to let it run off.

Next: Set off for the left to find Group #2. A Wing Diver Team will spawn in. Grab them, and fall back. This 2nd Verse will be the same as the first: Aggro the bugs, destroy the Hector when it gets closer, try to destroy the Shield Bearer. Due to the confusing pathing of the Roads in the City, it might be a bit slow in escaping. If it gets away, it will be a nuisance in the future. Be careful: Attacking this group may lure in a few Black / Gold Mutant Ants from a nearby swarm.

Once that group's done, on to what may be the worst part of this mission...

The Cluster

As stated before: A lot of the enemies here will be aggroed once you start attacking. For extra safety: Turn around from the courtyard and make your way up the stairs and ramps to get some distance between you and your enemy. Don't go too far, though: You'll still want to try and destroy those Shields when they come around. They'll likely run off into the Death Zone, so don't focus them too badly, but if you have a good chance to take them out: Do it.

First, focus the Right-Most Hector behind the White Building so they'll destroy it and give you a better view of the battlefield. Once they're out of their shield, destroy it ASAP then focus fire on its twin to its immediate left. Both of them will have Artillery Cannons, so stay on the move. Things will get a bit hectic here, but focus on destroying those Hectors and the Shields that follow them. It's likely the other Hectors, and maybe the Bugs, will become active as well. Just remember: Your Slug Shot can One Shot golds too.

In the middle of this fight: Flying Drones will come from the Mothership. Fall back while leaving those to the NPCs and focus on Hectors and Bugs when you can. When all of the Ground Enemies are cleared out, open fire on the Drones with your AF99ST. If any Shield Bearers managed to make a retreat, you'll have to accept it. For now, once all of the Aggroed Enemies are cleared: Make your way to the Right Side of the map to make your way to Group #4. This group, compared to the Cluster, is easy: Just attack it like you did groups 1 and 2.

Almost there...

Once Group #4 is defeated, don't move forward just yet. Stay in the spot that the Shield Bearer was originally standing until the Mothership puts its Genocide Gun away again. Once it sinks away, run forward ASAP to the bridge to spawn a Fencer Team. Grab them, and lead them out of the Death Zone as fast as you can. If you were fast enough: You'll have another squad of NPCs to protect you. If the Fencers get hit, they'll survive. Just fall back and grab some meds for them.

Find your way to the spot in the 5th screenshot, because this is going to be the best point to attack the 5th group. Give yourself a Wide Berth between you and the enemies, and attack either group of the Giant Insects as they poke their head out of one of the shields. Same as Group 1, 2, and 4: Focus on the Hectors once you're able to hit them. However: Those Golden Ants are far more dangerous. Hit them with the Slug Shot once they get close.

The Mothership will bring out its Panel Cannons sometime at this point, if it hasn't already. If it does: Stick to the buildings to block the incoming fire, and fall back. Just keep moving and most of the attacks won't be able to hit you. Your NPCs might not be so lucky, so try to keep them alive with Med Kits you find on the way if possible.

Once the Panel Cannon attack stops, the Mothership will run off to the Atmosphere again. From here: Any enemies that still remain are just cleanup. Move forward and take them down. But do not, under ANY circumstances, lower your guard. One Hector can still ruin all your efforts in this mission. Once the enemies are cleaned up, it's...

MISSION CLEARED!!

- 35. Convergence

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman.

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv69 AF99ST (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv71 Stampede XM (Grenades)

This mission looks like it would be a hefty ordeal to go through. Especially with the inclusion of Mutants on Inferno. But there's one little trick to this mission that won't necessarily cripple the whole ordeal, but will still make it loads easier. That trick? Simply move your way over to the other side of the River to your Right with the NPCs to cover you. To make it even better: Destroy the bridges and other obstacles that block your view. There you go, this mission guide is done. Get out there and win.


...Okay, okay. I'll go into more detail.

Enemies

• A Fleet of Six Transport Ships, all dropping Giant Insects.
  
• One ship in the center of the fleet drops Black Ants. No Mutants.
  
• Three of the Ships drop Jumper Spiders: Both of the Right Ships, labeled Spider Ships 1 and 2, and the Higher ship on the left, Spider Ship 3. All three Spider Ships drop a group of Silver Spiders. Once these mutants spawn: They only send down regular spiders afterwards.
  
• The two Remaining Ships, the Lower Left Ship and the Far Back, drop Red Ants. They will be labeled as Red Ships 1 and 2. Red Ship 2, far back, will drop a cluster of Golden Ants at the start then will only drop Red Ants afterwards.
  
• A large force of Flying Drones are on the scene to defend the Transport Ships.
  
• Six Hector Units are stationed here as well. Two of which, both on the far left of the fleet, will have Artillery Cannons. The rest only hold Machine Guns and Explosive Rounds.
  
• Two Shield Bearers are also on sight to aid the Hectors. However, they appear to have faulty programming and tend to run off to defend the Giant Insects and Drones instead.

Allies

• One Ranger Team, equipped with Assault Rifles.
  
• One Fencer Team, equipped for Close Combat.

Get ready to ambush an ambush squadron, Soldier. Prepare for battle!

=| WARNING: The Stampede XM is a VERY risky weapon to use. But with this Risk comes great reward, such as Building Clearing and MASSIVE damage up close to enemies. It is capable of One Shotting a Hector, and Two Shotting a Shield Bearer. However: It's main use is to clear out any Swarms of Insects coming your way when they get into the river. Only use it for the other methods very, very cautiously. |=

The Riverbank is your friend.

First things first, like I said before: Grab the NPCs and run to the other side of the river. This is optional, but you can blow up the Bridge in front of you to make your viewpoint better for future retreats. Same with destroying the Trees and Fences. Your first task is to start shooting down the Drones that are circling around in the air with your AF99ST. These little sons of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ will get very annoying very quick if you leave them be, so focus on taking down a couple of them for now.

After several of them have been taken out of the air, hopefully without aggroing too many ground units, focus your sights on the Hector that's defending Spider Ship #1. Open fire with your AF99ST. Once the Hector is destroyed, focus fire on the Silver Spiders that are coming towards you. If the enemy gets into mid-range: Attempt a strike on them with the Stampede XM. Hopefully you'll clear multiple Spiders at once, maybe even a Silver or two. Once the spiders are dead, open fire and destroy the Transport Ship they had come from! That's one down, 5 more to go. After that: Go back to shooting down drones.

If your timing, aggro ranging, and knowledge of positioning is good: These Drones can be more of an asset to you than they would be for the enemy. If you hit them when they're in just the right spot, you can activate one of the Shield Bearers to follow the Drone you shot out to the river. If more drones follow, maybe even a few bugs, even better! But don't go pushing your luck too far. If you think you're not able to do it, save those Shield Bearers for later. They'll be coming over to you sooner or later. Just focus on taking down drones.

Second Verse, same as the first.

Once you've cleared out more drones: Your next target is Spider Ship 2, just behind Spider Ship 1. This time, take out those Silver Spiders just below it with your Rifle so they don't mess with you later. Kill the rest of the Spiders that joined them (possibly with another Stampede XM attack) and then focus fire on the Transport Ship. It's likely this will aggro another of the Hectors, if it wasn't Aggro already, so take it down when it gets closer. Along with the Hectors, some Golds from Red Ship 2 might come and ruin your day. Kill them quick, so you don't get melted by their acid.

Your next target is the Black Ant Ship, dead center of the fleet. This will 100% aggro one of the Shield Bearers if it wasn't aggroed before, along with another Hector. Just focus on shooting down the ship, first and foremost, then deal with the active enemies. Focus any Drones and Bugs that come for you first, then go for the Hector and Shield Bearer. It's risky to use the Stampede to destroy these enemies, but it will be worth it simply to watch them get blasted apart.

Straightforward to the end.

Three ships down, three more to go. Lots of drones defeated, Two to Three Hectors left (depends on how many you destroyed up to this point), one shield, and not many Mutants left to take down. By now there's not much I can really help you with. Just remain on that side of the river, and take down enemies from a distance. The AF99ST has enough range to reach those Transports from the River Bank, so it should be easy from here.

However, if you still want the best targets to focus first: Aim for Red Ship 2 first, and the Hector that's guarding it. Be careful: This one has dual Artillery Cannons to strike at you with from a distance. The next: Spider Ship 3, followed by the Final Hector and Shield Bearer. Then finish it off with an attack on Red Ship 1. Just remember: Inferno mode will still try to tear you apart when you least expect it. Do not let your guard down, no matter what. But once the final ship has been destroyed, it's...

MISSION CLEARED!!

- 36. Inferno

Strategy Details and Video provided by Co-Creator: Vlady. Details written down by: Gordon Freeman.

Recommended Equipment:

• 3000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv71 Slug Shot DA (Shotguns)
  
• Lv61 Fusion Blaster DA (Assault Rifles)

This mission is incredibly rough for the Ranger, as you're immediately assaulted right out of the gate by Bots and Bugs. If you managed to survive this onslaught in the beginning: You were then met with a line of much bigger threats, and it was very likely that you and your NPCs would die. This was the most reliable strategy we could find at the lowest level necessary, but it's still a frustrating mess. It might take a few times to get the positioning right. That being said...

Enemies (Wave 1)

• A Storm Cloud of Drones, high up in the air before you!
  
• A Tidal Wave of Black and Red Ants, charging in to swarm you and your allies!
  
• Three Artillery Cannon Hectors, barraging you from a distance with explosive plasma!

Allies

• Two Ranger Teams in front, rifles loaded and ready to fire!
  
• A Fencer Team with Hand Cannons to back you up!
  
• Two Naegling Self Propelled Rocket Tanks to provide support from a distance!

This is gonna get rough. The enemy is relentless, and it's highly likely that the NPCs that have joined you will not survive... but just remember: They are willing to give their lives to protect their home, their people. They are willing to do anything to ensure victory to this day, and you can't let them down! PREPARE FOR BATTLE!

Here they come!

Grab the Ranger Teams in front of you, and move forward! You and these brave men will be the Front Line, grabbing the attention of most of the enemies! Let the Rangers, Fencers, and Naeglings deal with the drones. Your main targets for now are the Giant Insects! Ready your Slug Shot, wait for them to get close, then open fire! As you move forward: Move in a zig-zag pattern to throw off the aim of the Hectors Artillery fire! When you see the Whites in the Black Ants eyes: Start falling back and let the Rangers take to the front. Some Rangers are very likely to die during this first charge, mostly due to the Hectors. Just remember to keep the majority alive with Med Kits and keep killing those bugs!

There are two swarms of Insects to deal with for this wave, just stand your ground and take them all out with the Slug Shot! When the Majority of the enemies have been taken down, fall back and grab the Fencer Team before moving forward again! By now, the Middle Hector will have come forward to get in the range of the Fencer's Cannons. They'll deal the most damage to the enemy, just draw their fire while they whittle them down! Once the Middle Hector is defeated, charge down the Hector on the left side! Let your NPCs catch up to you at this side of the map... and this is where things get rough.

Tragedy

Sadly, this is where you must say goodbye to these brave soldiers after the Left Hector is defeated and they meet with you at the left side of the map. Quickly make your way to the Eastern Edge while leaving the Rangers and Fencers behind while they still follow you. Move through the debris to slow your allies down, and let them destroy the final Hector in the center. Thus begins Wave 2... and the sacrifice of your allies.

Enemies (Wave 2: Final)

• A line of 4 Ant Queens, two of which being mutants on this difficulty.
  
• Two Transport Ships that constantly drop Black Ants to protect their queens.
  
• Four Red Drones, stationed to protect the Transport Ships.

The Infantry will bravely lure the attention of the left-most enemies coming after you. The Naeglings have run out of ammunition at this point, so they can only act as a pair of decoys now. Stick to the right side of the map, as this is your best chance to survive and win the battle. Support is on the way, just hang in there! For now, charge towards the Ant Queens on your side of the battlefield! Ready your Fusion Blaster DA, and destroy the Black Ant Queen coming towards you! After it's destroyed, the Red Drones and Black Ants will be upon you. Start falling back for now, killing the Ants with the Slug Shot and damaging the Drones with the blaster!

When the Mutant Queen gets closer, let them have it with the Fusion Blaster! If there are still Rangers and/or Fencers alive, try to help them live just a little longer with Med Kits dropped by the enemies to help them distract the enemy! Then focus on destroying those Red Drones that are hounding you with the Slug Shot! Keep falling back to the side of the map you spawned from. If any NPCs managed to survive this tactic and meet up with you, which would be around this point, consider it a miracle. But also consider it as a fact that the enemies they were distracting will be on you soon. But you don't need to worry much about that... support has arrived!

Allies (Reinforcement Units)

• Two Wing Diver Squadrons coming from the spawn point to back you up!
  
• Four Railgun Tanks on the Left and Right Sides, supporting you with Sniper Fire from a distance!

Time for Revenge!

Once you've reached this point: The mission can be considered won. The Railguns will tear through the queens and most of the Bugs, and they might even hit some of the Drones! This part isn't shown in the video, because Vlad didn't think to do it at the time, but If any Rangers or Fencers are still alive: Move in to help them by clearing out Grey Ants and distracting the Queens until the Railguns take them out! The Safest Place to be around a queen is right beneath them, so their acid can't easily hit you! Just try to steer clear of buildings and rubble so it won't bounce back at you from behind. Use the rest of the Fusion Blaster if you think you need to.

If you don't think you can save the Rangers and Fencers, you can skip the previous step. Move to the starting point and grab the Wing Diver Teams that have spawned so they can help you take down the remaining enemies. Time to get some revenge for the fallen heroes! Once the Queens and Drones have been destroyed, move in on the transport ships to finish the job! There are some rubble pieces beneath the Ships that you can stand on to jump up and get a shot on the Transport if you don't think you can reach. If any bugs drop: Spawn camp them with the piercing rounds of your Slug Shot.

Destroy the Transport Ships to complete the mission! If you want to collect items, destroy one ship then get to collecting the crates for an easier time. When you're done: Destroy the final ship, and the mission is over! This one was rough, but as you'll hear on the Comm Systems: EDF Command Headquarters around the world are preparing an assault on all of the Motherships that entered Earth's Atmosphere. Seems like this war is almost over. But for now: One of the greatest roadblocks for Ranger has been cleared! Congratulations, soldier. This is...

MISSION CLEARED!!

- 37. Starship

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman.

Recommended Equipment:

• 3000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv69 AF99ST (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv36 Stringer J2 (Sniper Rifles)

"What the hell? Why such a low level weapon?? Why aren't we using the J3 or something a little more on par with the Level of the AF99ST?! What's going on here!?"

First of all, calm down random person probably asking something along the lines of the questions above. Second, the J2 can still hold a torch to the DPS that the J3 can do. Half the damage, but almost half the Reload Time too. (Zed already said this in the weapons section.) Third, the thing i'm bringing a Stringer for needs higher shots-per-second than raw burst damage. J2 is perfect for this. Now sit your butt down, and focus.

This battle is what will determine the fate of Mankind. Eight Years ago, the EDF had nearly fallen to just one Mothership Fleet. Now, they are dealing with Ten more that were spread out all across the globe. It was a miracle that mankind had succeeded before... but now we must prove to ourselves that we are far more capable than we were in the year of 2017. It's time to engage the Motherships in one enormous assault, all across the Earth!

Enemies

• A stormcloud of Flying Drones, swarming the sky like wasps to defend their hive.
  
• Two Transport Ships, deployed to drop swarm after swarm of Black Ants to slow you down.
  
• Six Hector Units, all equipped with Artillery Cannons to take you out!
  

• || T H E - M O T H E R S H I P ||

  This is your highest priority target, dead center of the battlefield! Destroy this ship, and victory will belong to humanity!

Allies

• Two Ranger Teams, one already deployed on the scene and another following after you.
  
• A Wing Diver Team, flying ahead to meet up with the Ranger Team already in position.
  
• A Trio of Epsilon Armored Railgun Tanks, ready to defend the Infantry Units and blast that Mothership right out of the air!

It's time. Time to bring down the motherships and save the Earth!

"All units! Engage in battle! We wish you good luck."

Run forward, ahead of your Allies following behind you, and as soon as you see them: Open fire on the Hector Units with your AF99ST as you run to grab the NPCs! The defense units of the Mothership are a greater threat than the Giant Disco Ball itself, at least for now. If you're fast enough, you can take down at least 2 Hectors (3 Max) before the Transport Ships open up! As soon as you destroy those first couple of bots: Focus fire on the Transport Ships and the insects! Don't worry about the Genocide Gun for now, just attack the defense unit!

Be ready to cover the Railgun Tanks from the Giant Insects. As powerful as they are, they won't be able to take on a swarm all by themselves. Take out the first transport ship, and then defend your allies from the Ants! Attacking the Transports will aggro some of the Drones, so be sure to destroy them as well. By this point, the other Ranger Team that followed you will be able to be taken command of once the Commander stops his speech for a moment. Once the bugs are cleared and the Railguns are safe(er): Destroy the other Transport Ship! This will Aggro some of the other Hectors, so return your fire onto them!

Once the Ground Force has been eliminated: Aim your rifle for the Drones and start taking them out! If you want to take them out faster, but add a bit of risk to yourself, fire an ST round onto the Genocide Gun intentionally to have the whole pack come after you! Remember to defend those Railguns too! Once most of the drones have been destroyed, the Mothership will bring out more of them. Take them down, until it appears that the amount the Ship lets out has decreased the next time it tries. Once the drone swarms have been cooled down: Fall back to the Corner of the map you spawned in from, and Open Fire on the Genocide Gun!

"Cannon destroyed!"

This enemy cannot be beaten easily. Stay sharp! After the Mothership lowers its altitude, it will activate its Panel Cannons! The Railgun Tanks will draw most of the fire since you've backed yourself up to the Corner. They were there to help defend you, and this is their time to shine in this battle for that purpose. The Lower Row of Cannons take top priority, since they attack with Explosive Plasma! The rest simply use Precision Lasers! Take out the first few cannons in front of you with the ST, going from Left-Most to Right-Most! Watch yourself, though. Once those Railguns are gone: Those Panels can easily kill you and your NPCs.

When you're at the far right side of the Ship in terms of Cannons to destroy: Whip out the Stringer J2 and hit them with piercing rounds! The J2 can one shot the Panels, and reloads faster! This is the main reason why you brought it to this battle! Focus on hitting multiple panels in one shot! Keep destroying the Panel Cannons until all of them are gone, leaving the Mothership currently defenseless aside from its drones. Time to damage the ship itself! Aim into the Air Intake Hatch at the bottom when it opens up! Be ready, though. Every time you attack this hatch: All of the drones will be aggroed and will charge you down.

After enough damage is dealt to the Ship: It will send in Red Drones to attack you, a total of 4. Watch your fire when those Drone Hatches open up on the ship, you might accidentally aggro all of them at once along with the Normal Drones. Focus on destroying these reds when they come around, and when all four of them are gone: Open fire on the Mothership once again to initiate its Final Phase!

"The Mothership is deploying Giant Cannons. It's entering its Final Defensive Form!"

Even after all the damage its taken, the Mothership has more weapons to attack with! That ship is formidable... Take out those Giant Cannons ASAP, starting with the ones closest to your position with your AF99ST! They will rain Green Plasma on you to deal some decent damage, but its most dangerous attack is the Explosive Light forming at the tip of the Cannon! Destroy them as fast as you can to cancel out that blast!

The rest of the battle is simple: Fire on the Giant Cannons as they come around from the left, using the Stringer J2 if it's too far for your Assault Rifle, taking down Drones as they Aggro on you for damaging their Ship. There are 10 Giant Cannons to destroy, but when they're gone: Consider this mission done. The Mothership is basically defenseless, because those Drones certainly won't be able to do much to you and your team. Whenever you're ready: Take aim for the Air Intake Hatch of the Mothership, and fire everything you have until it is finally destroyed!


You've done it. The Earth is saved! Mankind is victorious once again! The War of 2025 has come to an end!

MISSION CLEARED!!

But wait.


The Ravagers are not done yet...

- 38. High Density

Strategy Details and Video provided by Co-Creator: Vlady. Details written down by: Gordon Freeman.

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv64 Stingray M99 (Rocket Launchers)
  
• Lv70 Lysander F (Sniper Rifles)

Now this was pretty bad roadblock for the Ranger. Some people would even consider a spike in difficulty for the whole game, and for good reason! This mission is a curbstomp against you compared to the missions that came before. Rougher than the rest of them, the worst of them and tougher than leather. The safest strategy we eventually came up with takes quite some time to accomplish. The video we included had the mission take up to Twenty-Five (25) minutes, and that's with a lot of it sped up to make up for time. But there's several good reasons why that is. For now though: On to the details of the strategy.

Enemies (Wave 1)

• Eleven Tunnel Exits(!!) appear at the start of the mission. These Tunnels are, thankfully, rather hastily built. They have far less health than most other tunnels in the game, so they're easy to take out.
  
• Eight of these Tunnel Exits spawn Black Ants, and the remaining Three spawn Red Ants.
  
• The Picture Below will best reveal the enemy positions.

Allies

• One Team of Rangers will provide ranged support.
  
• One Team of Fencers will protect you as you carry out the strategy.

We thought of using the MMF200 to replace the Lysander F, but it wasn't worth it. Even for the Self Defense when the giant insects drew near. The Lysander can one shot the tunnels, but it isn't that good all by itself. This may be the only strategy where we'll bring a Single Lysander Sniper. That being said: Let's begin.

"T-Too many tunnels!"

OPTIONAL: Shoot one of the Tunnel Exits with a Lysander Round as it spawns in so you won't have to deal with as many enemies for the rest of the wave, preferably one of the Red Tunnels in the middle.

Grab the NPCs and fall back down the roads behind you. Take a Left Turn (Right Turn if you're facing the way you're going) and continue down that path. Start destroying Buildings in the area, like the Warehouse and the Crates nearby, with the Stingray to give yourself a bit more of a cleared out space for the attack. You'll soon reach a park-like area. From there, and from the sidewalk to the left of that park, aim into the enclosed space where the Insects have taken refuge and get ready for the next few tunnels to come. Remember: It's always acceptable to destroy the trees to give yourself a better shot. Here are some screenshots taken by Vlady for visual confirmation, and the descriptions they added.

"For High Density, aim here at this angle to hit the Silver Mutant Tunnel and take it out. What you want to keep your eyes on is the third crane."







"Here is a second screenshot with an up-close shot on the third crane. Aim at the center where the marker is pointed. You may want to destroy the crates for a better view and shot."






Once the crates that need to be destroyed are gone: You're free to start taking down tunnels to lure the Giant Insects over. When the enemy starts getting close, switch to your M99 and start taking them down. Your NPCs will be of great help for the insects that come your way, so try to keep them alive and try to keep them from swarming you. Keep destroying tunnels from here until there is only one Insect Tunnel from Wave 1 left. Move to the first Docking Square close by, then focus on the location in the screenshots. That's where your soon-to-be main focus will appear. Once you're in position, kill the Bugs that guard the final Tunnel then destroy it.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Welcome to Hell.

Enemies (Wave 2)

• Twenty One (21) Tunnel Exits(!?!?) appear for wave two.
  
• Almost all of them spawn in Jumping Spiders.
  
• Several Summon in Black Ants.
  
• Two summon Gold Mutants, one in the Dead Center and the other in the Far Right Corner.
  
• And one tunnel, your top priority, summons Silver Spiders. Bottom Left of the entire group, directly behind a Trio of Jumping Spider Tunnels. These Silvers are far more powerful here than anywhere else in the game, some believe. So it's in your best interest to take their tunnel down first things first. This is why you collapsed the crates in such a particular way, to mark where these spiders will appear.
  
• The Picture below demonstrates the full extent of the nightmare you're dealing with.

"Giant Insects spotted!"

Destroy that Silver Tunnel behind the Trio of Tunnels ASAP! Preferably while it and the other tunnels are still spawning in to avoid drawing Aggro! If the enemies spawn in before you can, just take out their tunnel and start falling back! Deal with the enemies as they approach. Every enemy takes 1 Lysander Shot to kill, except for Silvers. Consider those silvers your top priority! Remember: Jumping Spiders, especially Silver Mutants, are easily bounced around by explosives. Take advantage of this with the Stingray!

During this wave is likely where your Fencers will meet their end. Don't let their K.Os be in vain: Destroy the enemy! After the Aggroed enemies are gone (if there were any), take out the three Spider Tunnels that tried to guard the Silver Tunnel to get rid of Three more never ending threats. From here, it's all a game of Rinse and Repeat: Take out a few tunnels, fall back, destroy the aggroed enemies, move forward, take out a few tunnels, rinse and repeat. Just be sure to watch out for those Gold Ants. They're still a nightmare to deal with in of themselves.

Slowly but surely, the Tunnel Formation will be destroyed so long as you're careful. This strategy may take so long that it will become a bit frustrating. But it's like we said: This mission was a massive roadblock for the Ranger, and some even consider it a difficulty spike. BS missions like this sadly require BS Strategies. The best thing about completing this mission, however, is that you're rewared with never having to see it again. Congratulations, soldier. This is...

MISSION CLEARED!!

- 42. Waterside Bugs

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman.

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv56 AF20RAR (Assault Rifles) / Lv64 AF99 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv61 Fusion Blaster DA (Assault Rifles)

This mission tends to be rough for almost every class. After you destroy a certain number of the Tunnels (Four out of Seven, to be exact): Mutant Variants of the respective bug types of each tunnel start getting summoned from them instead, and will immediately rush you down after tearing through the NPC units. Originally: People believed you needed extreme amounts of armor, the highest level weapons, specific tunnels destroyed, and a hint of luck. However, there is a trick that will crack the BS factor of this mission apart.

Enemies

• Seven Tunnel Exits, all spawning a variety of Giant Insects.
  
• The Two Tunnels furthest to the front, closest to you, will spawn in Black Ants. If Mutants Spawn in, they become Golden Ants.
  
• The Tunnels on the Farthest Left and Farthest Right spawn in Jumper Spiders. If Mutants Spawn, they become Silver Spiders.
  
• The Tunnel in the center, under the bridge, spawns Red Ants. If Mutants Spawn: They become Purple Ants.
  
• The Two Tunnels on the other side of the river, farthest back, will summon Wasps. If Mutants Spawn: They become Red Wasps, and for this mission and this mission alone: They're the strongest among the mutant types.

Allies

• Two Ranger Teams charging along with you to the river, one team equipped with Assault Rifles and the other with Rocket Launchers.
  
• A Wing Diver Team, doing something actually incredibly smart and flying over the river from right to left as a diversion while you approach.
  
• A Fencer Team, already on sight to help protect the Wing Diver Team.

Trying to figure this out was rough. Like... punch my leg out of frustration rough. Even with the trick, you need a specific set up for maximum efficiency. But after reading through this strategy: The mission should be much, much easier for you. Enough talk: Prepare for battle!

The Riverbank is your enemy.

Move forward, get ahead of the Ranger Teams! Open fire on any bugs that get too close to protect them as they move up, but don't take too long doing so! When it's more cleared up, keep moving forward until you get to the riverbank! Your current targets are the 3 Tunnel Exits on the Far Right, the ones that spawn the Black Ants, Spiders, and Wasps! Destroy them with your Fusion Blaster, then turn back around and open fire on the Giant Insects with your AF20RAR (Or AF99 if you're taking the easier route.)

Hold fire on the remaining Tunnel Exits. If you destroy a Fourth Tunnel, then the Mutants will spawn from the remaining three. Focus on protecting your fellow infantry from the Giant Insects. You're waiting for a particular broadcast to play on the Comm System before you engage. Do this right, and you'll have a chance to wipe out all four of the remaining tunnels before they can spawn the Mutants. Just keep killing bugs until the broadcast appears. Be patient, but be ready.

"Storm Team, move into the River and attack the Underground Tunnel Exits."
Not yet.

"Recover the areas near water."
Not yet!

"Flying Giant In-"

NOW!! When the News Broadcast starts playing, the Female Voice on the Comms, whip out that Fusion Blaster and take out those tunnels as fast as you can! The Giant Insects are surprisingly polite, waiting for this important news broadcast to stop playing until they make their charge onto the surface. Take advantage of this, because that Broadcast will grant you Fifteen (15) Seconds of Safety to destroy those tunnels!

If there's any enemies left after you destroyed the Final Four Tunnels: It should be nothing but clean up. This was a bit of a hectic strategy for a hectic mission, especially since it went by so fast, but at the least: You didn't have to deal with the Mutants. Good work out there, Soldier! Cleaning up the rest of the Ravager Forces from here on shouldn't be much of a problem.

MISSION CLEARED!!

"T͞h͝is ̧is ̴H̡a҉w͟aii T̨w͘o̢! ̛W̶e're̸ bein̡g ̕sw͡a͘l̶lǫw̷e̕d!́ ҉D̀o t͜h̷͟͡e̕͠y͠ ̵͢͏p͢l͡a͠͏̕n͟ ̷́o҉̛n̸ ̸̷s͡w͘͝a̵̛l͞l͞ò̷͡w̛͘į͜n͟͢g̛ ͘ú̷s̷ a̷̡l҉̢ive̢͢͟!̵?̴̶͠"

"Hawaii Bases, what happened!?"

"*̶̢̨̯̙̻̙H͉̙e̵̱͎̫̣á̫̲̩͘͡v̸̦̮͖͙̗̰̺y̩̙̲̼̬̥ͅ ҉̩̥̦̰̭͢B̻͇̖̕͡r̺͇̭̖̀e҉̷̛͙̹͖ạ̧̗̤̝̣͞t̹̗͔̱͖̳̬̀hͅͅi͙̙͎̗̳ǹ̳͘ǵ͝҉̻͉͎*́҉͕̤͕̹̹ ͢͏҉͙̪͖̫.͇̺͔.͕͎̹͜.̴̖͈Ẉ̴̡̱̳͉̱͖͜e̵̻̰'̶̵̯̫͡r͓͍̱͎̰̱̝͜e̡̫͓͓̳͍͍ ̖̗͎͝ḑ̛̗̙̜͓͡o̻̰̯̕ņ͙̱̩͠ͅé̼͢͝ ̻̘̥͘͞͠f̶̧̦̫͘o̢̢͇͖̻̥̭̪̕r͚̥̕͟͠!̷̡̥̰͖̙̝̘"

- 46. Void Ships

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 3000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv64 AF99 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv70 Cascade Iota (Rocket Launchers)

The Tutorial Mission on how to take down the Large Transport Ships (I prefer to call them Void Ships, named after this mission) is a bit rough for what's supposed to be the full introduction to them. Especially for the Ranger. The other missions that show off the capabilities of the Earth Eater Fleet were just fine. Here? They throw in a lot of bugs really quick, and these ships can tank a lot of damage. This strategy takes a bit of time, some preparation, and Dodge Rolling across the map and back to get everything set up for maximum combat efficiency and survival for you and your Allies.

Enemies (Wave 1)

• Two Void Ships coming your way, with one directly in front of you.
  
• Both Ships drop Black Ants into the area.

Allies

• A Ranger Team is already on the scene, ahead of you to the left, and another Team will join with you further down the road.
  
• Across the Bridge in front of the First Ranger Team is a Wing Diver Team, ready for battle. Another team is on sight, but their Commander was K.I.A. so they went into hiding. They said they took refuge under the Three Electricity Towers that were clumped together, shown in the picture below. Look to where the Crosshair is pointing, off in the distance.

Patience is what will win the day here. Focus, Soldier: We've got work to do!

Open Fire!

It won't take long for the Void Ships to open. When they do, open fire on the ship closer to you with the Cascade Iota! Empty 4 to 5 clips into the ship, then ready your Assault Rifle for the incoming Giant Insects! When the ship opens again, the AF99 can finish the job that the Cascade started so you won't have to blow yourself up if an Ant gets in your face. With that ship down, take out the rest of the Insects that Aggroed onto you! With the threat of the Black Ants gone: Time to get to collecting the NPC units.

Avoid grabbing the Ranger Teams for now, wait until you have the Wing Divers. Move across the bridge in front of Ranger Team 1 to find the first Team of Divers. Collect them, preferably without Aggroing any Ants, then look around for the Trio of Electric Towers from the previous picture. Take whatever path you prefer to get over to that area (Going back across the bridge and circling around, or continuing down the way you were currently going) and find the Wing Diver Team that hid themselves away. Go back to the other side of the Ravine, find the two Ranger Teams, take command, then return to where you started the mission.

Head to the Right of your starting point until you hit the edge, and wait for the NPCs to catch up to you. You'll need their firepower to keep yourself alive. Once they've caught up, start making your way down the road to the Corner of the Map, hidden by the Buildings. These buildings will provide further cover by slowing down the Giant Insects as they attempt to attack you later down the line. Once you reach the corner, you'll find a park area with several trees. Start knocking them down with your AF99 to clear your view and give yourself a wide open space to kill the Giant Insects as they approach.

Once you cleaned up the area a bit: Pull out that Cascade Iota and open fire on the other Void Ship to take it down. Then when it's destroyed, kill off the Black Ants as they come charging for you. When they're all gone, get ready. This is where the hard part begins.

Enemies (Wave 2)

• Two more Transport Ships appear from thin air, showing that the Void Ships can Teleport.
  
• These ships drop Jumper Spiders that will be in a Constant State of Aggro, meaning they'll be coming at you constantly.

"So they have that Technology?"

Open fire on the Void Ship that's closer to you with the Cascade Iota when it opens up! But whatever you do, don't destroy it just yet! Just damage it to the point that it starts to let out smoke, 3 clips should do it. If the Spiders have not come around yet: Fire a few rounds at the other Transport Ship. But when they get close: Open fire on them with the AF99 immediately. Your allies are there to defend you, but they can't handle such a massive swarm alone. Try to keep moving to avoid enemy attacks, and keep your NPCs from biting the dust too quickly.

The reason for just damaging the ships instead of outright destroying one is because once one of them go down: A third wave will appear of Three More Ships that drop their own bugs. Take this as an obvious rule of thumb: Bugs are easier to deal with when there's a lot less of them, so the less sources they can come from? The better. When the Jumpers have been cleared up mostly, take down both of the Transport Ships as closely to each other as you can when they open! Go for the ship that's farther from you first, since it's harder to get a shot in on that one. Once both ships are down, here comes that final wave!

Enemies (Wave 3: Final!)

• A Trio of Void Ships step forward to oppose you! However, they make the mistake of being open constantly so they'll be easier to shoot down. The Bugs they drop are as follows:
  
• Center Void Ship: Red Ants
  
• Right Void Ship (Closest): Jumper Spiders
  
• Left Void Ship (Farthest): Wasps

"The Transport Ship just appeared where there was nothing!"

The Central Ship that drops Reds will be what opens up first. Unload your Cascade Iota onto that ship first, because the Reds will be the greatest annoyance. The next ship you'll want to take down will be the one Closer to you, the Right Ship that drops Jumper Spiders. However, when you shoot down the Central ship: The bugs will more than likely be on you. Clear them out before you continue to open fire, and make sure your NPCs are healed with Med Kits so they can take most of the heat for you!

Once the swarm has cleared up again, take down that Spider Ship with the Cascade Iota! Once that Spider Ship is destroyed, the mission is essentially won. The Wasps and their Ship will pretty much be nothing but clean up from there. Collect items if you so wish, then destroy the Wasps and the Void Ship they rode into town on. Congratulations, Soldier! This is...

MISSION CLEARED!!

- 48. Earth Defenders

Strategy Details provided by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 1500 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv64 AF99 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv71 Slug Shot DA (Shotguns)

A simple mission, yet still a difficult enough where it needed a place on our guide. Not too much trouble, really. All you really need to know is that much like our strategy for Mission 33: Thunder, you mostly just need to lure the enemy out of their domes to attack them safely then destroy the Shield Bearers. But there's a path you can take to make the mission easier on yourself.

Enemies

• The area is covered by Six Shield Bearers. At the start there are only Three, but more will spawn alongside the Giant Insects they're guarding as you kill off the enemies.
  
• Shield Bearer 1 is right in front of you, guarding a group of Black Ants.
  
• Shield Bearer 2 is to the right of the first Shield Bearer, just beneath a cliff. It contains Jumping Spiders.
  
• Shield Bearer 3 is dead center of the valley, covering the entire area in a massive dome. It's trying to guard the entirety of this gathering of enemies.
  
• Shield Bearer 4 is the first of the new ones that will spawn in. It's directly next to Shield Bearer 3, and is guarding Red Ants.
  
• Shield Bearer 5 will spawn to the left of Shield Bearers 3 and 4, guarding a team of Wasps.
  
• Shield Bearer 6 will spawn on top of a cliff to the far left where some Housing can be seen, and will guard another swarm of Red Ants.

Allies

• Two Wing Diver Teams will fly into the shield screens to back you up, and are immediately able to be taken command of.
  
• A Fencer Team is already in combat, fighting off the Black Ants under Shield Bearer 1. However, they are quickly overrun and are highly likely to die before you can help them. If you manage to save some of them, especially the commander, you deserve a medal.

Again, not too difficult. Just follow the path by the order of the Shield Bearers I listed off by number: Take down Shield 1 with the Grey Ants, go to your Right, lure the jumping spiders out with your rifle, take them down while falling back, run in to destroy the Shield 2, go to your left from there to Shield 3 and 4, take down the Reds from a distance. Then just follow the path forward to find and destroy the remaining enemies. It's simple, but still: It was difficult enough for us to include a guide for it.

Mission Cleared!

- 49. Mountain Pass Trap

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv69 AF99-ST (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv61 Fusion Blaster DA (Assault Rifles)

Another simple mission. For all the other classes, this one's easy enough to not need any guides on them. But for Ranger, some people might find a bit of trouble. Mostly because of the Retarii... ugh, hate those things. Worst enemies in the game, I tell ya. But back on point, here's what you're dealing with.

Enemies

• Several Retarius have made this area their playground, and their webs coated the area thoroughly. They'll be the worst thing you'll have to deal with, because they can drag you and your allies into more enemies as well as get you stuck in webs.
  
• Black Ants will be the secondary enemy at the starting point. Once you start shooting the first few Retarius: They'll come for you.
  
• Jumping Spiders are around the bend, where most of the Insects have gathered. Along with them are several Silver Mutants.
  
• Red Wasps have joined the Silvers and Jumpers at the gathering. There may be some normal wasps, but most of them are Red. Be careful.

Allies

• A Ranger Team has joined you to help in destroying the enemy, and freeing the Attack Teams that are now caught in the webs.
  
• There are Three Groups of Allies that were captured by the Retarius.
  
• Group 1 will be caught in the webbing directly above you, it will consist of several Wing Divers and a Ranger Commander who lost their squad.
  
• Group 2 will be caught in a web above the chasm to your right, and will consist entirely of Wing Divers.
  
• Group 3 will be hanging over the gathering, and are the ones in the greatest amount of danger. They consist of the Rangers that the Commander was separated from, and a few Wing Divers.

Your main goal is to attack the Retarius from a distance with your AF99-ST, then wait for the other Insects that were aggroed to come your way. The Fusion Blaster is your tool for cutting your allies out from the webbing, but it will also easily destroy the Silver Spiders when they come for you. Just remember to keep your distance, and don't go cutting the Allied Units free from the webs until the area is cleared. It's safer to be caught in the web to keep Aggro off of you than being surrounded by enemies that will spit acid. You're here to save those Infantry, not get them killed.

That's the short and sweet of it. But for those who want more detail...

Here's some more detail.

Grab the Ranger Team in front of you, then attack the Retarius you see directly to your right. You might have enough time to kill it then and there, but if the Black Ants get to you first: Focus on them. The next Retarius will be over your head, on the web that captured Group 1. Cut your allies free, then destroy that Retarius. Recruit the Divers and the Ranger, then the next Retarius will be right in front of you over the Chasm. Kill it before it captures your allies again.

From here, it's mostly a game of Keepaway. Stay at a distance and attack with your AF99-ST. If you move too far forward, Group 2 will spawn and will start taking damage from the webbing. Once the path forward seems clearer, move forward until Group 2 finally spawns. Grab them, then get yourself back up from the cliff. Keep your distance once again, and snipe the enemy down. Remember that your priority target are the Retarius, especially when they grab you or your allies, so you don't get dragged into the entire gathering and aggro them all at once.

Group 3 will spawn in when you move in too close. Don't worry about them for now, however. They have plenty of Health to survive that Web for as long as they need to. Just focus on luring only a few enemies at a time by attacking the Retarius, then backing away to take down the enemies coming for you. With a bit of patience, the enemies will be cleared away and you can finally free Group 3 to back you up for the remainder of the mission.

Simple and short, but difficult enough to need a guide for it. Another mission bites the dust, and that's another step forward toward the end of this war.

Mission Cleared!

- 50. Fortress Frenzy

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 1000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv64 AF99 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv62 Stingray M99 (Rocket Launchers)

This mission is another of those "Simple, yet difficult enough to need a strategy" kinds of missions. Or that's at least how we think of it. It's a mission that goes by fairly quick, but you'll obviously want to avoid getting flattened by a Quadruped's Foot. Here's the best way to do it, at least for us:

Enemies (Payload 1)

• Take note: The Quadruped Fortress is invincible for this mission. It doesn't take any damage, even though it looks like its weakpoint does.
  
• The first set of enemies that the Fortress will drop is a Swarm of Red Ants to chase you down.

Allies (1st Unit)

• Two Ranger Teams will be joining you at the start of this operation.

The Fortress will be right in front of you when the mission begins. Being right next to a fortress is not the best position to be in, if it isn't the absolute worst. So your first move is an obvious one:

Fall Back!

Grab the Rangers on the Road in front of you and on the Sidewalk to your left, then take an immediate right through the Courtyard Area. Start blasting apart buildings as you make your way through here to give yourself some better space to aim. When the Reds start following after you, soften them up from a distance with the Stingray while they're clumped together. Then open fire with your AF99 until all of them are gone.

During this first wave, another unit of Allies will appear as the Quadriped drops another Enemy Payload.

Enemies (Payload 2)

• A Cloud of Flying Drones will come forward to assault you.

Allies (2nd Unit)

• Another Ranger Squad, armed with Snipers, will arrive on scene.
  
• Along with them is a Naegling Missile Tank that will open fire on the drones.

Clear out more buildings to meet up with the Ranger Team so you can recruit them. Clear out more buildings in the area as the drones start coming your way, then when they arrive: Open fire with your AF99. Shouldn't take too long to wipe them out, so when you do: Start making your way back to the River Bed before the enemy strikes again. Make sure your Rangers are all following you. Soon, the next wave will begin:

Enemies (Payload 3)

• Another swarm of Red Ants, this time there is a lot more of them.
  
• After a bit of time, the Quadriped Fortress will open fire with its Laser Guns and Explosive Turret. These are, thankfully, able to be destroyed with Ranged Attacks.

Allies (3rd Unit)

• A Fencer Team will arrive to act as your shield.
  
• A Squadron of Gigantus Tanks will arrive as well for added support.

"Be careful of the Quadruped Fortress Battery!"

Once at the River, recruit the Fencer Team then focus fire on the Red Ants that are coming your way. The Rangers and Naegling Tank will join up with you and the others to support. Once you've softened up the reds a bit, the Quadruped will open fire with its Self-Defense Turrets. Aim your Stingray for these guns and take them out, because they're definitely far more dangerous than the Ants. Leave the rest of them to the Gigantus Tanks and Fencers, that is unless they get right in your face.

Almost done, now! Only one more wave, then we're done.

Enemies (Final Payload)

• A Squadron of Blue Hectors will drop from the Fortress in quick succession.
  
• Another Cloud of Drones to act as an annoyance.

Allies (Final Unit)

• Another Team of Fencers will act as your final Reinforcement Unit. These ones you won't be recruiting.

All of the Hectors, after all of them have been dropped at once, will be clumped together as they focus down the Tanks if you keep your distance. Easy pickings for your Stingray to spread damage across all of them at once. Let the Tanks take the Aggro of the enemies, and focus on destroying those Hectors from afar. Once they're gone, the Drones are basically clean up. Take them down, and allow the Quadruped to flee for now. Midnight will knock it down later with Grindbusters. That's all you need from us, so good hunting out there Soldier.

Mission Cleared!

- 51. Pincer

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 1000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv64 AF99(Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv61 Fusion Blaster DA (Assault Rifles)

Another "Short, Simple, but needed a guide in our eyes" kind of mission. Fairly straightforward when you know how to go about it.

Enemies

• Three Hector Units will approach from in front of you, and Three More will come behind you. Two of them, one on each side, are equipped with Artillery Cannons. The remaining four have Shields and personal guns.
  
• After a short period of time, several Black Ants will spawn into the area from above the cliffs.

Allies

• Four Ranger Units without a Commander.

Those Hectors are coming close, so I won't waste time with a second opening.

Stick to the cliff.

Fall back to grab the Ranger Units, then quickly run over to the cliff that was to the left of the starting point for cover against enemy fire. One Hector will come down on you from the cliff face above. Rush them down, and tear them apart with the Fusion Blaster. The Hector further behind you, equipped with an Explosive Gun, will open fire. Stay close to the cliff so it will block most of the fire, then when it's done: Blast them away.

The Giant Insects will spawn around this point, but focus on taking down the Artillery Hector that doesn't have any protection behind them. Knock off its aim with the AF99 if you have to, then when you get close: Blast 'em. The Bugs will be upon you and your crew, so focus on taking them down with the AF to conserve Fusion Blaster Ammo. Once the bugs have been cleared out, the Hectors from in front of you will be coming over to play.

The rest of this is easy. Take them down from a distance while sticking to the cliff wall from earlier so their fire won't hit you. Once those two are down, only the final Artillery Hector remains. Shoot it down, and victory will be yours.

Mission Cleared!

- 52. Ravages of War

Recommended Equipment:

• 3000-4000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv72 Sparrow Shot (Shotguns)
  
• Lv62 Sticky Grenade α (Grenades)

Much like High Density, this is a mission focused on approaching tunnel exits spawning vast quantities of bugs, which puts Ranger at a disadvantage. However, this time around you have many tall buildings and odd structures at your disposal. That's not going to make this mission a cakewalk, not by a long shot, but it's a very good edge.

Briefing:

• 7 tunnel exits:
  
• One right in front of you as you start. It spawns 10 wasps, but it might as well spawn item crates.
  
• One on the left flank, spawning 12 wasps, blocking the way to the exit further up.
  
• At the end of the left flank, under the bridge structure in the plaza. Spawns 15 spiders. It is central, and almost every other exit is within its aggro range.
  
• On the right side of the central road, in a little alleyway spawning 12 reds. Also within aggro range of everything.
  
• Hidden at the right of the plaza among buildings, spawning 20 wasps. Within aggro range of all other non-bee exits.
  
• On the thick road to the right of the plaza, spawning 14 black ants.
  
• Construction side right of the red exit, spawning 10 wasps.

The takeaway is that you have three spawners in the center all covering eachother, surrounded by a perimeter of aerial support. The general strategy will be to remove most of the aerial support before going in. After taking out the introductory exit (a good place to judge an exit's health for the mission, which we'll soon learn to be crucial information), avoid recruiting the men and take out other exits one at a time.

The reason you want to avoid recruiting the men is because you're going to make some tactical strikes on opposing ends of the map in a dense urban area. If you bring your men on this operation, they're going to get stuck, pull a lot more aggro than you could've had otherwise, make the battles take a lot longer, and most likely die. For the moment, leave them at the spawn, where you can pull back and get fire support should you need it.

Your approach to killing exits in this strategy works like so:

• Apprach the boundary of aggro range, close enough to be within shotgun range (shotgun reticule covered by exit), or at least close enough that you can swiftly move to such a distance.
  
• Launch a sticky grenade at the exit, switch twice to cancel recoil.
  
• Launch a second sticky grenade.
  
• Once the first explosion clears the exit of bugs, empty your Sparrow Shot.
  
• If succesful, you've added up 5000 + 5000 + 28800 damage, exceeding past the 35000 needed. Exit is dead.
  
• Run Roll for your dear life towards advantegous terrain or your men back at the spawn point.
  
• In open terrain, leave Sticky Grenade on the ground to deal with ground units, while in closed terrain use Sparrow Shot to hose down the alleyway behind you. You want to avoid blowing up buildings as much as possible, especially tall buildings, as they'll significantly slow down all types of insects pursuing you, allowing you to deal with them in managable amounts.
  
• With all aggro defeated, heal up and approach the next exit.

The order we found optimal is like so:

• Left wasp exit from the open road approaching it.
  
• Right wasp exit from the open road on its right.
  
• With the wing guards out of the picture, the red spawner from the narrow alleyway just before it.
  
• The furthest wasp exit from the alley on its right, but it's too dangerous to go alone. Before attacking this exit, take the men with you, heal them up, pull them to the right flank so they won't accidentally aggro the black ants. After you strike and destroy the wasp exit, a significant amount of the heat will attack your men instead of you. They're unlikely make it, but thanks to their sacrifice you can deal with the 60 insects that aggroed in two smaller, more managable waves.
  
• The black ant exit, as it is the easiest to approach.
  
• The spider exit, as it is the last one left. Be extremely careful approaching it, and don't lose patience this late in the mission. Use as many strikes as you need to safely take it out.

This is not an easy mission or strategy to perform, so well done if you made it. If not, there's no shame in coming back later when you've acquired stronger gear. Sparrow Shot can easily be replaced by AF100, and Sticky Grenade with either Stingray MF or UMAZ Grenade Launcher, although those lack the advantage of instantly wiping out reds.

- 54. Air Mobilization

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 1000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv70 Lysander F (Sniper Rifles) / Lv45 Lysander 2 (Sniper Rifles)
  
• Lv70 Lysander F (Sniper Rifles) / Lv45 Lysander 2 (Sniper Rifles)

The mission that comes right after you destroy the Erginus is a bit quieter than "Giant Fighting Robot VS. Diet Godzilla". But even so, it puts up a bit of a fight. The reason I bring up both the Lysander F and the Lysander 2 is because both variants of the Rifle are capable of taking down the normal enemies in one shot. The F type just makes it easier to take down the heftier enemies, but the other is for those who want an ounce of extra challenge or don't have the F yet. Speaking of the enemy... This time, because i'm bored, I plan on telling you about them through song!

Enemies (Sung to "I've got a lovely bunch of Coconuts")

• 🎶Here are a lovely bunch of Flying Drones~.🎶
  
• 🎶There they are all flying in the air~.🎶
  
• 🎶White ones, Blue ones, some of them are even Red!🎶
  
• 🎶They're up all around, flying through the town, and there's a Void Ship there!🎶

Allies (Cont.)

• 🎶Here are a lovely bunch of Flying Drones~.🎶
  
• 🎶They're a massive threat to all mankind~.🎶
  
• 🎶There stands two Teams, Rangers and Fencers you see!🎶
  
• 🎶Singing "For the Pride of the EDF, we will fight!"🎶

Cough, cough! Cough... ...Okay, that's enough of that. Let's get on with the mission...

Keep your distance.

Don't grab the NPCs just yet. Keep them in front of you so that they'll grab the Aggro of the enemies that come your way when you open fire. First thing's first: Start your attack on the flying enemies that are over your head. Slow and steady will be what wins this race, so try to draw aggro of as few enemies as possible with every shot. When you do Aggro some enemies after attacking one of the Drones, try to take out every enemy that was activated before going for any other targets.

Just take down these enemies one after another with your Lysander Rounds, but eventually: You may come to draw the attention of one of the Red Drones. If any other enemies become activated too and follow after the Red in question, take those weaker enemies down first. It's a Rule of Thumb that the less problems you need to deal with: The Bigger Problems will be easier to tackle. Once any enemies that followed the Red Drone(s) are destroyed: Focus your fire on those Reds. It will take several shots, but just keep at them.

Should be simple so far...

Eventually, with enough enemies lured out and destroyed: The Void Ship will open up and will start dropping Flying Vehicles to add to the wavering numbers of the drones that are there to protect it. Ignore it for now, and continue cleaning out the other drones in the air. It's around this point that it's safe to pick up the NPC units, and maybe get them some meds for the damage they took for you.

With enough Drones taken out, and you start losing a bit of patience for taking them down a few at a time: You can get a little bit ballsy. To lure a bunch of the enemies at once: Fire a round at the Void Ship when it opens up. Then get ready to get swarmed from the air. It's more than likely that there are still Red Drones left, and multiple might come for you when you hit the Void Ship. Just remember to focus the White Drones and Flying Vehicles before opening fire at then.

When the air over your head is clear after doing this, now's the time to take out the Void Ship. Fire off your Lysanders into the Opened Hatch until it's completely destroyed! With that ship gone, whatever remains is just cleanup. Do as you wish: Collect Items, shoot down a few Earth Eater Cannons, etc. Then when you're ready: Take down the remaining drones. After that, this is...

MISSION CLEARED!!

- 55. Bug Invasion

Strategy Idea inspired by Co-Creator: Vlady. Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman.

Recommended Equipment:

• 1000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv71 Stampede XM (Grenades)
  
• Lv62 Reverse Shooter T2 (Special Weapons) / Lv77 Reverse Shooter X (Special Weapons)

This mission just flat out sucks. At least it does for Ranger. He doesn't have the Flight Capability and Plasma Weaponry of a Wing Diver, he doesn't have Air Raids or Vehicles, and he doesn't have ludicrous speed like Fencer is capable of. He just has his Dodge Rolls, and whatever weapons or tools he carries into a fight. Thankfully, by now: The Reverse Shooter X is within pick-up range for Inferno. If you have this, it'll be a softer blow on you. But even so: It's severely limited. More so if you don't have it, and have to use the T2 instead.

The other classes have a good chance at survival with their strengths. But for Ranger: It's just a disgusting mess. One of the most frustrating parts comes from the very beginning of the mission. A.K.A. Having to use most of your Allies as live bait.

Enemies

• Three Waves of Jumping Spider Swarms that come from Three directions:
  
• Wave One comes from directly in front of you at the start of the mission.
  
• Wave Two comes from the Bottom Left of the Starting Point.
  
• Wave Three, Final, comes from the Top Right.

Allies

• A Fencer Team armed with Hand Cannons.
  
• Two Ranger Teams equipped with Sniper Rifles.
  
• Two Wing Diver Teams that are retreating to get away from the Jumping Spiders. These are High Priority Targets: The Units that Command orders you to protect at the very beginning of the mission, and the ones who will be following you during this strategy. Everyone else has to perish...

I loathed having to do this mission, and i'll bet you did too which is why you're looking at this strategy in the first place. This was the most effective and reliable strategy we could come up with, and it's still a bit BS to get through. That being said... showtime.

"Save the Wing Divers!"

Easier said than done. First things first: Run forward, grab the Fencer Team in front of you, and rush forward to the left to meet up with the first Wing Diver Team. As you approach them: Fire off some Stampede Rounds into the direction of the incoming Spiders. It might take a bit for the Wing Divers to stop flying for you to grab them (which only makes the frustration worse), but grab the Left Team of Wing Divers first before getting the team on the Right. Once you have both of them, fall back to the Lower Right Corner while firing off more Stampede Rounds towards the enemy.

Your intended destination is a Cleared Road that leads off to the right side of the map. Keep rolling away, firing off Stampede Rounds at the enemy as you go. You CAN grab the Right Side Ranger Team to follow after you, but that will just make them mobile decoys as they follow you. You can't save them, no matter how hard you try. Around this point, after enough Spiders are destroyed: Wave Two will begin. When you get to the Right Side of the Map, wait against this wall in front of the road you took for a short time to lure the enemy towards you. Keep firing off Stampede Rounds to slow them down.

BOOK IT!

When those spiders start getting close, RUN. Move to your Right to get to the front of the map where the First Wave spawned in. Keep firing off Stampede Rounds at the enemy as you go, and be sure to heal those Divers if you need to! When you find an opening in the path that's a clear shot to make a left turn without slowing the Wing Divers down: Take it and keep running! Here comes the NEXT most annoying part: Wave 3. This is where the fate of you and your Wing Divers are decided. If you moved a fair distance to the left, you'll have a greater chance of surviving this while being surrounded by Med Kits. If you didn't, well... cross your fingers.

Keep falling back to the left while launching Grenade Swarm after Grenade Swarm at the enemy! This Wave is the most likely one where your Wing Divers will start dying too, and where you might start resetting at the most. But with good aim, good use of your Reverser Shooter, and not getting stuck on rubble: You'll clear out Wave Three and finish the mission at last. This strategy certainly wasn't satisfying, but damnit: It was effective and that's all that matters. Consider the best reward from finishing this mission to be another case of you never having to see it again unless you want to.

...May those Souls who gave their lives to protect you and the Wing Diver Teams rest in peace...

Mission Cleared.

- 56. Transport Ship Surprise Attack

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv77 Hercules (Sniper Rifles) / Lv75 Stringer J9 (Sniper Rifles)
  
• Lv61 Fusion Blaster DA (Assault Rifles)

This mission is a bit of a hectic one. As a whole, really, it's actually kind of short. It starts off simple too, but after a bit of time: There's going to be a LOT of guys on you all at once from out of nowhere. Not only that, but in this "Surprise Attack": there's also several Decoy Transports that will throw you off of which ships are actually indestructible. The whole intent of the enemy's strategy is to throw you off and confuse you before the remaining units tear you apart. But if you keep an eye on your Radar: The Ships that are actually marked are able to be destroyed. It's possible, but not very likely because the Decoy Ships will also drop enemies to throw you off.

Enemies (Wave 1)

• A Single Void Ship is all you'll see at the start of the mission. This Ship drops Black Ants into the area to swarm you.
  
• A Cloud of Flying Drones are in position to defend the Void Ship.

Allies

• One Wing Diver Team, armed with Electroshock weapons to your left.
  
• One Fencer Team, prepped for Close Combat to your right.

Be prepared to take these enemies down in a bit of a panic, because shortly into the mission: Chaos will ensue. Be prepared at all times! It would be much more preferable for you to use the Hercules Sniper for this mission so you can use it for better self defense than the Stringer. But if you're confident you can save enough Fusion Ammo for when the chaos begins, the Stringer can take down the Transports in just Three Shots. That being said: Begin the mission!

"Engage in Battle!"

Roll to your Right to grab the Fencer Team, then Roll Back to see that the Transport Ship is opening up. Focus on taking it down with your Hercules Sniper ASAP, and let the NPCs deal with holding off the incoming drones! It takes around 19 shots to destroy a ship with the Hercules in this mission, and it's very likely the ship will close before it's destroyed outright. Especially if the drones get in the way of your shot. If the ship closes, or it's destroyed, turn your focus to the Drones and Ants that were aggroed by your attacks on the Void Ship. Don't waste your Fusion Blaster just yet.

Enemies (Wave 1.5?)

• Another Void Ship! This one only drops Red Ants, so nothing too big. Just shoot it down ASAP.

Enemies (Wave 2??)

• A third void ship approaches! Move forward from your starting point so you're below it, so you can destroy it with your Fusion Blaster. If you didn't destroy it so quickly, it would start dropping Jumping Spiders right in front of you.

Enemies (Wave 2.5?!)

• Three More Void Ships jump into the area! All three of them drop Flying Vehicles! Only one is destructable, the one farthest away from you but-

Enemies (Wave CHAOS)

• Four more ships!? These bastards are relentless! Th-these ships drop these enemies, from Far Left to Far Right!
  
• Black Ants!
  
• Gold Ants!
  
• Gold Ants!
  
• Black Ants!

Don't worry about the Ships for now! Just focus on taking down the enemies coming your way! Take them down ASAP, before you get overrun! Use the rest of your Fusion Blaster to take down the bugs, start backing up to the other end of the pier if you have to, and in short: DON'T DIE.

The Calm after the storm...

...'Phew'. That was...hectic. After all is said and done: There's nothing left but Flying Vehicles and Two Void Ships floating through the air. Focus fire on one ship until it's gone, then take out the Vehicles that start coming for you. Just remain cautious: The Vehicles can still very, VERY easily take you down. Don't get comfortable just yet, not until every enemy is gone.

Once the mopping up portion of this operation is done: You're in the clear. That's another mission done and set aside. Good work, Soldier.

Mission Cleared!

Edit: Upon further inspection, your Ping Tool is able to easily point out which ships are real and which ones aren't. During the final few waves, ping the ships as they appear to see if they are real or not.

- 57. Bug King

Recommended Equipment:

• 3000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv69 AF99-ST (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv71 Stampede XM (Grenades)

In this map, most of the enemies are located in the plaza ahead and urban area to the right of it (hereafter referred to as the Danger Zone). Behind you to the right is a large park (hereafter referred to as the Stranger Zone), which is currently empty but will become relevant later. You start on one of the map's wide roads heading upwards (hereafter referred to as the Highways).

"There's a King of the giant insects. It's tough!"

The Highway is filled with civilians that's for the time being taking most of the heat. Take this opportunity to recruit the Wing Divers, pull a bit back, and rain Stampede upon the enemies. Try to hit the Kings enough that they get stunned, then use AF99-ST to push them into the skybox so you can deal with them later. Be careful not to attract attention of any more enemies than you start in combat with.

"This is scout. The enemy! Be careful!"

At some point when you pick your next fight, there's going to be a wave of reinforcements. From the park in the back (Stranger Zone), there's going to spawn a handful of silver spiders, and from the left of the plaza is going to spawn a myriad of brown spiders. The spiders will be slowed down by a group of Rangers escaping from them. (The road where they spawn, located just below the tennis court, will hereafter be referred to as the Ranger Zone).

There's two possible approaches here:

• Run to the aid of the Rangers, fighting off the brown spiders and leaving you with extra units to help against the silvers.
  
• Run to the silvers, taking them out in isolation while the Rangers die slowing down the brown spiders.

Even though the former option leaves you fighting out in the open close to the Danger Zone, the extra units are a big benefit, and your Stampede can make very quick work of the brown spiders before the silvers arrive. It is therefore recommended that you take the Highway to the Ranger Zone.

When you arrive, a lot of browns should be clustered together nicely for your stampede. After thinning them out and recruiting the Rangers, switch to 99-ST and take out nearby browns while picking up health crates to restore your team to fighting form.

When the silvers arrive, simply burst them down with your rifle. With the aid of all of your team members, you shouldn't find yourself using more than a single clip to deal with any one silver.

"It is only an estimate, but we believe half the human race has been exterminated."

From here on it's just a matter of cleaning up the Danger Zone. Get away from the plaza and find some cover, then launch a Stampede at either edge to attract attention. Fight the lashback the same as you did in the beginning of the stage, sans the civilians.

- 59. The Fleet Below

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv69 AF99-ST (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv78 Stingray MF (Rocket Launchers)

This particular mission is one where having the help of the NPC units is ideal, because this mission throws a lot of enemies at you all at once. This is also a mission where said NPCs charge in like complete dumbasses. Not only that, but every bug is instantly aggro as soon as they drop from their respective ships. It is very likely that one team is going to die while you save the others, but it is possible to keep them all alive. It just takes a bit of effort, resolve, and blowing them up a few times to get the enemies all off of them.

Enemies

• Six Transport Ships await you and your allies, each apparently having reduced health compared to most other Transport Ships, lined up in three separate layers.
  
• Layer #1 consists of Two Ships, which drop Jumper Spiders (Left) and Black Ants (Right).
  
• Layer #2 consists of Three Ships, which drop Black Ants (Left & Middle) and Jumper Spiders (Right). The Left-Most Ship has a Hector guarding it, wielding a Machine Gun and Artillery Cannon.
  
• Layer #3 consists of One Ship which drops Jumper Spiders. Two Hectors guard this ship, one with Dual Artillery Cannons and the other with another Artillery Cannon and a Machine Gun.

Allies

• Three Ranger Teams are rushing towards the Transport Ships to unnecessarily throw their lives away. Two Teams are equipped with Rocket Launchers (Middle and Right) and another with Shotguns (Left).

It's likely you'll rescue only the Middle and Left Ranger Teams, considering the circumstances of terrain and enemy placement. But once again, you can save the Rangers on the Right. It just takes a bit of blowing them up when they're surrounded, and hopefully not killing them.

"The Transport Ship is coming!"

Move forward ASAP! Run for the Ranger Team in the middle of the three, but don't grab them yet! Take out the Transport Ship on the left ASAP with your AF99-ST! THEN grab the middle team. After they're gotten, run over to the Left Team and rescue them as well! Look behind you to find that the final Ranger Team is likely surrounded at this point. Take aim with the Stingray, and blast apart the enemy! Try not to deal too much friendly fire to the Rangers. If things go right, and if you have a bit of luck, the final Ranger Team will be saved and you can heal them up. If they don't make it, well... they performed their duties admirably. They will rest in peace.

"An Army of... Lizards?? Has appeared in Sydney..."

Once the Rangers are rescued, and the oncoming swarms are forced back, take down the next ship and immediately start making your way to the far left side of the map! Get as far from the enemy as possible with the infantry following after you, taking down any bugs that are following you. Once you get to the edge of the map, drop down until you're at the Second Layer and can see the Left Transport Ship right over you. Clear the area of trees a bit, kill some bugs that followed you, then open fire on the ship until it's down. The Hector will aggro onto you, so be sure to stay on the move to avoid getting Plasma Blasted.

"Next they'll be saying Giant Monkeys are climbing Skyscrapers."

Take down the Hector in question, then from that same position: Take down the Transport Ship in the middle as well. Finally, some breathing room... Make your way forward, staying on the Second Layer, towards the Third Ship on the far right while taking down any spiders in your way. Keep going until you see the Weak Point of the final ship, and take it down. From there, keep going to the Right until you can't anymore then drop down. Clear out any trees around you, then move forward to attack the final ship.

Blast apart the Hectors, first thing's first. The Jumping Spiders are nowhere near as bad as being barraged by Three Artillery Cannons at once. Once they're destroyed, the mission is basically won. The Jumping Spiders will keep coming after you, but at this point? It's free game to run around and collect items, if you really want to. Just be sure to keep grabbing meds for your NPCs if they get hit by webbing. Once you're done running around, move forward to the final ship again and take it down. Well done, soldier. Another mission, another day for Humanity's Survival.

MISSION CLEARED!!

- 60. Ill Omen

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 2500 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv64 AF99 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv77 Reverse Shooter X (Special Weapons)

You might have heard somewhere that hiding under the Bridge beneath the Two Towers is your safest bet for this. Well we're here to tell you that what you heard is false... sort of. It CAN work, but it's extremely frustrating because your allies are apparently suicidal while attempting it and the enemies can stick their stupid faces through the concrete. Meanwhile: This strategy worked on the very first attempt. Let this be a lesson for you: Don't stick to the norm, it'll likely get you killed.

(Pro Tip: Use the Reverse Shooter X in this mission not for the healing it gives to you and your allies, but for the knockback it forces upon your enemies.)

Enemies (Wave 1)

• Several Grey Ants down the road in front of you. Nothing more, nothing less... Suspiciously nothing more, nothing less.

Allies

• A Ranger Team is already on sight to back you up for this mission.
  
• Coming up from behind you is a Wing Diver Team as well.

This mission appears unassuming to be difficult. But remember: Missions 41 and 43, Search and Annihilation, were like this too before the Earth Eaters arrived. Don't let your guard down.

"A-Are they flying!? THE LIZARDS ARE FLYING!"

...Yeah, see? Anyways, just move forward down the road after recruiting the NPCs and take out the Black Ants you find along the way. Take the path that leads towards the enemies, and keep going until you reach an Intersection in the road that's just after the Construction Sight to your right. Once there, take a left turn and get between the Skyscrapers at the Left and Right Turns in the road. This area will be your safe zone against the next incoming wave...

Enemies (Wave 2)

• Something is coming from the sky! ... Huh?? What are those silhouettes...? ...Wait... what in the WORLD?!

"That's not a lizard! IT'S A DRAGON!!"

And no, not dragonflies. ACTUAL DRAGONS. Stay in your designated Safe Zone, and open fire on those dragons with the AF99! If your allies get caught in their Jaws, save them immediately! But if you're surrounded on all sides and it seems you're close to dying, use the Reverse Shot X to clear them out THEN save your allies if you can! Just focus on survival!

Enemies (Wave 3: Final!)

• More Dragons incoming! Watch out!

"H-HORRIBLE! So is this the final stage of the Giant Insect's Evolution!?"

How the hell do we go from Ants to Wasps to Dragons!? Surely, the world may never know. For now, focus on killing these scaly bastards off and staying alive! The strategy may seem simple: Stay in one place, shoot dragons, and heal when you have to. But if you get overconfident: You'll be getting burned to a crisp or chewed in half. Stay cautious at all times!

The Dragons continue to increase in numbers, more and more of Tokyo is under attack! Several Ranger Teams have requested for backup, move in to the Downtown District and stay sharp!

To Be Continued...

- 61. City of Horror

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 1500 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv64 AF99 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv62 Prominence M2 (Missile Launchers) / Lv82 Prominence MA (Missile Launchers)

This is one of the few missions, if not the ONLY mission, where a Prominence would be good to use. And really, it's only used as a luring tool to draw the enemies over to you. You can use either the M2 or the MA for this one, because both have their own advantages for this strategy. The M2 can fire off more missiles at a faster rate (and is a lower level so it's more likely you'll have this), while the MA's Strength is its decent blast radius to lure in more enemies with every shot and will possibly finish the mission faster.

Enemies

• Dragons. EVERYWHERE. Nothing but Dragons as far as the eye can see.
  
• Your own impatience.

Allies

• Several Ranger Teams spread out across the battlefield, cut off from regrouping with the others by the dragons. It is very likely that you won't be able to save all of them.

This one is going to take a while. A LONG while. Up to around half an hour, in fact. But this is the safest strategy available for Ranger. Just hold true to your patience here, or else that half hour will take even LONGER if you die.

"Today, we will be dragon slayers!"

Grab the Ranger Team that's beside you, and start opening fire at the Dragons overhead! Several Civilians are fleeing from the area, let them grab the attention of the enemy for now and just kill them ASAP with your AF99! Looking at your radar, it's likely you'll find more NPCs. There's another team stranded in the park, but these ones are certain to perish under the flames of the Flying Beasts. There is, however, another blip along with that team. One Ranger, completely separated from its crew after the rest likely perished, is there to act as a hint. That bridge they're hiding under? Safest area in the map, period. Try to help them with the Dragons that are on him!

The Bridge under the Twin Towers was flimsy junk. Easily destroyed by Explosive Rounds, and the Dragons could stick their head into the concrete that made it. This bridge here is a MAN'S bridge. 100% indestructable, no being grabbed from beyond the ceiling. This is a bridge that will keep you alive, so take shelter here! Kill the enemies in the area that are still aggroed, heal your men if you must, then get ready to use that Prominence to lure the enemies!

"This is Whale! We're under attack by Dragons! We are going down!"

...Once enough Dragons are destroyed, another wave will spawn. With every wave spawned in... an Air Force Unit will be destroyed. First to go is Whale... From the Bridge: Lock onto an enemy farthest to the right with the Prominence to avoid luring too many enemies to your Safe Zone at once. When the missile is fired, and if it managed to hit the target: Get back under the bridge and ready your AF99 for the aggroed Dragons that come your way. Once all of the enemies that were aggroed are gone, fire off another missile.

"This is Artillery Unit! The Dragons have launched a full assault! Gh- GAH!"

Once the next wave spawns in, after Artillery Team is taken down, move to the right of the bridge a bit and another Ranger Squad will spawn in. A Team of Two Survivors at the construction sight. Grab them, then fall back to your bridge. If you're brave enough, and a bit reckless, it is also possible to move forward and grab another Ranger Team at the White Bridge in the clearing without alerting the Dragon Swarms. It's best to come around and get them at a later time, however. For now, stay away from that clearing and get back to the bridge for safety.

"This is Porters! Kirakawa Air Base is under attack by dragons! The Hydra is on fire!"

Keep clearing out dragons one by one from the bridge until the Third and Final Bundle of Dragons appears. THAT'S when you can get to the clearing and grab those Rangers you left behind before. Once you have them, return to the bridge and continue as planned: Clear out the dragons one at a time by luring with Prominence then mow them down with your rifle. With enough patience, the enemy will fall apart. That's one more small victory for Mankind...

"They're burning people... Everyone is covered in flames! ...DAMN BASTARDS!!"

Small consolation... for the destruction of the entire Air Force for EDF Japan...

To be continued...

- 62. Mountains Ablaze

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 1500 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv69 AF99-ST (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv75 Stringer J9 (Sniper Rifles)

The Air Force is gone. Any and all Support has been completely wiped off the map for Japans EDF Branch. The Battleship Whale, The Artillery Units, and Kirakawa Air Base which housed Porters, the Hydra Carriers, Bomber Charon, Midnight Squadron, and any other Air Force Units available... are gone. All that's left are infantry. Back in 2017, this was all that was really needed to fend off the Mothership Fleet. But with all of these new threats being tossed into the mix? With the Air Force now gone? Japan may very well fall. Then the rest of the world might be next.

But even so... we must keep fighting.

Enemies

• Hundreds of Dragons have made this mountain region their home. It's likely they plan to nest here to increase their numbers even further.
  
• Protecting these dragons are several Deroys. Three to be exact, but more might be coming...

Allies

• We scrounged together as many units as we could find in the midst of the Chaos from Dragon Attacks. All others have been scattered.
  
• A Ranger Team with only two surviving members.
  
• A Wing Diver Team with two survivors, and two additional Wing Diver Commanders.
  
• A Fencer Team with only three units. This is all you have as your support...

We have not heard of the fate of the Flying Aircraft Carrier Despina. But we can only assume the worst. Hopefully, we can tide the hordes of dragons to at least give us a foothold in the midst of this disaster. But without support, it isn't likely... All units. Engage in battle.

"Has the EDF been destroyed...?"

Recruit the NPCs, and start falling back to the open space behind the Starting Point. You'll want to keep your distance from the enemy so they won't all be aggroed on you at once, and so you can pick them off a few at a time. Fire at the dragons you see from the open area with your AF99-ST to lure it and it's nearby friends over, but be careful not to lure the Deroy or too many dragons at once. If you do, you'll be torn apart in seconds. Also: Be sure to kill the Dragons you lure when they get close, not when they're far away, so you can be certain that Item Drops will land nearby.

"It's no use... there will just be more casualties. We can't keep fighting without support..."

Keep luring dragons a few at a time until their numbers have dwindled. Once the air seems cleared up from the Beasts, move forward back to your starting point. Be advised: This area is a hotspot for accidentally aggroing the dragons, hence why you fell back before. If any dragons are lured over to you and attack, take them down first things first. When the air is cleared up even further, and no more dragons aggro onto you from the starting point: It's time to engage the Deroys.

"They're able to destroy an Air Force! We can't fight them with only ground units!"

The Deroy right in front of you is your first target. Activate its aggro, and try not to aggro multiple Deroys at once, by shooting a Dragon that's close to it or by shooting its leg farthest to the left. Once it stands up, fall back and take it down. There's two ways to do this: Two Stringer J9 Shots, or One Stringer Shot and several AF99-ST Rounds. Use the latter if the Deroy is getting too close. Once that Deroy is gone, take down the Dragons that aggroed onto you along with it. After that, use the same tactic on the Second Deroy to lure it out and take it down without much trouble.

Almost done now, most of the enemies have been swept away. One more Deroy and a few Dragons left. Just take them out the same way you did the other two... this will be an empty victory once the enemies are destroyed however. With such a valuable asset gone from the EDF's arsenal, it's only a matter of time until-

"This is Aircraft Carrier Despina! We will support the Ground Units in battle!"

"Despina!? You survived!?"

"We have taken on All Survivors from Kirakawa Air Base! We have also completed repairs!"

...

Rejoice, Soldier.
The Air Force managed to survive against the Dragons.
The Whale, Artillery Team's Captain, Porters, everyone! THEY'RE ALIVE!

The moment that jerked my tears in my first time through the campaign, and still does.

Support has returned to the battlefield! Once the background chatter signals this, the battle is basically won! Take out what few dragons still remain, and that third and final Deroy, and your objective in this is done! Four More Deroys will spawn in, but they are purely for the spectacle that's to come! Collect Items now if you want to, because once those Deroys are aggroed: The Support will return the favor for their near deaths with a BANG! The Artillery Team starts the fireworks with a Howitzer Barrage, then Whale follows up with a Volley of 120mm Cannon Fire!

We've done it, Soldier. With this Victory: The Hope of the Ground Forces across Japan will be restored, and the Tide of this War will change in our favor once again at last! Today: Victory belongs to Mankind! All thanks to you, this is...

MISSION CLEARED!!

- 62. Mountains Ablaze =| Ranger Zone |=

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv72 Sparrow Shot MX (Shotguns)
  
• Lv75 Stringer J9 (Sniper Rifles)

Recruit everyone, snipe the deroy in sight, reload your stringer, go for a second shot. If you're lucky, the two deroys will have lined up for a double hit, but if not just snipe the weakened one. Deroys go down in 2 stringers here.

After that, pull back into the clearing behind you while covering your retreat and your men with the sparrow shot. Keep sparrow shotting wildly until everything is clear. Try to go for health kits so that your frontline men can stay alive for longer.

Rinse and repeat.

- 63. Breaking Through (2)

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 (Minimum)
  
• Lv69 AF99-ST (Assault Rifles) / Lv77 Hercules (Sniper Rifles)
  
• Lv61 Fusion Blaster DA (Assault Rifles) / Lv75 Fusion Blaster ZD (Assault Rifles)

In some missions the obvious and straightforward path will be a trap, and you need to get out of your initial spawn or route to survive.

This is not such a mission.

Go with your men into the street, fusion the first few Retarius. When you get to the fountain square, snipe all the retarius you have line of sight to. The square will be flooded with civilian NPCs, so barely anything should attack you while you do this.

With most retarius clear, run forward until you get on the side of the spider tunnel (the area will be dense with red on your minimap), then fusion it.

- 64. Bug Tower

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 1500 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv72 Sparrow Shot MX (Shotguns)
  
• Lv62 Stingray M99 (Rocket Launchers)

Short, simple, but tough enough to need a guide. Not much more to say than that. Hell, you don't really even need a "Guide". Just like with Mission One, Reconvene, all you really need are a weapon loadout and some tips.

Enemies

• Wasps. Nothing but tons and tons of Wasps coming from the Giant Insect Hive. The Hive itself doesn't count as an enemy yet, more like a set piece, but it definitely will down the line.

Allies

• A Ranger and Fencer Team are joining you as you make your way to the Hive. Another Ranger Team is on standby to join you once you make your approach.

Tip #1

The Wasps tend to enjoy flocking together in a compact group, simply because they're all likely targeting onto the same thing at once. Explosive weapons are ideal for blasting them out of the sky, hence the Stingray M99 and not a Sniper of some kind. Their spawn points (which are the holes in the sides of the hive) also make it easy to blast them into bloody insect chunks and wings.

Tip #2

Roll ahead of the NPCs that joined you and take down every Wasp you see right outside of the hive ASAP. The Wasps won't come from the hive itself until after the NPCs say their voice lines. The less problems you have to deal with, the better.

Tip #3

It is possible to save the Ranger Team that spawns later in the mission. If you want to, move to their location between the waves of Spawning Wasps once the numbers have waned. All of the Rangers are following under one commander, so it's easy to grab them all. Just be advised: It's likely the Rangers and Fencers that followed you here will be met with a horrible fate instead.

Tip #4

Don't be stupid!


There we go. That's all the tips we have for you. Good luck out there, Soldier.

- 65. Fortress Attack

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 2500 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv69 AF99-ST (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv75 Stringer J9 (Sniper Rifles)

Alright, things are starting to get out of hand here. Dragons nearly destroyed EDF Japan's Support Units, a Wasp Hive is suddenly made in the mountains, and now: The Ravagers have developed a Quadriped Fortress with Armor capable of protecting it from the Grindbusters! What's next, a ton of Erginuses coming for Japan from across the globe!? Heaven's sake... Well, whatever. We'll have to deal with this Fortress the old fashioned way: Blowing it up from the Hatch where it drops enemies!

Enemies

• Several Black Ants have already been dropped from the Fortress when you arrive.
  
• Two Hector Units, likely from a Larger Force that was defending the Fortress, are following up for long range fire support against you.
  
• The Quadruped Fortress. This is your main target for this mission. Destroy it, and victory in this mission is yours! It attacks by attempting to stomp on you, showering you in Enemies (currently: only Black Ants), the Explosive Cannon to the back, and when it takes enough damage: It will open fire with its Laser Turrets. Be on guard at all times!

Allies

• Two Ranger Teams are leading the charge against the Fortress, down both lanes of the bridge in front of you!
  
• A Wing Diver Team is flying down the road beneath that bridge to get ahead of you!

This isn't going to be easy. Since Grindbusters won't work: The air force can't help, and most vehicle units aren't fast enough to keep out of the way of the Quadruped's March. Infantry Units are the only ones who can complete this mission!

"Commence Operation! All Units: Proceed!"

Grab the Rangers to your immediate left, then roll your way over to the Rangers on the right! Once you have both, jump off to the bridge below and start taking down the Ants with your AF99-ST! Move forward to grab the Wing Divers, then fall back ASAP to avoid getting crushed by the Quadruped or shot with its explosive cannon! Keep yourself at a safe distance at all times! Once the Black Ants are gone, open fire on the Hectors with your rifle of Choice! Be sure to destroy that Explosive Cannon from a distance as well.

Once the coast is cleared out, heal the NPCs if they took damage and follow after that Fortress! It will drop more Black Ants to slow you down, just take them out from a distance and stay on target! It's marching path seems to be a bit at random, but predictable. Just remember to keep yourself somewhere off to either side for a good shot into its weak point: The Red Area of the Hangar Hatch that drops enemies! This weak point is much smaller compared to Transport Ships and such, and any shots you make with the Stringer J9 might not connect. Just remember to aim a bit ahead of this weak point, even when it's standing still.

"Drones deploying from the Fortress!"

Fire off a few Stringer Rounds and/or AF99-ST Clips into the Quadruped to dish out some damage. Eventually: Flying Vehicles will replace the Black Ants that the Fortress was dropping and will just ruin your day. If any get close: Focus fire on them first with your AF99-ST! Keep going as planned, and attack the fortress from a distance with that Stringer J9!

Though... from time to time, if it's possible: A multi-kill with the J9 on the Vehicles can act as an immense relief for you and your NPCs. The most common is a x2 kill, x3 is possible but a bit more rare, and a x4 kill will take extreme levels of luck and timing and might be the best possible outcome. A x5 multi kill is next to impossible, but if you pull it off: Consider your reward a lot less Vehicles spawning during every spawn period.

Keep attacking the fortress when the air is cleared around you! When it takes enough damage, the Laser Cannons it's equipped with will start to rain hell on you. These will be your next major focus as soon as you see that it's started to open fire! Take those turrets out quick, or you and your NPCs will melt like butter on a hot summer day! There's Five Laser Cannons Total: Two in the Front, Two in the center of the Gut, and One More between its back legs! Take them out, then continue to open fire on the Fortress and the vehicles! After enough damage is dealt...

"This is scout! The enemy is dropping!"

Blue Hectors incoming! These ones are equipped with a new kind of Plasma Artillery Cannon, one that fires directly at your current position instead of being lobbed at you like the Artillery of Regular Hectors from earlier! However, when they lock onto a firing point: They keep themselves aimed for that area until they fire. They won't redo their aim to follow after you. Take advantage of this, and move out of the area they aim their arms before they fire! Take down these Hectors ASAP, take down the Drones that spawned with the Hectors, then return fire on the fortress!

After another good bit of damage dealt to the Fortress, around the point it starts to let out smoke to signal that it's almost destroyed, another squadron of Blue Hectors will appear. These ones have the Artillery Cannons AND have Machine Guns for personal defense! Just stay back, and take them down safely! With these Hectors destroyed, all the Quadruped has left to defend itself are the Vehicles. Your objective is almost complete. Dish out the remaining damage that you need to destroy the Fortress with the AF99-ST to save your sanity, and the Fortress will soon crumble before you!

What I've just told you may sound easy, but those Vehicles will rip you apart if you're not careful. Just remember to grab Med Crates on the field when you or your NPCs need them. With the Fortress destroyed, if you haven't collected items yet: Now may be your best chance to do so before your Allies destroy the final few Flying Vehicles. Once the last few enemies are cleared out, this is...

MISSION CLEARED!!

- 65. Fortress Attack =| Ranger Zone |=

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv75 Fusion Blaster ZD (Assault Rifles) / AF99-ST (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv72 Nova Buster ZD (Sniper Rifles)

Go right on the bridge and recruit the men, then clear some bugs ahead. Kill the hector to the right before he can attack you, then the plasma hector up front. Clear off any bugs, then recruit everyone. After that, advance towards the fortress. Destroy the cannon when in range.

With all bugs cleared, wait or follow under the hatch until it opens. When it does. fire at least 125 Fusion Blaster rounds (43750 damage) or 49 AF99-ST rounds (44100 damage) into the hatch, then finish off with Nova Buster. As the fortress never entered half health (~62000 damage), this prevents the lasers and hectors from occuring entirely, but some Flying Vehicles will likely spawn.

- 66. Mountain Liberation

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000-3000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv72 Sparrow Shot MX (Shotguns)
  
• Lv78 Stingray MF (Rocket Launchers)

At first, don't recruit anyone. Behind you to the right is a raised top where you'll be spending a large portion of this mission. (Hereafter referred to as The Sniper Spot). Go up there, then use Stingray to eliminate the spiders below you. Prioritize ones moving towards you, then those moving towards your men. This will trigger a wave of dragons. When it does, switch to Sparrow Shot and move back to your men, hosing down the dragons as they swoop in and as they land.

The Sniper Spot

After this, move back to the sniper spot and take out the black ants. Now you recruit the men, jump down to the spider plateu, heal your men, and move outwards until the next batch of dragons spawn. Fight these off again.

Now you move back up to the Sniper Spot. You don't need to use the ramp back up to where you came from, instead you can quickly climb up using the outside of the mountain (left side if you look at the Sniper Spot from where the spiders were.) The reason we did all of that was twofold: First, it triggers the location cue for the rest of the dragons to spawn, and the mission can't be beat without doing so. Triggering it with everything dead leaves you overwhelmed with dragon, so you want to trigger the location early. The second objective was getting all of your npcs stuck below you, where they won't get in the way of your launcher.

With that out of the way, take out the spiders in the far distance, triggering another wave of dragons. When the dragons spawn, jump down to your men and hose down with Sparrow Shot once again. After this, get back up to the sniper spot.

Now there's two clusters of enemies left: red and black ants. I recommend taking out the black ants first, as the first cluster won't trigger dragons and you don't want surprise acid during the final dragon fight. After that, blow up the reds as well as you can. When you see dragons in the sky (use your radar), jump down.

While you were sniping the last insects, most of your rangers will have slowly made their way up to you. Due to this, almost every dragon is going to land around the Sniper Spot. Use Stingray to blow up as many as you can without hitting your men, then switch to Sparrow Shot and tough it out. Stay mobile, stay healing, stay spraying, stay alive. Don't worry too much about the red dragons, just disable them with Stingray before hosing down everything else. When they're everything left, Sparrow Shot should be able to burst them dead within reasonable time after you get them to land.

- 67. Battle of Giants

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 2500 Armor (Minimum)
  
• MEX5 Emerald (Missile Launchers)
  
• Stringer J9 (Sniper Rifles)

...i should have kept my friggen mouth shut back in fortress attack. ...So uh... yeah. Several Erginuses are coming running in from across the globe to try and destroy Japan, and Command is sending in a small army of Balams to counter them... and it is AWESOME. Battle of Giants is one of my favorite missions in this entire game! The set piece is astronomically huge, the concept is simple but brilliant, and it's incredibly fun even while you're basically just a bystander during this enormous fight! IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE!


...Doing it on Inferno with Ranger, however, grinds my gears. Like the game is trying to spite me into not liking one of my favorite missions anymore. AGAIN. Victory or Failure is basically determined by a huge factor of RNG when doing this as Ranger. 2500 Armor may be the minimum, but i'm not kidding when I say you might want to come back with a much higher armor count.

Enemies (Beginning)

• Ten Erginuses[!?!?] come marching into the scene, prepared to raze all of Japan to the ground.
  
• Two Swarms of Giant Insects are on their way to assault/distract the Balams, coming from the Left and the Right sides of the map.
  
• The Swarm from the Left consists of Black Ants, and the bugs from the Right are Red Ants.

Allies

• Balam Team A, consisting of Ten Balams[!!!] which are flown into the scene by the Elite Pilot Squadrons of the Hydra Choppers.
  
• If Balam Team A has suffered too many casualties to hold their own: Balam B Team will arrive, consisting of Five More Balams[!!] that will hopefully be enough to handle the rest.
  
• Three Ranger Teams follow up behind the Flown In Balam A Team to provide support against the Incoming Insects.

I wish you the best of luck when you do this mission. Because you're going to need it here, doing this as Ranger.

"Balam Team: Commencing Operation!"

Grab the Ranger Teams and get your ass off to the left ASAP. You can't damage the Erginuses yet, because they're invincible at the start. Wait for their roaring animation to stop. For now: See that building directly to your left? The road right in front of it is where you're going to be positioned at the start. Lock on to one of the Erginuses and blow up that building quickly to clear the area out, because those Erginuses are going to be vulnerable real soon! From there is a chance to get a piercing shot on Two Erginuses from the J9 under a Balam's Arm. When they're done roaring: Hit 'em both!

From here: There is no specific set up. Only chaos. All you can do is keep your distance and fire at the Erginuses with the Stringer to damage them, and make attempts of getting Piercing Shots on multiple of them. Try and go for Erginuses that are further away from the Balams on that left side, because it's likely they'll be trying to go for a Long Range Plasma Attack and those will melt the Balams in seconds. Best you can do is try and make it so the Balams can move from that Left Side to the center with the others.

There's another reason you stuck to the left side: The Black Ants will be coming first! When they arrive, whip out that Missile Launcher and open fire onto them! Take out those bugs, first and foremost! They'll do far worse to the Balams than the Erginuses really can. Make sure you kill ALL of them, because they can lure Balams away and give the monsters an advantage by decreasing the numbers of allies fighting their actual targets. Once they're all destroyed: Return your focus to the Erginuses as you make your way to the right side of the map next.

"There's another swarm of Giant Insects!"

Red Ants... an absolute nightmare to deal with here. The missiles aren't able to kill them in one hit, and there's no way in hell you should waste Stringer rounds on those things. It's very likely that around the time these things get here: A lot of Balams are going to die, and B Team might come around too soon. If you somehow hold faith that Victory is still yours, keep going. But just like my situation, this is likely where you're going to have most of your resets. Whether it be from too many Balams taken down to keep going, being crushed by Erginus, sprayed by a Grey Ant you missed, or chomped by a Red which completely ruins your chances here.

Destroy those Red Ants ASAP. It's safer to let them gather on a Balam, because they aren't able to barrage a Balam in Acid. There's even a chance that the Balam could punch some out for you, so let those Reds gather on a Robot. Just take them out quick so the 'Lam doesn't get distracted by them for too long. After they're gone, return fire on the Erginuses. Try to avoid hitting your Balam Allies, because what Command said wasn't true: The Stringer J9 deals just as much damage to Balams as it does the Erginuses.

"Bad News. Every Erginus they have is headed your way right now."

If you got this far without resetting, Balam B Team probably arrived to support to help clean up the rest of the Erginuses in Wave 1. It'll seem like everything will work out fine from here, but no: The madness isn't anywhere close to cooling down.

Enemies (Mid Point)

• Four More Erginuses[!?] have arrived on the scene, and they're all coming at you at once!
  
• Two more Giant Insect Waves are approaching, from the Left and Right again!
  
• From the Left is a swarm of Wasps!
  
• From the Right is another swarm of Black Ants!

Clean up the Erginuses from the first wave ASAP, or things are going to get ugly fast! Pick a god and pray that whatever Balams you still have aren't gonna get torn to shreds here, and make your way over to the Left Side when you can to catch the Wasps in the act! Blast them down with the Missile Launcher, or the Balams will be dealt a LOT of damage to from those needles! Once the wasps are gone, get over to the right to catch the Black Ants too! Your highest priority is Giant Insect Clean-Up, don't forget it!

If too many Balams fell before this point, Command would send in a Final Balam that had no pilot to let you take control of one. Consider this a sign that you're just f***ed, and should start over to avoid an embarrassing defeat. But when those Black Ants are destroyed, all that's left are the Erginuses! Open fire with the Stringer, and-

"I-It's an Erginus Mutant..."

...What.

Final Enemy Approaching!

• M u t a n t - E r g i n u s .

...Some people say the Mutant Ergy is a joke because it doesn't charge, or anything like that. DON'T BELIEVE THEM. This enormous behemoth might tear the NPC Balams down in seconds if they're Badly Damaged, Badly Positioned, Singled Out, or ANYTHING as such! Be careful at all times! Kill those Blue Erginuses first, because they're faster than the Diablo Clone that just spawned! Hopefully you can take them out fast with the Stringer, because around this point: Balam Team will be losing the fight again and Command will send in that Balam with no Pilot.

From there... well, it's obvious:

BOXING MATCH WITH THE MOTHER OF ALL ERGINUSES



This mission was such a hassle here, even though it's one of my favorites... just goes to show that Online Mode is a very different experience from Solo. If you managed to destroy the Mutant Erginus... congratulations, Soldier. You survived hell and back. Congratulations... now go take a nap. You deserve one.

MISSION COMPLETE!!

- 68. Sniper Attack

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 1000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv70 Lysander F (Sniper Rifles)
  
• Lv70 Lysander F (Sniper Rifles)

Thankfully, right after Battle of Giants is a mission built specifically for Ranger to ease your sanity a bit. It's a short one, but one I felt needed a bit of a strategy. It's straight forward for the most part, just stay on the building and shoot down Drones and Transports. But there's some factors that I feel may be necessary to ensure victory.

Enemies

• Four Transport Ships are your main targets for this mission. Only two are visible at the start, the other two come later.
  
• The first set of Transport Ships will bring in Regular Drones and Flying Vehicles to keep you from shooting them down.
  
• The second wave of Ships will bring in Flying Vehicles and Red Drones to assault you next.
  
• Down below, on street level, is a swarm of Jumping Spiders that are attempting to get to your rooftop. Don't fall off, and be cautious for them at all times. One might climb up and attack you and your fellow Snipers.

Allies

• Several Rangers are perched on the Rooftop with you, rifles prepped and ready to help you take down the attacking drones.
  
• A Wing Diver Team will arrive on sight when you destroy the transports to help attack the Spiders. However, they make the stupid decision to run directly into the swarm.

Again, the mission is simple enough to not need much help from us to complete. But it doesn't hurt to have a bit of a better idea on a strategy.

Factor #1

The Red Drone Spawner in the Second Wave is the transport ship on the far right. Shoot it down first before you attack the Flying Vehicle ship. The Red Drones are obviously a bigger threat, but be sure to keep those vehicles off of yourself too while you shoot down that ship and the Red in question.

Factor #2

Once the Red Drone Ship is destroyed, and the air is clearer of Vehicles, don't attack the other transport ship yet. Move forward onto the front ledge of the building, aim down to the street below, and kill most of the spiders before the Wing Divers are massacred by them. Once most of them are gone, attack the final Transport Ship and Flying Vehicles.

And that's it, really. Not much more to it other than... well: Not dying. Good luck out there, soldier.

- 69. Towering Beast

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 1000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv70 Lysander F (Sniper Rifles)
  
• Lv70 Lysander F (Sniper Rifles)

Just like Sniper Attack, this mission is really simple for the Ranger. However, it's a bit more up close and personal from before. Especially with this strategy. Don't worry, you're still gonna be trying to keep your distance. But those enemies will be on you fast. Stay on your toes at all times during this strategy.

Enemies

• Countless Deroys are coming your way! The Small and Big types from before return, but they brought along a new Giant Deroy that is taller (obviously), has more guns in its legs, and takes a lot of punishment before going down.
  
• The Small Deroys take 3 Lysander F Rounds.
  
• The Big Deroys take 5 Lysander F Rounds.
  
• The Giant Deroys take 7-8 Lysander F Rounds.
  
• Joining them are several Hectors: Two of which have shields, one has weapons in both hands. No artillery, because the Deroys do that just fine.

Allies

• Two Ranger Teams join you to act as your shields while you snipe down the Enemies coming your way. Don't let them down!

This is going to be a bit hectic. Just don't panic, or else you'll start missing your shots. Calm your breathing, take aim... but before you fire:

Book it for the River!

Jump from your rooftop, grab the NPCs, and retreat to the far left corner of the map from your position! Don't worry about the NPCs catching up around the buildings, the Deroys Artillery Fire will handle that. Once you're at the river, turn around and immediately open fire on the Deroys that are closest to you! Ignore the Hectors for now, the Deroys are a greater threat! The less enemies there are means you have less problems, so take down the Small Deroys first when you can! But focus on whatever enemies have opened fire with their Laser Cannons!

Keep moving in a small area around this far left corner to avoid getting hit by Artillery Fire, and just keep shooting down the enemies. Eventually those Hectors will prove to be a bigger problem, and they take around 5-6 shots to destroy. Just stay calm and take aim for their guns, for some of them have shields, but remember: Deroys will always take higher priority. After enough enemies are destroyed, another wave will appear with 3 Giant Deroys and several of the Small and Big types as well. Just stick to the plan and take down whatever enemy is closest.

It will take a bit of effort, but if you did things right: Every enemy except for one Deroy will have fallen to your snipers. Leave this last enemy alive, and get to collecting your loot. This mission was short but took quite a bit of doing. But as always: You will stand out on top in the battlefield. Well done, Soldier!

MISSION COMPLETE!!

- 70. Teeth of the Universe

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armour (Minimum)
  
• Lv75 Stringer J9 (Sniper RIfles) / Lv69 AF99-ST (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv75 Stringer J9 (Sniper Rifles)

Recruit the Wing Divers, then head back over the bridge and recruit the Rangers before fending off the red ants.

When the ship opens, kill it with either 3 Stringer J9 shots (if you're dual wielding it), or with 2 Stringer J9 shots + 5 AF99-ST shots. This won't prevent every dragon from spawning, but it'll minimize it as well as can be done.

If you dual-wielded Stringer, fewer dragons would spawn, but if you brought the AF then you have a self-defense weapon. Which you pick is up to your preference, but doubling up on Stringer seems to require less armour overall if you can handle it. (200 Armour should be possible, given a bit of luck.)

Repeat this for the next two ships, make sure to have your Stringer(s) reloaded in time for the third one.

- 72. Spearhead

Recommended Equipment:

• 2500-3500 Armour (Minimum)
  
• Lv72 Sparrow Shot MX (Shotguns) / Lv85 AF100 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv77 Reverse Shooter X (Special Weapons)

Recruit everyone, then jump down into range of the first exit and blast it. Use reverse shooter sparingly to keep heat off of your back while you destroy the exit, and go straight for it if you see spiders.

When it's gone, move left towards the red exit, taking out any shield bearers in your way. Try to hose down bugs swarming your NPCs so you get at least a few with you for your assault. Destroy the red exit, but blast the hector when he's about to launch his artillery at you.

With the exit and hector dead, advance to the spider exit in the back. After killing the hector, the Wing Diver team should have arrived. Hold your ground and wait for them to arrive, then recruit them. With their aid, destroy the spider exit, recruit the next set of wing divers behind them, fight off the golds and ants swarming you (they will have just finished off the men in the back by now and you'll be the only target remaining), then proceeed.

After that, the final exit should be in your line of sight. Dispose of it, and the mission is in the bag.

- 73. Tower Siege

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv64 AF99 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv62 Stingray M99 (Rocket Launchers)

That Wasp Hive has stood in those mountains for far too long! Spawning Wasp after Wasp to come after us, mutating them for a possible direct attack on the Japanese EDF Branch's Headquarters... we need to destroy it now, before it's too late!

Now, really. You'll want to do the Ranger Zone Strategy for this mission. No joke. It's a ton faster, and a hell of a lot easier on your sanity. But hey: If you're like me, and want to give that Hive a fair fight for some reason? This is the strategy for you. Or maybe you just like hearing me talk~?

...nevermind, moving on.

Enemies

• Constant Barrages of Wasps will come from that hive to stop you from destroying their home!
  
• =| THE HIVE |= This enormous clump of dirt is your priority target! Once this thing is taken down, the mission is complete! But those Wasps will be getting in your way constantly.

The reason you're bringing the Assault Rifle + Rocket Launcher combo is more for Crowd Control rather than bursts of damage on the Hive. Trust me, it's necessary for your survival in this mission. The M99 can one shot the Wasps, so it will help a ton for clearing them out. It just takes a small effort to hit the enemies or the areas around them for the necessary splash damage. That being said: Let's begin!

Phase 1: First sighting

The Hive's "Phases" work in Quarters. Phase 1 is when the Hive has taken no damage. Basically: The Very Beginning of the mission. This picture is taken from your starting area. See the hole in the Hive that I've pinged? When the Hive has taken enough damage to enter Phase 2, keep your eye on this area. The majority of the Wasp Rush when Phase 1 ends will come from here. We will call these areas "High Priority Spawn Points", or HPSPs for short.

Open Fire on the hive to lure the Wasps that are surrounding it to you, and blast them out of the sky so you can focus on taking them all out as fast as you can! Or, you can try a slower approach by luring a few at a time. Your choice, but be careful either way you go about it. Once the enemies around the Hive have been cleared: Open fire with your M99 onto the Hive! Be sure to take aim for the holes you see in the walls, that's where the Wasps will come from!

It will take several shots from the M99 to initiate Phase 2. But when the hive takes enough damage, the hive will tilt and a massive swarm of Wasps will come your way! Aim for the previously pinged Spawn Point, and open fire with the M99 to blow the majority away and clear up some of the headache of the enemy rush!

Phase 2: Just the beginning

Phase 2 begins when the hive has taken 25% damage. This picture has the HPSP pinged like Phase 1. Yeah, it's THAT ONE. Thankfully there is a hill to the Left of the spawn point where you can get a good view of it. Just be sure you have a good clear shot on it when this phase begins. You can hit the wasps from this Spawning Zone from your Starting Point, but it will be a bit tougher. This is one you'll likely just want to take head on from the Starting Zone.

This is essentially how the mission boils down to: Damage the hive while fending off Wasps until the next phase, the Hive tilts some more when you've done enough and you have a little time to prepare for the rush of enemies coming your way. You CAN take them head on, and like I said: It's preferable in Phase 2. But hey: Sometimes ya just wanna show off with instant shutdowns.

Phase 3: Halfway Point

Phase 3, 50% Damage. A massive amount has already crumbled off. This HPSP will fall beneath the hive, down to the lower left of the dome, and will be slightly hidden by the mountains. It is still visible from the starting point, however, so it's easy to spawn camp the enemies coming from there.

Phase 4: Last Legs

Phase 4, 75% Damage! You're almost there, the hive is on its last legs! Once you deal enough damage during this phase, the Hive will be destroyed! There are no more HPSPs left to focus on, just lay down continuous rocket fire to take that giant eyesore down! Blast that hunk of dirt to pieces!

Phase 5: Hive Destroyed

The operation was successful! The Hive has been destroyed! Well done, Storm Team. Now: Collect the crates dropped by the enemies, destroy what remains of the Wasps, and we're done here. This was a tough battle, but congratulations! That'll teach the Giant Insects for trying to steal some Real Estate on our planet.



With the Hive knocked down, the numbers of the Wasps will certainly decrease dramatically. You did a good job today, soldier! This is...

MISSION CLE-

"This is O'Hara! I'm going to ask you to do a Dangerous Job. I need you to enter the hive!"

"Why? We succeeded in destroying it!"

"If the Flying Insects are the evolved version of the Giant Insects, they must share some common traits! There may be a chance that the Hive is connected to the Underground Nest!"

"So the portion above ground is just the tip of the iceberg!?"

...Oh dear.

To Be Continued...

- 73. Tower Siege =|| Ranger Zone ||=

Recommended Equipment:

• 2500 Armour (Minimum)
  
• Lv72 Sparrow Shot MX (Shotguns) / Your own preference for wasps
  
• Lv75 Fusion Blaster ZD (Assault Rifles)

Recruit everyone, head up the hill until you're within range (a bit past the first cluster of wasps) and give the Hive everything you've got with the Fusion Blaster. It'll die quickly enough that most spawns are skipped. (~1050 shots).

Fend off the remaining wasps with aid of your men.

- 74. Den of Thieves

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 1500 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv56 AF20-RAR (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv67 UMAX Grenade Launcher (Grenades)

Destroying the Hive wasn't enough. As O'Hara suspected, the base of the Hive leads underground into a new section of the Nesting Tunnels under our feet. We need to go as deep underground as we can, and destroy whatever's spawning these Wasps! But first, it seems that some Jumping Spiders were assigned to protect these Tunnels at the entrance. We need to clear them out before we can move forward.

Enemies

• Two Chambers of Jumping Spider Swarms, and lots of them. The first chamber is directly beneath the spawning point, and the second is right next door.
  
• Joining these Jumping Spiders are two King Spiders in the second chamber. Take extreme caution at all times.

Allies

• A Wing Diver Team is stationed on a cliff right in front of yours, ready to move in the moment that you make your descent.
  
• Ranger 48 is also nearby, ready to move in when the coast is clear.

This is going to take a bit of time to accomplish, mainly because of the Kings, and if you're going for the minimum armor we're giving you: The UMAX can kill you in one hit if you're caught in the blast radius. Don't get cocky, no matter what.

"Commence Plunge into the Underground!"

First things first: Do not let yourself drop into the pit in front of you, unless you have a death wish. Stay on the cliff above the spawn point and fire Grenades down onto the spiders below to clear them out. The Spiders have a chance of climbing up the walls to try and attack you and the Wing Divers, if you see them coming on your radar: Ready that Rifle to defend yourself and the Divers. The first chamber isn't so bad if you know how not to blow yourself up. The second chamber is what will take half a century. Or maybe just half an hour, hard to tell.

When you get down into the pit beneath the spawn point when it's clear, DON'T grab the NPCs. Leave them behind, and move forward on your own to the second chamber. They're likely to get in your way and either make you blow yourself up, force you to slow down your grenade fire to avoid such a fate, or just eat webbing from the Spiders and take a lot of damage. It's safer for you, and for them, that they don't follow you. Once you get to see into the next chamber over, fire off a few grenades to lure the Spiders to the entrance of this chamber then fall back.

Here's where things slow down. A lot...

Keep out of the way of the view of the enemies while remaining in that Entrance Hall. Put yourself at an angle where you're able to see a little into the Chamber, and start firing off Grenades at the Spiders to destroy them. Remember to use your Assault Rifle when they get into close quarters. This is how you're going to be handling the enemy for a fair bit of time... just remain patient and keep attacking.

When the coast clears up you can peer inside a little more to try and get a look at how many remain, but remember: Those King Spiders will tear you apart in an instant. It's better just to remain at an angle where you're not in the line of fire. After a bit of time: Another swarm of Jumper Spiders will emerge to assault you, but it doesn't matter. It's just adding more time to the mission really. Just keep attacking the way you are until you clear them and the King Spiders out.

This second chamber is more or less another test of your patience, really. This will take a while, but if you're careful: This is (so far) the safest way of clearing the mission. Once the Spiders have been swept out of the way, you and the Infantry Units will be able to safely move forward to assault the deeper depths of this Underground Nest. All Units: Move forward! We're going deeper!

To be continued...

- 75. Death Queen

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 1500 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv64 AF99 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv62 Stingray M99 (Rocket Launchers)

We're almost to the bottom of the section of the Underground Nest where the Wasps are being born. At the bottom of these tunnels, the probable source of these flying insects are a Queen that's made its home down here just like the Ants and Spiders. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. We are commencing the final stage of this operation! All Units, move in!

Enemies (Phase 1)

• A large group of Jumping Spiders are ahead of you, another swarm of guards for the Wasps no doubt.

Allies (Following Units))

• Two Squadrons have joined with you to provide aid at the start of this area.
  
• A Wing Diver Team to provide supporting fire.
  
• A Fencer Team that will act as your shield.

Be careful. This far down into the Underground, the enemy could appear from anywhere. Stay sharp.

"Proceed to the Underground Nest!"

Leave the Infantry Units alone for now. Go around them, then move forward to open fire and draw the aggro of the Spiders below you. Stay close to your teams, but don't take command yet. Let the Spiders come together at the room beneath your starting point, but take out any spiders that come after you down the center. Once they've all moved from the center chamber to the room beneath you, move forward and prepare to take them out with the M99 while they-

"Storm Team, your position is bad! You may be surrounded by Giant Insects!

...Uh oh.

Enemies (Ambush!)

• You've been surrounded by Wasps coming from every direction, even behind you! Be careful!

The Wing Divers and the Fencers can handle the Wasps that appeared at your spawn point! Just move back to them, and take down the enemies in front of you with the M99! It wasn't able to one shot the Spiders, but it definitely can against the Flying Types! Take them down one at a time, and lure some of them into the same chamber that the Spiders gathered into!

Once the very minor threat of the Wasp Ambush is put down, grab the NPCs for protection and make your way to the central chamber where the Spiders were positioned. Once you get down there, continue as planned and blast away the bugs with your Rockets. If any manage to get close, the NPCs will protect you. But even so: Use your AF99 for close combat! With the first phase of the operation complete, a new team will be joining you soon.

Enemies (Phase 2)

• A Small Chamber of Wasps stands between you and the Final Chamber where the Queens seem to be nesting. Thankfully: The Wing Divers managed to track their location first. But they disappeared soon after...

Allies (Reinforcement Unit)

• A Ranger Team is dropping down from above the central hall to meet up with you so you can push forward even further into the tunnels.

"This is Ranger! We've arrived at the Queen's Hall!"

Another unit has gotten ahead of you! Push forward to meet up with them before your attack on the queen! All that stands between you and them are the Wasps mentioned earlier. Blast them down, one by one, until they're cleared out so you can move forward to meet up with the Ranger Team.

This was a much shorter series of tunnels to go through than the ones made by the Black Ants and Spiders. It seems like the Queens didn't have much time to dig all that deep after they made their hive. A grave mistake, because we're already at their doorstep! Let's take them down!

Enemies (Final Phase!)

• As this is the nesting area for the Wasps, there are a LOT of them ready to turn you into a pincushion. Their numbers are up to the hundreds down there...
  
• However, they are nowhere near as dangerous... As the Queens that birthed them. These enormous bugs will have a good chance at killing you near instananeously if you give them the chance. Whatever you do, do not underestimate this enemy.

Allies (Standby Unit)

• This Ranger Team is your final squad of Reinforcements for this battle. Move in, and get ready to strike!

"This is the deepest part. It's up ahead!"

And now: Time for you to be patient again. Just like Mission 74, the best way to do it is to lure the enemies then fall back to strike them in the funneling tunnel. But at the very least, it's a lot faster to kill all of the subjects before moving on to their Queens! The best way to attack the queens is to lay down suppressing fire with your AF99 for better DPS than the Stingray. However, the Rockets are able to light up the tunnel for a short time so you can get a visual on the Queens when necessary.

Don't forget: Your Pinging Tool is an excellent way to keep an eye on Enemy Positions, wherever they may be. Use it to your advantage in the Darkness so you'll know the location of at least one Queen if they stray away from your Entry Tunnel. Once both of the Queens are down, the mission is successful! The enemy has been blown away, and the Wasps have lost their Hive! Well done, Soldier. This is...

MISSION COMPLETE!!

- 77. Monster Party

Recommended Equipment:

• 3000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv69 AF99-ST (Assault Rifles) / Lv77 Hercules (Sniper Rifles)
  
• Lv69 Flame Geyser DA (Grenades)

Recruit the men, then back away a bit from the enemies before heading to the bridge at the map edge the furthest away from them. The reason to initially back off is that sometimes dragons will swoop close enough to engage combat to soon.

Underneath the bridge on the other end of the canal is a small tunnel. This'll be your base of operations. You can try to get the squad with you in there, but you'll find that they'll soon be lost in the ensuing chaos and end up in the canal, so you might as well just lead them down there instead.

Once everything is on place, attract dragons a few at a time, then kill them a few at a time. Try to prioritize red dragons so you can get rid of them quickly. Later the dragons might be far enough away that your 99-ST won't reach, so you'll have to get closer to attract aggro, but there's enough time to get back to safety.

At three points, there'll be dragon reinforcements coming in bigger and bigger waves. You'll need to have a good sense of when these appear and try to be by your safe point before it happens. When it does, plant a Geyser on each end, then next reload plant two Geysers on the end facing into the majority of the map. Dragons can't usually get in the rear side, which is why we picked this specific bridge, but sometimes they'll climb around on the walls and get there anyway, which is why we're still covering that end.

In the final wave, a squad of fencers will appear and aid with good portion of the dragons that remain.

Good luck.

- 78. Labyrinth of Light

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv64 AF99 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv75 Stringer J9 (Sniper Rifles)

This mission isn't all that much of a challenge for any class. Hell, with Wing Diver: You can gimp most of the challenge it has by just flying over and destroying the Ships hidden in the shields beyond the pier. Every other class, however, has to do this on foot. But it's not like that matters much.

Enemies

• Obviously: Shield Screens are EVERYWHERE in this mission. But in total, there are Seven Shield Bearers that are making them.
  
• Over your head at the start of the mission are several Flying Drones, along with more to your right over the warehouses.
  
• To your left, you will see Two Deroys currently asleep. Both can be destroyed by a Single Stringer Shot, so they don't matter much.
  
• Then the biggest pain for this mission is dead ahead of you: Two Void Ships hidden in the fog of Shields, both of which constantly dropping Black Ants to attack and swarm you.

Allies

• One Ranger Team is on sight, awaiting your arrival to back you up.

Not too complicated, but still difficult enough for a guide. You know the drill by now with these types of missions. Let's get started!

"Multiple Shield Screens have been deployed."

First: Move forward to pick up the Ranger Team, then open fire on the drones overhead to clear the skies a bit. No extra drones will appear to replace them, so get rid of some of them now... but you're really just waiting for when the bugs arrive. When they get there: Hold your ground and take them out! They'll be more annoying if you try moving forward for now, so strike them down here. Once this starting zone has been cleared of Drones and Ants: Move down the road to your left.

"Shield Screens don't interfere with each other!? That should be illegal!"

More ants will come after you. Fend them off if they get too close to keep your Rangers alive, and make your way to the nearest Deroy. Take it out with one Stringer J9 shot, destroy the Shield Bearer that's nearby, then move forward towards the Transport Ships. There's another Deroy. Destroy it with a Stringer Round, attack the Shield Bearer next to it, then aim your Sniper for the Transport Ship that's nearest to you. It's just out of the range of a Shield Screen, and is able to be taken down from here! Blow it out of the sky to give yourself a bit more breathing room.

"This is O'Hara. I'm on my way to investigate!"

Using Astronomical Data, O'hara may have found something on the Brain. But for now: Continue on with your mission. Make your way back to your Spawn Point while destroying another Shield Bearer along the way. That's 3 down, four more to go! Once you make your way back to the spawn point: Continue Left down the road to the Warehouse Island to attack the other Shield Bearers opposite of the ones you just destroyed.

"This is O'Hara... it's just a Meteor. I was wrong..."

There's a Shield Bearer in the water, but don't pay attention to that for now: Focus on getting to those Warehouses, and taking out those shields first. If the Drones aggro on you, take them out along with the Ants that are still coming. Another shield down, 2 more to go! One Shield Bearer is trying to protect the Shield Bearer that's protecting the Transport Ship, the one on the Far Right further into the island. Destroy it, then move on to the Left to destroy the Shield Bearer that's protecting the Ship. Then shoot down that ship ASAP!

From here: It's basically nothing but cleanup. Destroy the remaining Drones, collect items if you want to, then when you're ready: Snipe down that Shield Bearer in the Water to end the mission. Not too complicated, but still a decent challenge. Well done, Soldier!

Mission Cleared!

"There are other points where Meteors have fallen. I'll move on to the next one..."

- 79. City Flaws

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 2500-3000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv85 AF100 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv69 AF99-ST (Assault Rifles)

This mission here is where the weights that held us down finally came off. This mission and onward: All Weapons for Ranger are available to be picked up on Inferno Difficulty, and as such there will be no more weapon limitations for our guides. For good reason, as this mission is where things start to get rough. If you do not have the equipment we have recommended for you: Machine Squad is your best bet for finding what you need, so long as you're willing to be patient to grind for it. That being said... on to the mission where Weapon Limitations are canceled.

Enemies

• Wasps. Wasps EVERYWHERE before you. Hundreds of the Giant Yellow Monsters...
  
• Along with them? A ton of queens lie scattered among the plentiful Giant Insects, all plain to see as you enter the mission.
  
• Inferno steps things up a notch by adding in Two Shield Bearers to protect the insects.
  
• Several Hectors are in the area thanks to Inferno Difficulty as well, around Six of them. Four of them hold Plasma Cannons. Three of which have Two of them, and are able to one shot you if you have 2000 Armor or so. Thankfully: The other ones hold Shields and Close Combat Weapons so they're not as big a threat. But even so: Be cautious around the Bots at all times.

Allies

• A Ranger Team, armed with Assault Rifles, is joining you on the bridge.
  
• A Team of Wing Divers are further down the bridge to the Left Side.
  
• And a Team of Fencers are waiting for you below the bridge by a massive Tree.

This mission in particular is kind of a nightmare for Ranger. The set-up you need to perform to ensure victory is a bit tedious, and it's likely that the enemies that you activate can kill you. Especially the Hectors. Take a deep breath, and focus.

"It's strength is certainly proportional to it's size..."

Grab the Rangers, Wing Divers, and Fencers, then fall back to the back of the map. Then, follow the edge of the map to the far left corner when the NPCs catch up. Yeah, it's one of THOSE kinds of set ups. Sorry pal. When the NPCs catch up again at that corner, move forward down the road while looking to your Right facing inward towards the map. Keep going until you find the Road that leads to the Twin Towers and White Bridge.

This is the Road where you're going to set up for now. It's the safest position when facing off against the enemy. Move forward down this road and look down the roads to the Left for enemies, then take some out to lure a group. Lure as few bugs as you can so you don't risk getting swarmed. Make especially sure to lure as few queens as you can, so your NPCs won't die too early on you.

Blue boys coming in!

If you start hearing explosions during the fighting: FALL BACK ASAP. Hectors are coming in, and are clearing out buildings to give you a better view of the area! It's either a Close Combat Explosive Weapon, or worse: A Plasma Cannon. As soon as you clear the air of Wasps, and see the Hector: Tear it apart with your AF100! Don't risk using the AF99, it's likely you'll lure in more enemies with a misfire!

Keep luring enemies from the road you're stationed at, as far as you can see, until the area around you has been cleared of most threats. It's likely you'll lure in another hector, and/or one of the Shield Bearers when you hit certain Queens from this area. Just keep your focus on any aggroed Queens to stunlock them, because those Giant Yellow Beasts will tear you and your allies to shreds. The Explosive Cannon Hector is more tolerable, as is the Shield Bearer. When the air is cleared of most enemies in this sector, time to take a bit of a risk.

Move down the road to your left to the point farthest to the back of the enemy's positions. You'll always find one or two Wasps in this area. Fire at one, then RUN FOR YOUR LIFE. Several enemies will be coming for you, especially at least one queen and Two Dual Plasma Cannon Hectors! Keep on the move to avoid where the Hectors take aim, and let your NPCs take the heat so you can easily shoot down any aggroed Queens! Once the Wasps are gone, take out the Hectors ASAP!

The Calm after the Storm...

That was the second-most stressful portion of the mission. If you managed to survive up to this point: Pat yourself on the back.

But as you can see: You're not done yet.









As before: Carefully lure as few Wasps as you can at a time. If you're swarmed, focus on taking down the Queens that come for you and then take out their Minions. You'll see a Machine Gun Hector coming for you. It's nowhere near as much of a threat as the others, just take it out when it comes close. There's not much more left. But when the area has been cleared, and it seems like there's one massive group left on the Skyscrapers a fair distance away from you: You'll have no choice but to lure that whole group at once. This is the most stressful portion...

THREE Queens!? ...NO- FOUR!?

YUP. AND A PLASMA CANNON HECTOR. Stick to the plan: Back up, and focus fire on those Queens! It's likely all of your Fencer Units will be K.Oed under the Attacks of the Royalty, but just stick to the plan! Don't let their sacrifice be in vain! Just destroy those Queens ASAP! Then, once they're gone: Take out that Hector quick!

Hoo... after that part's over: Any enemies that remain are nothing but clean up. There's nothing more except for Regular Wasps, and maybe a Shield Bearer. The worst of it is over. Pick up items, kill the rest of the enemies, then the mission is done. Congratulations soldier! This is...

MISSION CLEARED!!

"This is O'Hara! I found it! It's the Brain! Send units right away!"

"What the-!? THE ENEMIES ARE COMING!"

"It doesn't look like we can escape! I'M COUNTING ON YOU!

DESTROY THE BRAIN!

We can win! I'm SURE we can!"

- 80. Monster Camp

Video Provided by: RudolphRandolphRübenrunkler

Recommended Equipment:

• 6000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv85 AF100 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv77 Reverse Shooter X (Special Weapons)

This is it. Reportedly the hardest mission in the game, particularly with Ranger. You're going to need a number of attempts at this, but just stay determined, and take a break if you're frustrated, as you'll need a clear mind for this. We at EDF headquarters of course recommend you have a glass of water during these breaks. Use reverse shooter throughout the mission steadily but sparingly to keep your men alive. Only use it for self-heals in emergencies, your survivability is tied to your NPCs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSN73PIfEe0

In battle your priority goes like this:

• Spiders.
  
• Red Ants.
  
• Ants
  
• Red Dragons.
  
• Yellow Dragons.
  
• Dragons.

The enemies on top of the list are the biggest threat to your NPCs, and must therefore be disposed of, but proximity is important and closer enemies are generally a bigger priority than further one. If you're surrounded by ants and there's a spider a bit further away, obviously kill the ants first.

First, recruit the Wing Divers and head down to assist the Rangers. With the wave almost clear, head back up to recruit the Rangers and Fencers on top of the hill, then, when the next wave spawns move back down to where the inital battle took place. The idea is to focus all the health kit drops in one easily accessible area. Fight out the wave.

In the third wave, hug the cliff near where you started and use the big rock liberally to take cover from fire. Focus your fire on the red dragons, and use Reverse Shooter to keep everyone alive. When the spiders arrive, switch attention to those and take them out as fast as possible. At this point you can disengage from the cliff and focus on staying mobile. Try to keep a health crate nearby if you don't currently need one.

- 80. Monster Camp =| Ranger Zone |=

Recommended Equipment:

• 4000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv75 Fusion Blaster ZD (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv78 Stingray MF (Rocket Launchers)

For this strategy, your Stingray capabilities will be tested to their absolute limits. It will be your primary weapon, and you'll be saving Fusion for very small bursts if an enemy is too close and you can't panic bomb it, and for a couple of specific use cases in Wave 3.

Wave 1

In the start, ants are on the hills. Fire at them where they're the tightest together. When out of ammo, recruit the Wing Divers. Dragons will now swarm the rangers downhill, so blast away at them. At just this moment, the rangers are immune to all damage, so do not worry about friendly fire yet. From here, your judgement and accuracy will have to be on point. Stay close to your wing divers, zoom in, look for points you can hit where you kill as many enemies as possible and hurt as few allies as possible (ideally none). Priorities ants over dragons, as the NPCs are better at handling dragons than you. This will be your strategy throughout the level.

When there's a handful of enemies left, leave for uphill where there's a ranger and fencer squad to recruit. Do so, then wait on top of the hill until the final enemy in the wave dies. This timing is crucial, as the NPC pathing helps them deal with the dragons in the next wave, leaving as many alive as possible.

Wave 2

On the last enemy dying, roll downhill to recruit the last fencer squad, then over the highest point of the ledge in front of you and rolling over to land in a nook. Here you'll be safe from most enemies. Use this spot to take out spiders and ants before they swarm you and your men. Your men can deal with the dragons, but not the ants and spiders. When it thins out enough, head down and scramble for medkits to heal your men, then aid in the fight.

At this point, there's usually two red dragons left alive at the end. Don't waste your Fusion on them in this case, just Stingray them. Stay close to the hill, kill the dragons with Stingray or just stun them and let your men deal with it. If you have enough men alive at this point, you're ready to face the real test:

Wave 3: "Giant insects are closing in on combat area!"

Pull away from the enemy, leaving your men as a trail behind you. The dragons will swarm upon whichever NPC is the closest, and that's your opportunity to blast them apart. Try to aim on their sides, up the cliff or on the left where the blast area will catch the dragons but not your men.

When you see a red dragon land, that's the time to bring out the Fusion Blaster. They're much too dangerous to leave alive, so blast them. With the dragons reasonably thinned out or the insects getting close enough to be easily aimed at, focus on the red ants and spiders, but still take any opportunity you can to burst down red dragons.

If you get more swarmed than that, clear your vicinity with Fusion once again.

At some point, assuming you could keep your men alive, the enemy horde will be thinned out to a managable amount, and all that remains is to clean up. If you've gotten this far, you can truly call yourself a Ranger. Well done!

- 81. Fallen Flagship

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv77 Hercules (Sniper Rifles)
  
• Lv75 Stringer J9 (Sniper Rifles)

We've finally found it... The Brain. The Control Module for the Earth Eaters. The new Greatest Enemy of Mankind, trumping the Mothership in all aspects. But most importantly in Size and Destructive Power. If we destroy this terrifying enemy: Earth may be saved again. Humanity will live on! But the enemy knows we've discovered its location, and have gathered a massive force to stop us... as such: We will match their numbers as best we can!

Enemies

• A Storm Cloud of Flying Vehicles patrols the air!
  
• Two Deroys, one Big and one Giant, march through the area searching for Humans to destroy!
  
• A Squadron of Three Hectors stands guard at the bottom of the chasm!
  
• And Five Shield Bearers are protecting the defending units!
  

• -= THE BRAIN =-

  This is your main target! Once you destroy the Defense Unit, it will be left wide open! Be careful, though, as it still controls the Earth Eaters and they may come in at any time!

Allies

• Units have gathered around all sides of the Impact Crater, ready to make the charge to strike at the defense units for the Brain!
  
• Two Fencer Teams!
  
• Two Wing Diver Teams!
  
• And Three Ranger Teams!

This is a battle that will decide the fate of Mankind! O'Hara gave his life to find this terrifying enemy... we will not let him down. We will destroy it, here and now! For the Pride of the EDF! For Honor! For O'Hara! We WILL save humanity! WE WILL PROTECT THE EARTH!

"ALL UNITS: ENGAGE IN BATTLE!"

Before running in, move over to the edge of the cliff and destroy the Shield Bearer who's foot is sticking out from the shields with a Stringer Round and some Hercules Shots. Then move back up the cliff, and start sniping Flying Vehicles from a distance with the Hercules! Your allies will soon charge into battle, follow after them and keep shooting the vehicles out of the air! When your allies have grabbed the attention of most enemies, focus fire on the Giant Deroy! Two Stringer Rounds should put them down!

Move forward and keep destroying the enemies, especially the Shield Bearers so your allies will have an easier time fending off the Vehicles that are on them! Be careful, two of those Hectors have Artillery Cannons and there's still a Deroy left to attack! Take them down one at a time, keep moving to avoid their shots, and tear them down one by one until the Defense Unit for the Brain has been taken down! Clean Up the remaining Shield Bearers and Flying Vehicles, and for a moment: The air will be calm. No enemies will appear to attack you for now.

"Confirmed Damage to the Brain!"

There isn't much point to taking command of the NPCs in the area, but if you want to: Now's a good time to go for it as well as collecting the items dropped by the enemies. Eventually, however, you'll have to fire on that Brain if you want to complete the mission. Fire off a few Stringer Rounds into the top of the Brain to damage it, then- ...Wait. What's that-!?

Enemies (Wave 2!?)

• The Earth Eaters are here! Four Sets connected to Red Panels, with Vehicle Hangars and Cannons!

Take out those Earth Eaters ASAP! One Stringer Round is able to destroy a Red Panel, clearing out several of the Metal Hexagons and getting rid of those Vehicle Hangars in one shot! Take them all out one at a time, then destroy the Cannons that remain with the Hercules! ...Well that was annoying. Oh well, with those Earth Eaters gone (and after you probably collected items again): You're free to continue firing at the Brain to deal more damage to it! Just keep shooting, and eventually you'll- ...huh!?

"The Brain is starting to ascend!"

What the-!? The Earth Eaters were just a distraction so it could run! KEEP SHOOTING! DON'T LET IT GET AWAY!

"The Brain escaped from the Combat Area..."

...Damn it. We failed... it managed to escape... It's gone.


...We did our best. Come on back to base, Storm Team... we need to focus on the enemies that are on the ground, and coming our way.

Mission Cleared...?

- 84. Divine

Recommended equipment:

• 3000 Armour
  
• Lv85 AF100 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv77 Reverse Shooter X (Special Weapons)

If you're looking for a viable 200 HP strategy then you're going to have to check elsewhere, but here's how to do the mission effortlessly.

After recruiting the two squads, pull right into the parking lot area and just stay there. Shoot things as you see them, and heal if your health gets low. From experience, it seems like your health will dip into the danger area before your men do, so just thinking about your own preserverance should keep your men alive.

That's really all there's to it.

- 85. The Threat

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv85 AF100 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv77 Reverse Shooter X (Special Weapons)

A Rescue Mission turned into a Battle for Survival...

A Legend rising from the Ashes of the Past...

The game being even less subtle at hinting that you were the one who saved Earth back in 2017.

That's what this mission entails, and though it is simple... it's strange. Just like one of the NPC Rangers, this mission seemed to always make me reminisce about all the battles we've been through in the past... From the Return of the Motherships, down to where we are now: Surrounded on all sides by Giant Insects. Makes me nostalgic for a time when things were far less harrowing than they are now...

But that doesn't matter now. We have a mission, we can't lose focus now.

Enemies (Wave 1)

• This mission is nothing but Giant Insects swarming you, but wave 1 starts pretty tame with some Black Ants and Jumping Spiders.

Allies

• You and two Ranger Squads are acting as a Rescue Team for the retreating Ranger 7, currently under assault by the Ants and Spiders!

Hurry, move forward and save Ranger 7! They won't last long against that swarm!

"This is Ranger 7! We can't escape! Help!"

Thankfully: Ranger 7 is invincible at the start. But even so, this effect doesn't stick around. Hurry and get over there! Grab the two Ranger Teams that joined you and move forward to shoot down those bugs quickly before their invulnerability runs out! ...Wait, what's that sound? ...What the-!? BEHIND YOU!

Enemies (Ambush!)

• Crap, we were careless! A massive swarm of bugs is coming from behind us! Black Ants, Red Ants, AND Jumping Spiders!

Just keep moving! Run forward and get to Ranger 7! We'll have to hold our ground here! Get the enemies off of Ranger 7's backs, then turn back around to open fire on the enemies that are following you! Remember: The Reverse Shooter X has a knockback effect against enemies while it heals your teammates! Just try not to use it when some of your Rangers are in a Red Ant's Jaws! Once all those enemies are dead...


"It makes me remember... we were attacked by the enemy like this before..."

"Somehow we made it!"

Enemies (Wave 2)

• Two more massive swarms are approaching, from the right and left!
  
• Both Swarms consist of Wasps, Red Ants, and Spiders!

"There was a hero in that time. A hero who took on the enemy units alone."

"Hey, hey! Are you delusional with fear?"

"He was real. His name was-... They're coming."

Open fire on the wasps and take as many of them as you can before the other bug types arrive. When they do get near you and your Rangers, change the focus of your fire onto the Red Ants to keep them from chomping down on your allies. If you can, focus on using Med Crates to heal your allies and save the Reverser for Emergencies. Then once the Reds are gone, focus on the Spiders then finish off the wasps. Then comes the final portion of this mission:

Enemies (Wave 3: Final!)

• Enemies are coming in from all directions! Based on the directions from where you're looking at the starting point:
  
• Wasps are coming in from the Far Left!
  
• Spiders are spread across the entire circle behind you, from the bottom left corner to the bottom right!
  
• And the rest, from the Top left Corner to the Right Side, are Red Ants!

"It's the enemy's trap! Their vast army is approaching!"

Immediately fall back in the direction of the Wasps! The far left side of the map is now the safest area, considering all of the monsters are going to come right on top of you in the center! Open fire on the Wasps to bring down as many as you can before the Red Ants and Spiders get on top of you! Take down those ground enemies, because they are a much greater threat than the Wasps will be, and keep falling back to the left of the map!

Eventually: You and your Ranger Teams will come out on top after having survived such an incredible number of Giant Insects. ...And once again... your willpower to survive has pushed you and your allies to victory. ...Just like in the War of 2017.


Welcome back to the EDF, Storm 1.

MISSION CLEARED!!

- 86. Battle to the Death

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv90 Lysander Z (Sniper Rifles) / Lv77 Hercules (Sniper Rifles)
  
• Lv90 Lysander Z (Sniper Rifles) / Lv75 Stringer J9 (Sniper Rifles)

Another fantastic mission that's a grand, bombastic, and fantastic spectacle! A massive assault of nothing but Battle Machines on the shores of Japan, explosives going off in every direction like fireworks, you and your Allies charging in over the hill to meet the enemy, it's just amazing! Not only that: The view from the top of the hill would make for a fantastic poster! It's one of those sorts of missions that's meant to leave the player in awe of just how much is going on in one fight, and I love it!

Enemies

• A Storm Cloud of Flying Vehicles coats the sky, raining laser fire onto the Tanks that are approaching the front line!
  
• Hectors come up from behind, weapons armed to blast the EDF's Forces to pieces!
  
• Two Transport Ships loom in the sky, ready to send in reinforcements when the time comes!
  
• Ship #1, Left, will drop Black Ants into the battle when enough enemies are destroyed.
  
• Ship #2, Right, will fill the sky with more Flying Vehicles!
  
• Another Argo! Another of the Battle Machines that managed to destroy the Marching Fortress X4! This enormous machine controls the flow of battle for the Enemy's Side, because when it takes enough Damage: Two More Transport Ships will arrive!
  
• Ship #3, Left, will drop Flying Vehicles onto the scene.
  
• Ship #4, Right, will drop GOLD Ants to attack your tanks!

Allies

• One Team of Each Infantry Unit will be joining the assault: Rangers, Fencers, and Wing Divers!
  
• A Row of Vehicles will move forward to draw the fire of the enemy, allowing you to attack from a distance!
  
• Four Railgun Tanks will take to the front!
  
• Three Gigantus Tanks back them up!
  
• Two Naegling Missile Cars will support from afar!

Your job is simple: Keep away from the enemy, and snipe them down with your choice between the two Loadouts: Dual Lysander Z (Loadout 1), or Hercules and Stringer J9 (Loadout 2). Both are viable for the mission, but it's likely you do not have Lysander Z yet as it is quite the rare drop. Because of this: I'll be basing the details on the guide off of Loadout 2. I prefer the former, but it is your choice. Now get out there, and prepare for battle!

"All Units, commence attack! Destroy the Argo!"

First thing's first: Do NOT attack the Argo yet, even if command said so. Grab the Fencers to your immediate Left, roll over to the Rangers to get them too, then continue going right until you're in a more open area to get a good view over the battlefield! Go for the Flying Vehicles, first and foremost, when you're in position! Hercules is able to one shot these enemies, so blast them out of the sky! Focus on the Vehicles until the Transport Ships already on the scene open up! They'll open when enough enemies have been cleared from the field, so keep your eyes on them at all times!

When they open: take out the transport ship on the Right first when it opens, the one dropping Flying Vehicles, with Two Stringer J9 Shots and 4 Hercules Shots! After that, return your focus on destroying the Vehicles because a lot more have appeared on the scene! While you focus the Vehicles, try to take out the Black Ants that are assaulting the tanks as well! When it's cleared up again, take down the other Transport then focus on Hectors!

"Failed in attack on Brain, attack units are all dead..."

Once the Hectors have been cleared out, along with the Vehicles and Ants, open fire on the Argo with your Hercules! Don't attack with the Stringer, save that shot for the next set of ships coming in when Argo takes enough damage! Once they arrive, they'll open immediately! Thankfully: These ships are a lot less durable than the ones from before. Take aim for the ship on the Right, and take it down with one Stringer Shot and some Hercules Rounds before the Golds spawn in!

Once the other transport ship is destroyed, and the Flying Vehicles it summons are gone, open fire on Argo with everything you got! Blast that enormous chunk of metal to pieces! ...And just like that, it's over. It's a short mission, certainly. It's a simple strategy, definitely. But it's an exciting one nonetheless! Best part is? Ranger is probably the best choice for this mission, besides Air Raider! God I love this mission...

But in any case... with this assault on Japan halted on this shore, Humanity has bought itself some time to prepare for a counter attack on the Brain and its Earth Eaters. It's not going to be easy, but we have to try. For the sake of all humanity: We have to keep fighting. Good work today, Soldier. You bought us another day of survival...

MISSION CLEARED!!

"There is no response... Bases and towns continue to be lost one after another...! EVERYONE IS DYING!"


" . . . I don't want to die... I-I really don't want to die...!"

- 87. Massive Mobilization

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman.

Recommended Equipment:

• 2000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv77 Hercules (Sniper Rifles)
  
• Lv77 Reverse Shooter X (Special Weapons)

While the other classes may have some trouble with this mission, Wing Diver and Fencer especially, Ranger is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. You could easily complete this mission without taking any damage if you know what you're doing. It will still take a bit of time, but so long as you remain patient: You'll be just fine.

Enemies

• Quadruped Fortress, dead center in the map.
  
• Three Deroys, Five Blue Hectors, and Five Large Transport Ships. Group Positions & Info Below.
  
• Ship #1; Center: Jumper Spiders, Blue Hector with Plasma Cannon and Explosive Gun + Blue Hector with Plasma Cannon and Shield.
  
• Ship #2; Right: Purple Ants, Small Deroy.
  
• Ship #3; Far Right; Golden Ants, Blue Hector with Shield and Machine Gun.
  
• Ship #4; Moving in a Circle to the Left: Golden Ants dropped over Medium Deroy's Position.
  
• Ship #5; Behind Quadruped Fortress: Silver Spiders, Blue Hector with Shield and Explosive Gun.
  
• The Final Hector and Final Deroy will be in the vicinity of the Quadruped Fortress.
  
• And of course, Hundreds of Flying Vehicles.

Allies

• 2 Fencer Units in front of you.
  
• 3 Wing Diver Units to your left.
  
• 3 Ranger Units to your right.

What you see is what you get. Nothing new pops in during the mission, and nothing is Aggro at the start. Be sure to use the Reverse Bomber X sparingly for healing and for knocking enemies back, as this mission can take a really long time.

That being said: On with the mission!

Your Opening Move

Recruit the Wing Divers, Fencers, and then the Rangers before heading off to the right until you're at the corner of the map. Once you're there, wait for the NPCs to catch up, so that they can cover you. Your first target is to aim for taking out Flying Vehicles. Take them down one by one from the Safety Zone Corner, and be thankful the Hercules Sniper is capable of destroying these Vehicles with one shot.

If you hit one close to a group of vehicles, don't panic. Let them come closer, then take them out when they're away from other enemies. Be sure not to lure too many, and make sure you won't hit any of the Transport Ships or Other Enemies. Taking out the Flying Vehicles will be what eats up the most time, but the process will be worth it. Clear the skies around the Transport Ships as best you can. Once you feel you're ready to take on some of the harder tasks, it's time to engage Transport Ship #2.

Time to Take Out the Transports!

The bigger threat is the Deroy and the Bugs that's guarding said ship. Destroy the Deroy first. Takes around 5 to 6 Shots to the head. After that, reload because the Purple Ants will start coming. They take 3 shots from the Hercules to take down, but the damage from your NPC units will likely help you waste less shots on them.

Once the Purple Ants are down: Unload a clip into Transport Ship #2, then wait to fend off any enemies coming towards you. If you get both Ants and Flying Vehicles, focus on the Ants first. They have much more HP, and as such are the much bigger threat. Once the enemies are gone, destroy the Transport Ship. Remember that it takes the Hercules around 22 to 23 shots to destroy a ship. Once it's gone, deal with the Aggroed Enemies.

From here on out, just assume that every action will be followed with "Then deal with the remaining enemies that were Aggroed." If I kept saying this over and over again, you'd get annoyed real quick. With Transport Ship #2 cleared, move to a nearby spot where you can see Transport Ship #1: The Jumper Spiders with a few Hector Guards. Unload a clip into the Transport Ship, then focus fire on the Hectors that wake up with its destruction.

Be sure to take out the Hector that's closer to you first, whichever one it may be. They both have Plasma Cannons as well, so keep moving so their aim on you won't be precise. If the Spiders get too close for your comfort, focus fire on them for a bit. They take one shot, and the NPCs are still a massive help.

Once the Spiders are gone: Focus on both Hectors until they're destroyed. Then continue to attack Transport Ship #1. Once that mess is dealt with: Take out a few more Vehicles then move back to your corner to attack Ship #3, The Golden Ants and their Hector Guard. Unload a clip into the Ship, then focus all fire on the Golden Ants. They take two Hercules Shots max to kill. When they're clear, focus the incoming Hector.

"Omega Team has arrived in the Combat Zone."

If you've taken out enough Flying Vehicles over the course of this mission: This is around where Omega Team will arrive. If Omega Team hasn't spawned yet after Transport Ship #3 was destroyed, take out a few more vehicles. They'll come around eventually.

Now is the time to move out to take down Transport Ship #4. Move towards the left edge of the map, but don't go all the way to the corner. Just until the Transport Ship moves directly over your head in its path. Once it's moved as far away as it can from the Deroy and its Golden Ants: Open fire on the ship. Omega Team will help the other NPC units hold off the Golden Ants, so try to shoot this one down ASAP. If you can't and it closes on you, just focus the Ants coming your way.

The Deroy shouldn't have aggroed yet if you did this right. If they did: Just focus the Golden Ants first, then destroy the Deroy ASAP before the Transport Ship opens again. This Medium Deroy will take around 10 or so shots to the head before going down. Once all the enemies guarding Ship #4 are no more, destroy the Transport.

Almost there!

All that should be left is the Quadruped, Transport Ship #5, a few Hectors, and a Deroy. Destroy the Deroy, and allow the Quadruped Fortress to wake up. Do not go for the Fortress itself just yet, wait for Bomber Midnight to attack with Grindbusters. Until then: Focus on the remaining enemies, but try not to Aggro the Silver Spiders.

After a bit of time, Midnight's attack will connect with the Fortress and activate its Laser Guns. Focus on the Quadruped's Defenses that are aimed at you, and when they're gone: That's when it's time to take out Ship #5 any any enemies that still remain. Silver Spiders take 8 Hercules Shots to kill, but Omega Team helps out a LOT. Eventually: The Transport will fall, all enemies will be dead, and it will be time to focus on the Fortress. Fire into the hatch for an explosive finale for all your hard work! (oh, but be sure to collect items first)

MISSION CLEARED!!

- 88. Scorching

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman

Recommended Equipment:

• 3000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv85 AF100 (Assault Rifles)
  
• Lv75 Stringer J9 (Sniper Rifles)

The Ravagers have decided that enough was enough. They aren't taking your nonsense anymore, and have decided to throw everything they can at you before Japan has another chance at completely stopping their attack at the last minute. It seems like the end of the world as we know it... but no matter what happens: The EDF will keep fighting. Even if we are destined to die this day, we will never lay down our arms and surrender! No matter what happens... WE WILL FIGHT! For the Pride of the EDF! For Honor! For Earth!

Enemies (Wave 1!)

• Giant Insects will come rushing after you on foot, specifically Jumper Spiders and Red Ants!
  
• In the sky above them is a massive Storm Cloud of Flying Vehicles with Laser Guns at the ready!
  
• A Trio of Deroys stands tall with their Laser Cannons aimed for you and your allies!

Allies

• Omega Team will be joining you for this battle! They are the most powerful unit in your NPC Team, so keep them close!
  
• Several Wing Divers are on sight to provide support!
  
• Ranger Units have loaded their Rockets and are ready to fire!
  
• The Fencers stand guard at the front, ready to protect the Infantry Teams!

It's all or nothing! The Brain is killing off your allies all around the world, and Japan will be the last country standing once more! It's up to you to win the day, or Earth will fall to the Invaders! There's nowhere left to run. All you can do is fight! ALL UNITS! ENGAGE!

"Attack the enemy force!"

First things first: While you collect the NPC units around you, pull out your Stringer J9 and open fire on the Deroys! Each Deroy will take two Stringer shots to take down, but they'll be the biggest threat to your NPCs with their Plasma Artillery! Once two of the Deroys are down, ready your AF100 and take out the Giant Insects that are coming for you as you back up! It's very likely that the Fencers will fall to the Spiders, but keep them alive for as long as you can by attacking the enemies when they're focused on them!

An important thing to note is that the Starting Area is actually the best place to stay for right now. If you're too far back or too far forward, the next wave of enemies will be right on top of you. Once most of the small fry are cleaned up, take out that Final Deroy and heal your NPCs! Be ready, because here comes Wave 2!

Enemies (Wave 2!)

• Coming from the front is a swarm of Giant Wasps!
  
• Following the Wasps are Two Death Queens ready to impale you with a Barrage of Giant Spikes!
  
• Below the Death Queens are a pair of Shield Bearers, meant to protect these Queens from incoming fire. But those Queens are too high to be protected!
  
• From behind is a swarm of Dragons, a much greater threat than the wasps!
  
• Alongside the Dragons are several Red Dragons that will snatch up your allies if you're not careful!

"Did you hear the Story? The Hero Rumor?" "Too many times..."

Fire a few Stringer Rounds at the Death Queens while running towards them, then turn around! The Dragons will be upon you! Fall back further towards the Wasps as you open fire with the AF100! Several NPCs may get torched by the Flames of the dragons, but when those scale-coated bugs hit the ground: Omega Team is very likely to melt them along with the Wing Divers! Once several Dragons are dead, return your focus to the Queens! However, if the Shield Bearers caught up: Take them out first with a Stringer Shot before dealing with the Queens with your Assault Rife!

Clean up both Queens and the other Shield Bearer before you turn your focus to the Red Dragons. A Single Stringer Shot should take them out! Return to the starting point and get your NPCs healed up, here comes the Finale for this mission!

Enemies (Wave 3: Final!)

• Three Void Ships will appear overhead, and start summoning in Black Ants!
  
• Several Red Drones will follow the Void Ships into the Combat Zone to protect them!
  
• Insect Royalty will come onto the scene: A King and a Queen!
  
• And finally: A line of Hectors will start coming for you to back up the Insects! All of them are equipped with Close Combat Weapons, no Artillery from any of them, so they aren't an immediate threat.

"Yeah, well... That man returned. I heard he's in the Storm Team now."

Leave the Black Ants to your remaining NPC teams! Take down one of the Void Ships first thing! It takes three Stringer Shots to blow it out of the sky! After one of the ships are down, take aim for the Spider King that's making his way over and take it out with three more Stringer Shots! The Queen is your next target, and by now they'll be close! Hit it with a Stringer Round, then turn it to swiss cheese with the AF100! The Hectors will be coming in close as well, so focus your fire on them right after!

When it's cleared up a bit more, aim your Stringer to take down the Red Drones that are around you! Omega Team will probably have taken care of some of them, but finish off the rest! When they're gone, take out another Void Ship and the remaining Hectors that are coming towards you. When all is said and done, and only one Void Ship remains... take a deep breath to calm yourself. Because this battle has been won. Run around and collect items if you want to, because once that final Void Ship is destroyed? It's...

MISSION CLEARED!!

- 89. Star Eaters

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Gordon Freeman. Video Provided by: RudolphRandolphRübenrunkler

Recommended Equipment:

• 3000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv90 Lysander Z (Sniper Rifles)
  
• Lv90 Lysander Z (Sniper Rifles)

Here we are. The Grand Finale. Ranger is best suited for this mission, but even with him with Dual Z's? It is a doozy. This is the safest strategy for this mission, but if you do it this way: Be prepared to take quite a bit of time. If you are patient, you will be rewarded with the satisfaction that you saved all of humanity from its greatest challenge yet!

Enemies

• The Earth Eaters, equipped with two types of Laser Weapons (Green and Blue), Explosive Cannons (Red), and Vehicle Hangars (Enemy Spawners, 5 Shots). Main Weakness: Red Panels (5 Shots), destroy these to destroy a group of E.Es.
  
• The Hangars will spawn Flying Vehicles, sometimes Deroys under certain conditions.
  

• -= THE BRAIN =-

  This is it. Your Main Target. The Command Module for the EEs. The new greatest enemy of Mankind! Destroy this mechanical beast, and Humanity is saved! For real this time!

Allies

Scattered across the battlefield are allied units that will spawn in when you get close. Details on their positions will be told during the mission.

"At last our final hour has come! ALL UNITS: ENGAGE IN BATTLE!!"

This starting point is the hardest part of the mission. Open fire on the Red Panel you immediately see on screen. As you destroy this panel, start moving forward and to your right to get to the 2nd right turn down the road. Once that Red Panel's gone, look behind you to find another one. Destroy it, reload both Lysanders, and keep moving.
3 Rangers will spawn further down the right turn to support you. Keep them alive so they'll soak up damage. Behind them, the Awning of a High Rise you'll use for cover. Above you will be a third Red Panel that you will need to destroy. With these Panels gone, their Red Cannons are gone too so your cover is safe. Next to the third Panel is a Hangar. Get some damage in if it opens, but focus on getting the Rangers and yourself to the High Rise.

Don't fire on the Brain just yet. Focus on the Vehicles, the Hangar, and the Cannons to your left while under cover. When its clearer: To your right from there is another Hangar and a Panel. Take them out, plus more turrets, then move down the left of your cover. From the other wall under the awning, you should see another Hangar in the distance. Destroy it when it opens. After that, start taking out the turrets you're able to see from your cover.

Once the sky is clearer of turrets from where you're covered, you're free to move out and take down the turrets directly above you. When they're gone, move back down the road to the starting point while destroying more turrets. Down the left turn from the Starting Point is a Parking Lot with a Wing Diver Team. Recruit them. Continue down this path, clockwise around the map, while attacking Turrets, Hangars, and ESPECIALLY Red Panels for clearing out several Earth Eaters while looking for more NPCs to protect you.

Remember to stay close to the edge of the map for a greater chance of finding the NPC units, and clear out as many turrets as your patience will allow for safety. In order, the NPCs you should find in your search are...

• 2 Fencers by the Corner of the map.
  
• 2 Wing Divers next to a Highway (Said highway being great cover for taking out turrets.)
  
• 2 Rangers hiding between a pair of Short Buildings.
  
• And lastly: A Fencer Team hiding between Skyscrapers.
  
• Total Max NPC Headcount: 5 Rangers, 5 Wing Divers, and 5 Fencers.

When you reach the next Corner of the map after the Fencers: Stop there, and wait for your NPCs to catch up to you while shooting down more turrets. By now there aren't many guns left to attack you, if any at all. Move down the left road a bit if your allies get stuck somewhere, but you don't have to waste time trying to get all of them over to you. When your followers finally arrive at your corner, fire on the brain until the remaining E.Es disappear then reload your Lysanders.

Round 2, New Enemy: Earth Eaters+. FIGHT!

Take out the Red Panel right above you as it's falling to make a safe zone in this corner. As soon as you see it, open fire. With that panel gone, start firing on the guns to your left. The new Earth Eaters+ are moving counter-clockwise around the brain, and are carrying a new weapon: A Purple Laser. Unlike the Blue and Green Lasers, this one is like a Flying Vehicle Laser that stuns you in place. While extremely deadly, 1 shot still takes them out. But be sure to take them out FAST.

The Hangars won't open until you fire on the Brain again, so nothing will come to hunt you down. Stay in your corner and focus on destroying Turrets and Panels that come over your head, especially the Red and Purple Cannons. In the middle of the wave, a Ranger Team (Scout 8) will appear close to the Starting Point. We at the EDF recommended you rescue them, but it's your call. To save Scout 8: Follow the Left Road to their Blue Markers on the Mini Map, focus on the turrets that are over their heads, take command, then retreat back to the corner.

Once you've cleared out the Turrets and Panels of the EE+s, Heal your NPCs (if needed) then retreat back to the corner. Fire a few rounds at the Brain, and the Hangars will open. Take all of them out, and their flying vehicles. Once all of the defenses are gone, open fire on the Brain.

This is it! Final Wave: Star Eaters!

The Brain is getting desperate! These "Eaters" aren't defending the Brain, but that's because they have a lot more firepower and can summon dragons. The attacks by the Star Eaters, however, seem to hardly hit you. The biggest threat are the dragons, and all of them are spawned from the 3 Tier S.Es. The 1 Tier and 2 Tier S.Es only send out attacks that are very likely to miss. But don't let your guard down. Stay in the corner and take out any S.E that gets close to you.

Eventually: Pale Team, Scout 4, and Omega Team will arrive to provide support. By this point, the mission is already won. You can take command of them if you want. They still have a lot of firepower to help take down the rest of the S.Es, and they'll provide a bit more dialogue for you. But it isn't necessary if you just want to finish the fight.

Once all of the S.Es are gone, and the Dragons are all dead, the Brain is completely defenseless! Collect Items, Recruit the remaining NPCs, Dance and Sing, find a good spot for the final attack on the Brain, do whatever you want to do to celebrate! Then: Open fire to finally destroy The Brain!



It's finally over, Soldier. You've done it! Mankind is saved! WE ARE VICTORIOUS!! THIS IS:

FINAL MISSION: CLEARED!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

- 89. Star Eaters =| Ranger Zone |=

Recommended Equipment:

• 4000 Armor (Minimum)
  
• Lv75 Stringer J9 (Sniper Rifles)
  
• Lv77 Reverse Shooter X (Special Weapons)

Attack the weak node to your upper left while making your way left to the parking lot with the wing divers.

Double back and move along the map counter-clockwise while attacking the brain, if exposed, and attack any weak nodes to expose it otherwise. Use Reverse Shooter to keep your squad members alive.

If deroys present themselves, prioritize them and take them down swiftly.

While moving, many other NPC squads will spawn, and you can recruit them for your protection or leave them be as decoys. Recruiting them allows you to heal them and keep them useful for longer.

When the third phase starts, it's pointless to attack the Brain before the radio talks about dragons spawning.

- DLC1 M2. Giants Advance =| Ranger Joke |=

Strategy Details given by Co-Writer: Morgan Freeman.

Recommended Equipment:

• 200 Armor (Maximum)
  
• Lv 75 Fusion Blaster ZD (Best Weapon Category NA)
  
• Lv ?? Anything Else (Whatever Dude)

Enemies

• A Conga line of Blue Hector Bois.

Allies

• A Ranger Commander trying to get you to hide and fight stealthily.

Easy mission. Just run forward, tear down the Hectors with a Fusion Blaster, and boom: Done. Honestly, this mission is kind of a joke. You COULD use stealth to take down one at a time, but come on there's not really a reason to-

...Wait, what?

...

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE'RE NOT DOING DLC MISSIONS!?!? SONOVA BI-

Closing Thoughts

And that's how to beat Inferno as a Ranger.

I hope you found this guide helpful, and will appreciate any feedback you may have, positive or otherwise. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, and if any of the mission strategies don't work out for you, I'll happily demonstrate them in video form and add that to the guide.

If any missions you're having troubles with are not included, I can do that too.

Should you have any tips or tricks you find missing in the guide, do let me know and they'll be added.

If you have been, thanks for reading.

Credits and Sources

• Kenny Logins, without whom this guide would have had a signifcantly more boring name.
  
• The Japanese wiki,[www2.atwiki.jp] with detailed data on missions structures and much else
  
• Understanding enemy HP values, by Vlad and Zeddy
  
• EDF Weapon Checklist[weapon.edf.jpn.com], by @edf_weapons
  
• Calpis 0721 for his library of 200HP Ranger strats.
  
• Gordon Freeman, co-writer and absolute madman.
  
• Vlad, pointificator and mostly benevolent.
  
• You, the dear reader of this guide. Good hunting out there, Soldier.

[Amendelwyr]

Thank you so much for these guides! Really wouldn't ever finish the game's achievements without them. Truly. This title is up there in super difficulties.

Only ever a few times did I personally stray from the recommendations because of comfort weapons, but that's good for the guide! Only ever on the most extreme levels did one need to be strict.

[NoobGamer1267]

everyone else: they can't shoot anytime they want
Fencer: he is very difficult to play

[DeadSpace47]

What about Surrounded mission? Since you're surrounded, the best is to take a sniper and assault rifle?

[Zeddy]

Demon's Army is a tough one, and it's online only for good reason. Your job as Ranger should probably be sniping drones with double Lysander Z and offering support after that, concentrating mostly on flying enemies. Fencers and Wing Divers take the front, taking most of the aggro and dealing most of the damage.

Go carefully.

[DeadSpace47]

In which mission you relate the most when it comes to Demon Army for the ranger? Bring Lysander and af100? That mission, along with Surrounded are the reason why the final 10 missions in online mode the developers wanted you to feel like an real invasion is happening. Designed to tire you out but we'll designed (not so for Demon army)

[Alex]

Please do some DLC missions

[Zeddy]

Flamers will work well serving the cc-aspect of idunn if you can coordinate with your teammates though.

[Zeddy]

Ranger's flamethrower is a bit lacking in the range and/or damage department unfortunately. In caves I'd prefer explosive launchers both to keep more distance and as a light source.

[DeadSpace47]

Double Slug shot? Flamethrower isn't good as an Idunn?

[Zeddy]

Yeah, piercing is a pretty popular trait in EDF4 because enemies are easy to line up and it usually doesn't destroy buildings. Ranger has very few options there, I can only think of Slug Shot and Stringer.

In EDF5, every ranger shotgun gets piercing so he becomes a lot more competent at close range brawling.