How To Earn The "Annihilation" Achievement

A short guide on the method by which I earned this difficult achievement.

Preparation

To get this achievement, I played as the USA using the following perks:
"Truman Doctrine" (USA Victory requires 1 VP less)
"Free Trade Zones" (Trade Agreements are terminated at 1 stability instead of 2)
"Hearts And Minds" (USA Diplomacy Actions are 5% more likely to succeed)

Truman Doctrine is vital. Without it you would need to gain a second United Front or win the space race, and you just don't have the time in 19 turns to do either of those things.

Free Trade Zones can probably be swapped out for something else if you prefer it or have a problem area that you hate dealing with. Don't take anything Space Race related, as we will be ignoring that entirely. I like Free Trade zones because it creates a very nice cushion if USSR decides to harass a nation you didn't expect pushback on.

Hearts and Minds will certainly make it easier on you but all it is really doing is making you 5% luckier (although that can certainly make the difference between getting the achievement in time).

Strategy

Our goal will be to get the 15 VP we need to win within 19 turns by the following method:

NATO Majority (3 VP) - We start with this
South Asia Majority (1 VP) - We start with this
Arab League Majority (3 VP)
East Asia Majority (3 VP)
South America Unified Front (5 VP)

Each of the spheres we will conquer offer 3 VP for Majority and 5 for Unified Front, but the USA starts with the best position in South America so it will take the least effort to dominate.



THE SPHERES OF INFLUENCE:

NATO - We begin the game with 9 of 9 NATO countries, and we will probably entirely ignore NATO this game. We don't lose Majority unless we lose FIVE of these nations and it is more or less impossible for the USSR to do that much damage in 19 turns. You really don't even have to keep an eye on NATO. USSR will usually waste a lot of energy taking Spain, Italy and Ireland, which you don't care about at all. If you're lucky, he will waste even more energy taking West Germany from you, and it still doesn't matter.

WARSAW PACT - We will entirely ignore Warsaw. USSR can do anything and everything they want here.

SUB SAHARAN - Also can be ignored completely. There will be MANY "Demands" that come up to be fulfilled here. It feels like you should complete them but DO NOT BOTHER. I can't stress this enough - DO NOT SPEND RESOURCES IN NATO, WARSAW or SUB SAHARAN. Save them for the off chance that a Demand comes up in one of the spheres we care about.

SOUTH ASIA - We start with Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. This is Majority and we just need to make sure we keep that by game end. The likelihood is that USSR will never even contest your control here, but if it does you can either fight back, or try to Rig an Election in Burma. It is OK to spend resources on a Demand here if it creates a buffer for you. We need this single VP.

Tactics Overview

The first two turns will be the same every game, and then you will have to play reactively. For this reason, I will spell out procedure for the first 10-15 actions here, then move into tactical guides for each of the spheres.

TURN ONE
Make Trade Agreements with: Saudi Arabia, Iran, China and Chile
Deploy an Agent to Brazil.

TURN TWO
Make Trade Agreements with Peru and Suriname (in South America).
It is likely that one of these two nations are having an election this turn. If so, Rig that Election for 3 action points. If they are both having an election, choose Peru.

If there are no elections in either of those two nations, make a Trade Agreement with Mexico and then Deploy an Agent to Morocco in the Arab League.

TURN THREE
This is where the possibilities start to branch too much to provide a step by step walkthrough.
Your primary job each turn is to check to see if you can Rig Elections in any of the following nations:
Peru (S. Am.)
Suriname (S. Am.)
Mali (Arab)
Algeria (Arab)

It is likely that some of these elections will happen in the same turn, and if they do you will miss out on them because you only have enough actions to Rig one per turn. That's ok, just make sure to get the missed nations in the next cycle. Check elections EVERY TURN, first thing. Later, we will add to the elections list.

For the next several turns, while you are rigging elections, with your remaining action points you will work on Trade Agreements. Timing is important here. Never leave a nation that wants a Trade Agreement with four stability at the end of your turn. If you do, USSR will swoop in and take it.

There are several nations with three stability looking for Trade. When you have 2 action points left (this will be common as you Rig elections) roll the dice on Foreign Aid in one of these nations. If you succeed and get them to 4 stability, then make the Trade Agreement with them and end turn. If you fail, move on to a nation with two stability and use the last action point to bring it up to three. USSR will never interfere.

The early Trade Agreements you want to get will be Colombia and Venezuela (S. Am), as you will need their oil, and Japan, as it will be crucial to keeping Majority in East Asia.

Around turn six, the first cycle of elections that you want to rig will be over. As I mentioned, you might have missed one of the nations but keep an eye on it and it will come up again before game end.

You will now concentrate on securing your remaining Trade Agreements and start to use Diplomacy and Invasion to get to your victory conditions. Move on to the guides for the individual Spheres for this information.

You will also want to keep an eye on what the USSR is doing. If you notice that it takes a trade agreement from any of the friendly nations that are vital to you (Mexico, Columbia, Venezuela, Japan), you will need to waste actions doing Diplomacy in that nation to turn it dark blue. This is annoying, but these nations are linchpins and must be retained.

Tactics - East Asia

At this point in the game you will be moving between the three spheres of influence as needed and reacting to what the USSR is doing. The next sections will lay out your tactical goals for each sphere individually, but the exact order needed is going to be up to you to determine.



East Asia has 9 nations and you will need to take control of 5 of them (Majority). This will not be hard but USSR will fight you constantly, so you must keep an eye on your East Asian assets if they are harassed.

START and EARLY GAME (Turns 1-7)

We start with three nations here (South Korea, Japan, and Australia). We need to gain two more from the pool of: China, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam. We will not attempt to interfere with Mongolia or North Korea, they are too much trouble.

We made a Trade Agreement with Japan because is it often a target for the USSR and it's much easier to keep Japan than take a country from USSR. Australia is not often targeted by USSR. South Korea is likely to be a target of harassment. You will need to respond to any actions USSR takes here throughout the game, possibly even into late-game.

We made a Trade Agreement with China. This will pay dividends in the mid-game.

As time permits, we will give Foreign Aid to Thailand, preparing them for a Trade Agreement. We will do this remembering that we NEVER use our last action to put a nation at four stability! We only offer Foreign Aid with two actions left, and if the Aid fails, we move on to another task!


MID-GAME (Turns 8-13)
As soon as China turns white from our Trade Agreement, hammer it with Diplomacy. Forsake all other priorities (except Rigged Elections) to do this. Winning will be MUCH easier with China in our pocket. However, if China is taken by the USSR (or if you are just wasting too many Diplomacy actions to no effect), it is not the end of the world. Move on and get your two additional nations elsewhere.

If you have gained Thailand, you can Deploy an Agent there and Rig Vietnam's election. USSR will often protect this election, however.

Indonesia takes a lot of Foreign Aid to get a Trade Agreement. If you go this route, make sure there is enough time left in the game for the Agreement to come to fruition (this means offering it on turn 11 at the very latest). Alternatively, you can use Diplomacy on them.


LATE GAME (Turns 14-19)
You should be finished with East Asia by the late game and if you got lucky you may even have a buffer nation there. Just keep an eye on South Korea if you don't.

Tactics - Arab League

Arab League has 11 nations and you will need to take control of 6 of them (Majority). We start off with a poor position here (only the Gulf States) but we have a secret weapon: Rigged Elections. USSR has pink all over the Arab League and tends to ignore most of the nations. They will however usually put up a big fight for Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.



START and EARLY GAME (Turns 1-7)

We start with nothing but the Gulf States here. We need to gain five more from the pool of: Mali, Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iraq. We will not bother with Morocco, Libya, Sudan, or Yemen.

We Deployed an Agent to Morocco, which let us Rig the Elections of Mali and Algeria. Remove this Agent as soon as those are done.

MID-GAME (Turns 8-13)
As soon as Saudi Arabia turns blue, we will Deploy an Agent there. This Agent will be used to Rig the Elections of Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. Add these three nations to your Rig list as soon as your Agent is deployed, and continue your Early-game policy of always checking for a Rig possibility first! If you lose one of these three to USSR, that's ok. With Gulf States, Saudia Arabia, Mali, and Algeria, you really only need two of them. The third is good for a buffer, though.

Countries from the Arab League will often come up for Demands than you may be able to fulfill. Be careful with these. Turning Morocco or Sudan blue are helpful, but turning any of the pink nations that we plan to Rig white will mean you can no longer Rig them. Rigging is the main way we take control in the Arab League and it saves us actions.

Turning Libya pink doesn't help us, but turning Yemen pink will let the Saudi Agent Rig it.

LATE GAME (Turns 14-19)
You should be finished with Arab League by the late game and maybe even have a buffer nation. Protect Saudi Arabia and work on finishing the game in South America.

Tactics - South America

South America has 11 nations and you will need to take control of them all (for United Front). This will probably be your last goal as it is easy for the USSR to disrupt a total monopoly.

START and EARLY GAME (Turns 1-7)

We start with Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela. We made Trade Agreements with Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela because they are often targets for the USSR and we need their valuable resources. This was outlined in the tactics overview. We also start with Equador but they usually don't need any attention.

In addition, we have made Trade Agreements with Suriname and Peru, and have Rigged their Elections.

We should have a Trade Agreement with Chile. There are two ways to handle Chile. The easier way is available if Peru's election has been rigged early. As soon as Peru has turned light blue, you can Deploy an Agent there and Rig the Election in Chile. This takes control with four actions. Alternatively, if you miss Rigging Peru early, you will need to use Diplomacy on Chile to convince them to your side. You can do this in the mid or late game.

MID-GAME (Turns 8-13)
A Trade Agreement should be made with Central America as soon as time permits.

LATE GAME (Turns 14-19)
Cuba will need to be invaded. It is likely that Argentina will as well, but sometimes USSR will mess up or you will get lucky and be able to fulfill a "Demand" for one of the resources there. If this occurs, follow up with Diplomacy.

Expect the worst though. Be ready to spend your last 5 or 6 turns doing an Invasion, withdrawing troops and applying Foreign Aid until the nation is at 3 stability, and then making a second Invasion.

As soon as the second Invasion is successful, you're in the the clear. Spend your last turn fixing any last-minute wrench the USSR threw into your plan. You don't even need to clean up your last war, the game will end as soon as your turn does and the cheevo will pop.

Finishing Up

So, a recap.

Ideally, you will spend the first 5 to 6 turns as outlined in the Early Game walkthrough.
The next turn or two will shore up South America and continue work in East Asia.
Spend the mid-game taking over the Arab League and on final objectives in the East.
The end game will likely consist of a pair of Invasions in South America to complete your takeover.

Good luck, and if you have any questions, please post in the comments!

[CapAp]

@demspass
In my experience almost every game had an election in Peru or Suriname in round 2, making the Agent in Brazil turn 1 a very powerful play. The early moves have the most lasting impact.

In fact, I might even say resetting and starting again if you don't get a Peru or Suriname election in round 2 is a viable tactic, as so little time has been invested.

Thanks for the comments and the tip about perks!

[demspass]

sending the agent to brazil probably isnt worth doing turn 1 if there isnt an election immediately there

otherwise nice guide! the overall strategy is good, took me many many tries but i got it!

also for those of yall who dont wanna grind, or lost it all bc perks dont carry over steam cloud for some godforsaken reason:

the perks unlocked are tracked in /appdata/roaming/Precipice/player_data.json

just add numbers up to 51 or something to unlock them all