005.0 - Great Wastelands Part 2
Primary Objectives:
- Investigate the asteroid belt
- Eradicate all enemy ships
Secondary Objectives:
- Destroy enemy Resource Collectors
- Research Defender Subsystems
New Technology:
- Plasma Bomb Launcher
- Defender Subsystems
Overview: The Turanic Raiders have been wiped out, but the fleet that
destroyed Kharak is still around. But now you've tracked them down, and it's
time to make them suffer.
Fleet Construction: With the spare resources from the previous level and the
ones on your side of this map, add enough Heavy Corvettes for a group of
twelve, fifteen Interceptors, and at least eight Salvage Corvettes. You
should also have about ten ships in your Battle Group as well, which you'd
have if you've been capturing enemy ships. Otherwise, build a few Ion Cannon
Frigates.
First of all, ignore Fleet Intelligence's advice of sending a Probe to
investigate the dust clouds. Instead, send a Probe forty-nine kilometers away
from your Mothership in between the V-shaped dust cloud. This will act as
your marker for triggering the Taiidan attack. Before getting into that,
however, send out your resource team to harvest the area on your side of the
Probe. When they get too close, send them over to the other side of the "V"
and let them work from there. While you're waiting for them to finish, begin
researching Plasma Bomb Launcher technology.
With the extra RUs, finish building up your fleet if you haven't already. The
six to eight Ion Array Frigates and three Assault Frigates you've captured
already will serve as enough firepower in your Battle Group, and a Strike
Craft composed of a dozen Heavy Corvettes and twenty Interceptors will get
the job done.
When you're ready, send your Strike Craft and Battle Group out to the forty-
nine kilometer mark. Position your Salvage Corvettes about twenty kilometers
behind your fleet and slightly off to the right. Have one Interceptor cross
the line to trigger the battle, but wait for them there.
The Taiidan fleet is formidable, and consists of two wings of ten
Interceptors, two groups of four Assault Frigates, three Ion Cannon Frigates,
and two Destroyers. On top of that, two Resource Collectors begin harvesting
the right end of the "V".
Because the Destroyers hang back initially, you might be thinking of
capturing an Assault Frigate or two. Don't bother, keep your eyes on the big
prize.
The Taiidan Interceptors attack first, with the Assault Frigates lumbering
behind. Your Strike Craft can deal with the weak Interceptors, and your
Battle Group outnumbers the Frigates three-to-one; for the highest possible
efficiency, have them attack a single Frigate at a time. When two of the
three have been reduced to space junk, the other group makes its appearance.
Repeat the same strategy until they're gone as well.
Around the time the fifth Assault Frigate is destroyed, have four of your
Salvage Corvettes sneak over to the Resource Collectors (they're the yellow
blip on the sensors manager) and snag them. If you attempt this too early,
the Frigates will try to protect their harvesters, and you'll probably lose a
Corvette or two.
The next wing of fighters is a new type of ship: the Defender. While you're
scuffling with them, Fleet Intelligence reports that they can copy this
technology, so begin researching Defender Subsystems.
After the Defenders are gone, begin retreating back to your Mothership while
your Battle Group attacks the Ion Cannon Frigates below you. When the
Destroyers come into view, divide your Strike Craft into two groups, with the
Heavy Corvettes focusing on any remaining fighters and the Interceptors
harassing the Destroyers. At this point, order your remaining Salvage
Corvettes to capture the Destroyers; they should be coming in from the side,
so the Destroyers won't have time to turn around and defend themselves. Make
sure to do this before the Carrier catches up or it'll knock your Salvage
Corvettes off. If you have any spare Salvage Corvettes, consider stealing the
Support Frigate as well; it doesn't have any weapons, so it's a joke to
snatch and comes in handy a few missions down the road.
That leaves the Carrier, which is following the helpless Destroyers to the
Mothership. This one doesn't try to escape and its weapons are limited, so
you shouldn't have a problem taking it out. When it goes down and all of you
new toys are under your control, Fleet Intelligence reports victory and
prepares to hyperspace. As always, let your new and improved collection team
suck the area dry of resources and begin building your fleet for the next
level.
You won't need any new ships for your Battle Group, but you will need a large
Strike Craft. If the majority of your Interceptors are still intact (at least
fifteen), build a dozen new Attack Bombers and the same number of Defenders -
you should have a total of forty fighters and corvettes ready for the next
level.
Once your harvesters have finished, have everyone regroup back at the
Mothership. Assign your entire Strike Craft to a single group, and everything
else to a second one. This will make things a lot easier to manage, believe
me.
006.0 - Diamond Shoals
Primary Objectives:
- Protect the Mothership
New Technology:
- Super-Capital Ship Drive
- Drone Technology
Overview: Fleet Intelligence has decrypted a message from the Assault Frigate
you captured at Kharak that describe powerful Taiidan outposts that are
capable of destroying your still relatively weak fleet. To avoid running into
these, you have to take the road less traveled through an asteroid field and
a nebula.
Fleet Construction: Before hyperspacing from the Great Wastelands, you should
have added a group of twelve Defenders and twelve Attack Bombers to your
fleet of Interceptors. If you didn't, it might be too late now. Heavy
Corvettes will manage fine, but expect to lose a few.
Immediately when the level begins, order your capital ships, frigates, and
miscellaneous ships (Research Ship, Salvage Corvettes, et cetera) about fifty
kilometers to the right of your Mothership. This will keep them out of harm's
way while your Strike Craft destroys the asteroids coming at the Mothership.
Despite being heavily armored, it can only take so many hunks of rock
bombarding it before going up in flames.
However, your Resource Collectors will manage through the asteroid field just
fine, so don't pass up the chance to gain a few thousand more RUs.
With your one large group of fighters and corvettes in Wall formation, begin
attacking any asteroid that's on target to colloid with the Mothership.
You'll notice that most of them fly right by, and if you position the camera
directly behind or in front of it, you'll be able to see which ones are
threats.
In the midst of all of this, Fleet Intelligence reports that Super-Capital
Ship Drive technology is available for research, so do so right away.
The one problem you may face is when your Strike Crafts begin to run out of
fuel. Obviously, you can't have your entire fleet dock all at once and leave
the Mothership unprotected, so take ten to fifteen ships at a time and order
them to dock. About halfway through the asteroid field is a break in the
action, which is the perfect time to refuel the majority of your fleet. Don't
worry if they aren't in dire need of it, the extra juice will hold them over
for the rest of the level.
Once you make it out in one piece, the Bentusi arrive and offer you Drone
Technology. Accept it, of course. When Fleet Command asks the traders about
the nebula, the Bentusi respond with "No one returns."
Want to find out why?
007.0 - The Gardens of Kadesh
Primary Objectives:
- Harvest the nebula
- Defend the fleet
Secondary Objectives:
- Protect your resourcers
New Technology:
- Fast-Tracking Turrets
Overview: After coming out of hyperspace, Fleet Intelligence reports that the
nebula is extremely rich in resources. But your attempts to harvest them gain
the attention of the Kadeshi, the protectors of the Garden. And they aren't
very happy about you defiling this sacred place...
Fleet Construction: The next two levels, like the one before it, are all
about Strike Craft. As long as you have a few Ion Cannon or Array Frigates,
forget about building any more, unless you want to build a Support Frigate.
You'll want enough Heavy Corvettes that you can divide them up between your
Resource Collectors and Controller in groups of six, as well as forty
Defenders and fifteen to twenty Interceptors. Retire all of your Attack
Bombers, as they'll only serve as target practice for the Kadeshi Swarmers.
Before taking up Fleet Intelligence's advice on harvesting, assign your Heavy
Corvettes to guard your Resource Collectors and Controller in sphere
formation - six to each ship will work. As they begin collecting resources,
put your Battle Group and Strike Craft in formations, it's a good idea to
keep your Defenders and Interceptors in two individual groups.
After about a half a minute of harvesting, an unidentified Mothership
appears. They tell you that you've violated the Garden, and that the only
punishment is death.
The Kadeshi fleet is composed of three (for now) ships: Swarmers, Fuel Pods,
and the needle-shaped Mothership. The Swarmers are the main threat, as
they're extremely fast and attack in massive groups. However, because of
their size they also have a limited amount of fuel, enough for about four
passes; afterwards they have to return to a Fuel Pod.
This makes the strategy pretty simple: destroy the Fuel Pods. While your
Strike Craft are occupying the Swarmers, send your Battle Group over to a
group of Fuel Pods and blast them. Without a source of fuel, the Swarmers
become immobile, making them easy prey for your Strike Craft. Just be sure to
keep your precious capital ships away from the Kadeshi Mothership; not only
is it equipped with a pair of ion cannons, but it also has a tendency to ram
any ship that gets in its way.
It takes your Mothership ten minutes to recharge the hyperdrive module, so
that's the amount of time you'll be spending fighting off these monsters. The
Swarmers usually make a few general passes before targeting a single ship,
whether its one of your frigates or a Resource Collector. Because of this,
you'll want to keep an eye on where your resource team is at all times; if
you see a wing of Swarmers headed their way, immediately send your Strike
Craft after them. If you have a Support Frigate, have it repair the unlucky
ship after, or even while, it's attacked. As long as you take out as many of
them as possible before they reach their target, they should run out of fuel
before they manage to destroy anything.
Likewise, you don't want to run out of gas either. Most of your Strike Craft
will survive, but after seven or eight minutes of flying some of your smaller
ships like the Interceptors will be calling for a chance to dock. I find that
when Fleet Command announces that there's only one minute of charging
remaining, there's a slightly longer lull between the groups of Swarmers. It
may not be the best time, but it's probably the only one you'll get to
refuel.
Since there really aren't any breaks in the action, though, you might get
caught up and forget about saving your progress. Don't. If you happen to miss
a step and end up losing a ship or two, you're stuck with either restarting
the level or going on without it. Otherwise, you can simply replay from a few
minutes ago and prepare yourself better.
Two minutes into the battle, Fleet Intelligence reports that it can develop a
ship to specifically combat these things, so start researching Fast-Tracking
Turrets as soon as you get a break. If you begin researching immediately,
you'll finish around the eight-minute mark, which gives you two minutes to
build as many Multi-Gun Corvettes as you can and deploy them. In reality, you
might not get the chance to use them this mission, but they come in handy in
the next one as well.
When the hyperspace module is charged, Fleet Intelligence advises you to make
the jump. It sounds like a good idea, but don't. Unbeknownst to you, the
Kadeshi Mothership also acts as a hyperspace inhibitor, which will keep you
in the nebula while it's still in the area. The only thing that results from
trying to hyperspace is that your Mothership and capital ships are left
unguarded while your Strike Craft re-launch.
Instead, continue fighting the Swarmers, but make your way over to the
Mothership when it floats by. Hit it with your Battle Group and spare Strike
Craft, and it'll eventually leave.
Now, was that really so bad?
As Fleet Intelligence reported in the beginning, the nebula is loaded with
resources, and you'd be a fool not to harvest them. It might take a while,
but this level and the following one are the last two missions that are so
rich in resources. In fact, if you play your cards right, these resources
might very well last you for the rest of the game.
Before hyperspacing, make sure to rebuild any ships you've lost. You can
retire all but ten of your Heavy Corvettes and replace them with Multi-Gun
Corvettes. All in all, you should have twenty Interceptors, forty to forty-
five Defenders, and twenty to twenty-five Multi-Gun Corvettes, along with
your Battle Group of ten Ion Cannon Frigates or the equivalent. You should
also have sixteen to eighteen Salvage Corvettes.
When you attempt to hyperspace, you'll get the message you were supposed to
have gotten when the Kadeshi Mothership was still in the area. It only takes
a few seconds for the game to catch up and realize that the hyperspace
inhibitor is gone, and you can re-dock and hyperspace away.
008.0 - The Cathedral of Kadesh
Primary Objectives:
- Destroy the attackers
- Destroy the hyperspace inhibitors
Overview: It's a trap! Three Kadeshi Motherships surround the Mothership and
send Swarmers at you from all directions, as well as the powerful new Multi-
Beam Frigates. Even one hyperspace inhibitor will keep you from leaving the
nebula, so all of them have to be destroyed.
Fleet Construction: The Kadeshi attack you almost immediately after coming
out of hyperspace, so if you didn't build anything before leaving the Garden
you won't have the time to now. As mentioned above, you should have twenty
Interceptors, forty to forty-five Defenders, twenty to twenty-five Multi-Gun
Corvettes, sixteen to eighteen Salvage Corvettes, and ten ships in your
Battle Group.
The Kadeshi ambassador appears almost immediately and gives you one final
chance to join them before attacking. You can still give commands while this
dialogue is going on, though, so set up a strong defense before it ends. Move
your Resource Controller and Salvage Corvettes closer to your Mothership and
send your Multi-Gun Corvettes in their place. Then move your Defenders behind
your Battle Group, and leave the Interceptors to guard the front. When they
finally launch, have your remaining Heavy Corvettes to guard your resource
team, but don't send them out to harvest. If you forget about them and they
reach the other end of the map, they'll encounter a substantial group of
Multi-Beam Frigates that the Heavy Corvettes won't be able to fend off. And
besides, you should have more than enough RUs on hand to get you through this
level.
After defending your fleet from the initial attack, this level is pretty much
the same as the one before it. Swarmers and their Fuel Pods will attack from
every direction, but never at the same time. However, there are bound to be
multiple Fuel Pods that you missed on a given run hanging around, which the
Swarmers will eventually find if their main Pod is destroyed. Since it's
difficult to move your entire Battle Group across the screen, send Salvage
Corvettes with a small escort to capture a few Fuel Pods. You can't use them,
but you score 300 RUs for each one you retire.
However, you'll want to keep most of your salvage team free, because shortly
after the first few waves are destroyed, small groups of Multi-Beam Frigates
attempt to sneak in and catch you off guard, which is actually surprisingly
easy. At first glance, they look a lot like Fuel Pods, but their four ion
cannons pack an extremely powerful punch. Luckily, they're also pretty easy
to steal, and you'll definitely want them in your fleet. The first group of
three appears directly in front of the Mothership, so send three groups of
two to capture them.
About a minute after the first group of Multi-Beam Frigates come into view, a
wing of Swarmers attack you from the left. But they're only meant to be a
distraction, because at the same time a pair of Multi-Beam Frigates drop down
from the right. Don't be fooled, send four Salvage Corvettes to haul them in.
With your salvage team holding down the fort, most of your attention will
probably be on the group of Swarmers that your Strike Craft have been dealing
with. But once again, another group of three Multi-Beam Frigates appear from
the front. Capture them, and send any group of Strike Craft back to the
Mothership. Occasionally a small wing of Swarmers will attack your Salvage
Corvettes, Research Ship, and Collectors while you're occupied, but even a
small wing will be able to hold them off until help arrives.
In the mean time, hit the Kadeshi Mothership nearest you, and hit it hard.
Send any of the Multi-Beam Frigates you've already captured to blast it away
as well, it shouldn't take too much work to destroy it. Clean up any
remaining Swarmers and return to your Mothership, another Kadeshi Mothership
is taking up the fight and the final two Multi-Beam Frigates are coming in
from the left - almost directly above your arriving Battle Group. Capture the
Frigates and head over to the other Mothership. Repeat the same strategy
until it's destroyed as well.
When the second Needle Mothership goes down, the third and final one retreats
to the far end of the map, near an unusual friendly beacon. Don't follow it
just yet, it isn't going anywhere and no one else will attack you. Refuel and
repair your ships and organize yourself, and don't forget to add your new
Multi-Beam Frigates to your Battle Group. When you're ready, send your Battle
Group, along with an escort of Multi-Gun Corvettes, Defenders, and at least
fourteen Salvage Corvettes to the green beacon.
About three-quarters of the way there you'll encounter two groups of Advanced
Swarmers, followed by seven Multi-Beam Frigates. Pause your Battle Group's
advance while your Strike Craft deal with the Swarmers and your salvage team
captures the Frigates. After the coast is clear again, continue on to third
Mothership, where Fleet Intelligence makes a remarkable discovery: it's one
of the Khar-Toba's sister ships. So it's true that the Kushan are related to
these people. It's a shame you have to annihilate them.
With the last of the Swarmers and Frigates out of the way, the final Kadeshi
Mothership doesn't have anything left to throw at you. Focus all of your
ships on it, and it too will be destroyed.
Send your ships back to your Mothership and begin harvesting. While that's
going on, figure out how much damage was done - if any - to your fleet; the
addition of over a dozen Multi-Beam Frigates should make up for any Ion
Cannon Frigates you may have lost.
You won't need too many new ships for the next mission except for Strike
Craft, which you should have more than enough of from the nebula missions.
Twenty Defenders, twenty Interceptors, and twenty Attack Bombers is more than
enough firepower; but consider adding a small group of fifteen or so Scouts
to be used as bait, you should be able to afford the 525 RUs.
So much for, "No one returns."
009.0 - Deep Space - Sea of Lost Souls
Primary Objectives:
- Investigate the anomaly
- Destroy the unknown vessel
- Salvage the unknown vessel
New Technology:
- Guided Missile
- Gravity Generator
- Super-Heavy Chassis
Overview: An unknown ship is detected, and Fleet Intelligence would like to
know what it is and what it's doing.
Fleet Construction: It's all about Strike Craft here. As long as you still
have most of them from the nebula missions (at least fifty, not counting
Heavy Corvettes) you'll be fine. Build about fifteen Scouts to use as a
distraction, though.
First of all, send your resource team out to harvest. Resources aren't as
plentiful and are much more spread out, but they're there. At the same time,
send your Scouts (who should be set to evasive tactics) to the beacon, with
the rest of your Strike Craft following well behind. When you get within
range of the unknown vessel, you'll see a strange, black ship (labeled the
"Ghost Ship") surrounded by an escort of two Taiidan Assault Frigates, a
Turanic Ion Array Frigate, a pair of Kadeshi Multi-Beam Frigates, and a new
ship - a Taiidan Missile Destroyer. Its homing missiles will wreck havoc
against your Strike Craft, but don't bother sending any of your Capital Ships
near the Ghost Ship. If any capital ships come within ten kilometers of the
Ghost Ship, it takes control of it and uses it against you.
Now, you can send your Battle Group just out of range and lure its escort
away and then destroy it, but you'll miss out on multiple rewards. Not only
do you gain control of any ships that survive when the Ghost Ship is
disabled, but if the Missile Destroyer is included, you automatically gain
Guided Missile technology, which comes in handy in the next mission.
Otherwise, you'll have to wait until Level 12 before you get it.
Anyway, send your Scouts to harass the Missile Destroyer when they come into
range. As they make their first pass, the Destroyer pulls away to follow
after them, leaving the rest of your Strike Craft to hammer the Ghost Ship.
The rest of the escort won't cause you too much trouble, but your attacks
don't seem to be affecting the Ghost Ship's armor. However, they are causing
the control field around it to fluctuate, so keep at it.
Eventually, Fleet Intelligence reports that the vessel has been neutralized.
Send your Strike Craft and new capital ships back to the Mothership, and send
a Salvage Corvette to explore the Ghost Ship. When it returns, you find out
that the ship is over a million years old, but its purpose it still unknown.
As a bonus, the ship's control field was used to develop Gravity Generator
technology, which you should begin researching immediately.
And if that wasn't enough, the Bentusi arrive and ask for the data you
collected from the Ghost Ship. In exchange they'll trade you Super-Heavy
Chassis technology - what a bargain!
Before hyperspacing, build a second Missile Destroyer and have at least three
regular Destroyers. You should also have fifteen or more frigates of any
type, but that shouldn't be a problem.
010.0 - Super Nova Research Station
Primary Objectives:
- Destroy all enemy forces
- Destroy the enemy Carrier
- Destroy the research outpost
New Technology:
- Minelaying Tech
- Proximity Sensor
Overview: As your fleet pushes forward to the Inner Rim of the galaxy,
Taiidan resistance is expected to become much heavier. But there are
weak points in their defenses that you must exploit. As Fleet
Intelligence puts it, "It is time to hunt the enemy as they have hunted
us." The first example of these weaknesses appears in the form of a
Research Station near an active supernova. However, getting close enough
to attack will be difficult due to the intense radiation being emitted.
Fleet Construction: Forget about your Strike Craft, they won't be able to
withstand the radiation, even in the protected dust clouds. Ideally, you'll
want two Missile Destroyers, three normal Destroyers, and at least fifteen
frigates. If you can't meet those requirements - particularly the Missile
Destroyer - go back and replay the previous levels.
The first thing to do is put your Battle Group into wall formation and
separate them into groups. To make things easier to manage, have one group
composed of just your Missile Destroyers, one with the rest of your Battle
Group, and then the two of them combined.
Now go to your Sensors Manager and look at it from a 3D view. See those dust
clouds that run above and below the Research Station? If you send your fleet
through those clouds instead of straight to the ping you'll be protected from
the radiation. Of course, you can be sure that the Taiidan know this as well,
so expect to be some resistance along the way.
The path that runs above the Research Station is more heavily protected, but
it's more straightforward, whereas the lower path requires you to jump
between dust veins but isn't as well-guarded. As long as you have a Missile
Destroyer, though, you'll be able to get through the high route without too
much trouble.
But why are the Missile Destroyers so important, you ask? Well, as your
preparing to leave, Fleet Intelligence reports that the Taiidan have set up
minefields. The mines are too small to be targeted by your capital ships, but
will still do some serious damage to your fleet. However, the Missile
Destroyer's homing missiles will be able to clear a path for you.
Before leaving, begin researching Proximity Sensor technology and Minelaying
Tech when the other finishes. Send your Battle Group up to the first red dot,
but aim about three or four kilometers higher than the dot to keep the lower
half of your Battle Group from being fried. Likewise, if you see one of your
ships taking damage, adjust the direction of your Battle Group accordingly (a
frigate on the right is out of the dust cloud, so move your group more to the
left, for example).
The first red dot turns out to be two wings of Strike Craft: fifteen
Interceptors and eight Heavy Corvettes to be more descriptive. Pause your
Battle Group's ascent and order your Missile Destroyer to attack them; the
fighters and corvettes should be wiped out pretty quickly to the Destroyers'
devastating homing missiles.
When they've been eliminated, regroup and continue to the next red dot. But
as you go, begin "sweeping" for mines. You can't target them normally, you
need to use the Force Attack (Ctrl + Shift) when dragging a box to attack the
mines; but be warned, you can attack your own ships this way as well.
Once you find a minefield, stop your Battle Group and send the Missile
Destroyers out to clear the area. Continue forward and destroy the other two
walls of mines along with the Minelayer Corvette as well, and then have your
Battle Group catch up. Eventually you'll stumble upon another Minelayer
Corvette surrounded by a sphere of mines, but even with that many mines, your
Missile Destroyers should make short work of them.
The next red dot is more of the same: three walls of mines and a third
Minelayer Corvette. When the last of the mines are cleared, regroup and save
your game. The final red dot is a group of two Destroyers and your first
Heavy Cruiser, so be prepared before heading into battle.
Normally you'd want to target the Heavy Cruiser first, but it seems that the
pair of Destroyers move forward to attack you while the Cruiser hangs back.
Because of this, attack one of the Destroyers first, but keep an eye on the
Heavy Cruiser; if it gets too close, focus all of your attention and
firepower on it. Remember, the Cruiser has almost three times as much
firepower as a Destroyer, so it poses a much greater threat. It's almost
impossible to keep all of your ships intact here; whichever capital ship the
Heavy Cruiser targets will most likely be destroyed, so try sending your
Frigates out first as bait instead of the more-valuable Destroyers.
When the Cruiser and its Destroyer escort are gone, continue heading straight
through the dust veins. You'll begin to see flickers of the Research Station,
but don't jump out at it just yet; the area between the dust veins and the
Research Station are unprotected, and the last thing you need is a damaged
fleet before attacking the Station's garrison, which includes a pair of
Assault Frigates, four Ion Cannon Frigates, a Carrier that releases Multi-Gun
Corvettes, and forty-five Defenders.
When you're perpendicular with the Research Station, make the cut to the side
and target an enemy to attack. Your Missile Destroyers should obviously
target the Defenders and Multi-Gun Corvettes, and the rest of the Battle
Group can focus on the other capital ships. You'll probably want to target
the Assault Frigates on your left first just to avoid being surrounded.
But wait, there's a problem with the enemy Carrier. Like the Great Wastelands
level, the Carrier begins retreating, and you can't let it escape. But unlike
your last encounter with an escaping Carrier, you have a little more
firepower this time around. As it begins to fly away, it'll pass right next
to your Battle Group, so hit it with everything you have. You should be able
to destroy it before taking too much damage from the remaining Ion Cannon
Frigates.
When the Carrier and Ion Cannon Frigates are space junk, turn around to where
the Assault Frigates were; five more appear, but they won't stand up to your
Battle Group. Finish off any remaining Defenders or Multi-Gun Corvettes, and
then finally hit the Research Station. It doesn't have any weapons and there
aren't any more surprises, so destroying it is simple enough.
Before hyperspacing away, you'll notice that there are two small clusters of
resources on either side of your Mothership. You can send your Collectors and
Controller out to harvest them, but make sure you keep a Support Frigate to
repair them once they reach the safety of the resources. You'll score about
six thousand RUs between the two patches, so it's definitely worth the
effort.
The next level won't give you any time to prepare, so make sure you build
your fleet before making the jump. If most of your Battle Group is intact,
you should be alright. A strong wing of fighters is a must, though; about
twenty Interceptors and ten Scouts will do the trick. You'll also want a
minimum of fourteen Salvage Corvettes, but the more you have the more ships
you'll be able to capture.
011.0 - Tenhauser Gate
Primary Objectives:
- Destroy the Taiidan fleet
Overview: In a coded Taiidan transmission, you find that the Emperor isn't
very pleased about his fleet's inability to prevent you from returning. He
also knows that the Bentusi are helping you, and demands that they be
silenced before contacting the Galactic Council. You can't let that happen.
Fleet Construction: There's no time to build anything once the level begins,
so whatever you have at the moment will have to do. As long as you have a
competent Battle Group, some Interceptors and Attack Bombers, and plenty of
Salvage Corvettes, you won't have to worry about a thing.
The Taiidan attack squad consists of an Assault Frigate, four Ion Cannon
Frigates, three Destroyers, and another Heavy Cruiser. This is a golden
opportunity to increase the size of your fleet, and at the very least you'll
want to salvage the Destroyers and Cruiser. It takes five Corvettes to steal
the Cruiser, and three for each Destroyer; which means the minimum number of
Corvettes you'll need is fourteen. Add another two Salvage Corvettes for each
Ion Cannon or Assault Frigate you'd like to have, and have a couple of spares
just in case.
When the mission begins, Fleet Command reports that the Bentusi are nearby
and in distress. Immediately put your Battle Group in Wall and send them
fifteen kilometers in front of the Mothership (there's no ping yet, but
that's where the Bentusi are). A short cinematic will play in a few seconds
that shows the defenseless traders being pummeled by the Taiidan forces.
The first thing you need to do is distract the Taiidan from attacking the
already damaged Bentusi. However, this proves to be pretty simple, as any
attack against them will draw their attention away from their target. Send a
small group of Interceptors to harass the Destroyers and Frigates, but send a
separate group of Scouts to pick at the Heavy Cruiser. At the same time,
divide your Salvage Corvettes into two groups and send them to either side of
the Bentusi Mothership, but don't order them to capture anything.
Your Battle Group should be in range by now, so order them to attack anything
you don't want, and have your wing of Attack Bombers target the lone Assault
Frigate. As the level progresses, the enemy ships will slowly separate into
smaller groups, and that's your signal to send the Salvage Corvettes in. Move
them as close as possible before issuing the order, though, because as soon
as you target something, the rest of the ships will go after your salvage
team. However, the idea is that because you actually issue the order at the
last minute, there won't be any time to defend against them.
With the Taiidan fleet destroyed and captured, send your fleet back to
the Mothership and wait for your new playthings to fall under your
control. When they do, the Bentusi thank you for helping them and reward
you with a gift greater than any technology: the gift of knowledge. In
the "First Time" the Taiidan empire exiled your ancestors from Hiigara,
with the Guidestone being the only link that survived the journey. The
Bentusi's final words are, "Reach your Homeworld. Establish your claim."
Now you know the whole story, and why the Taiidan are so intent on
exterminating you.
Before making the hyperspace jump, make sure you have at least two Missile
Destroyers and six or seven Proximity Sensors in your fleet. Also, enter the
Launch Manager and select the "Remain Docked" option. You'll be glad you did.
012.0 - Galactic Core
Primary Objectives:
- Protect the fleet
- Destroy the source of the gravity field
- Protect the defector
New Technology:
- Cloaked Fighter
Overview: Things are finally going your way; the Bentusi have told you the
history of your people, and you're heading into the inner rim of the Hiigara
system. But the Taiidan haven't given up just yet, and they have quite a few
more traps ready for you.
Fleet Construction: You'll be fighting a bunch of Taiidan capital ships in
this level, but never more than three or four at a time. As long as most of
your Battle Group is intact, you'll have more than enough firepower to defend
the Mothership. You'll want about six Proximity Sensors to alert you of the
cloaked ships that attack later on, too. And because of the Gravity Well
Generators in the beginning you won't be able to launch your Strike Craft, so
have a pair of Missile Destroyers on hand. After the Gravity Wells are
destroyed, you can use a wing of Multi-Gun Corvettes to help clear away the
enemy's Strike.
When you drop out of hyperspace, you find yourself surrounded by three
Gravity Well Generators with a pair of Support Frigates each. Divide your
Battle Group into three groups and have them attack the Generators; your
fleet should be strong enough to destroy them even with the Support Frigates
healing them, but if not go after them first. Shortly after you attack the
Generators, an Assault Frigate and a Missile Destroyer appear to wipe out any
Strike Craft that are immobilized by the Gravity Wells. Since your Strike are
safely docked in the Mothership, forget about the other Generators and take
them out.
When the Gravity Wells and the small attack group have been destroyed,
regroup and begin launching your Strike Craft. The Support Frigates will
retreat back to the other side of the map, and it might be tempting to
destroy or capture them. Don't, the key to surviving this level is staying
close to the Mothership; the Taiidan only attack in small groups, but if you
go out and look for trouble there are plenty of minefields and capital ships
ready for you.
There's a fairly long lull between the initial attack and the next one, so
you should have plenty of time to prepare your Strike Craft and Salvage
Corvettes, you'll also want to assign your Proximity Sensors to your main
Battle Group. Eventually, two formations of Interceptors and Scouts will
appear, followed by an Assault Frigate. Capture the Frigate, and let your
Missile Destroyers and Multi-Gun Corvettes take out the rest.
The Interceptors and Scouts are succeeded by a wing of Attack Bombers and a
half-dozen Heavy Corvettes. Around this time, your Proximity Sensors will
begin alerting you of incoming enemy units, and three wire-frame Ion Cannon
Frigates will appear. Destroy the Cloak Generator to make them fully visible,
but don't attack them. Instead, put those idle Salvage Corvettes to use and
steal them.
Another weak attack follows the cloaked Ion Cannon Frigates in the form of
Scouts and Interceptors. Destroy them, but try stealing the Support Frigates
if you can. It may seem like a waste of time, but they come in handy during
the final mission.
Some Attack Bombers and Heavy Corvettes make one final attempt at an attack,
but they're more of a diversion than anything. Below you, a Heavy Cruiser,
six Ion Cannon Frigates, ten Heavy Corvettes, and about twenty Defenders are
trying to catch you off-guard. Don't let them, let your Missile Destroyers
finish cleaning up the Strike, and send your Multi-Gun Corvettes and Battle
Group to fight the Heavy Cruiser's escorts. Have all of your Strike Craft go
after the Defenders and other Strike, with your Battle Group focusing on the
Frigates. At the same time, order your Salvage Corvettes to capture the
Cruiser; by the time they get close, the Cruiser will already have picked one
of your capital ships as a target, which makes stealing it much easier than
it could be otherwise.
With the Cruiser and its escort dead or captured, send your fleet back up to
the Mothership and wait there for a moment. Take all of your Salvage
Corvettes that aren't tied up, along with a small group of capital ships and
Multi-Gun Corvettes, and send them about five kilometers to the northeast.
Eventually, a cinematic will play that shows a Taiidan Destroyer hyperspacing
in. The ship, known as the Kapella, is led by Captain Elson, a member of the
Taiidan rebellions who support your cause. He's being followed by a pair of
Ion Cannon Frigates and Assault Frigates, as well as two Support Frigates
with docked Strike Craft.
If you look at your Sensors Manager, Elson's Destroyer is speeding towards
the Mothership from the northeast. Send your Strike and Battle Group to
distract the ships attacking him, and use your Salvage Corvettes to capture
them. Any spare Corvettes should be used to steal the Support Frigates.
With the attackers destroyed, follow Elson back to the Mothership and finish
salvaging any ships you still have. Small wings of Attack Bombers and Scouts
may fly by occasionally, so keep your Missile Destroyers and Multi-Gun
Corvettes on hand. If you wait around long enough, another three cloaked Ion
Cannon Frigates may decide to attack as well.
When Elson is aboard the Mothership, Fleet Intelligence tells you to
hyperspace away. For once, doing so isn't a bad idea. There are plenty of
resources being harvested by Taiidan Collectors, but the amount of work it'll
take to fight for them isn't worth it.
013.0 - The Karos Graveyard - The Shining Hinterlands
Primary Objectives:
- Dock Strike Craft with the Communications Relay
New Technology:
- Heavy Guns
- Cloak Generator
Overview: While you've mainly been on your own throughout the game (with a
little help from the Bentusi), the Kushan aren't the only people fighting the
Taiidan Empire. The destruction of Kharak has incited a rebellion against the
corrupt empire, and they're waiting for Elson's signal to move into the next
phase. Hidden in the Karos ship graveyard is a relay station that Elson can
use to make contact with them; and in exchange, he can guide you through the
Taiidan's defenses surrounding Hiigara.
Fleet Construction: For Method One, you'll need a strong Battle Group that
can quickly destroy the Junkyard Dog, but after that a small group of Missile
Destroyers can clear a path through the graveyard.
For Method Two, a group of twenty Multi-Gun Corvettes and five to ten
Interceptors will be more than enough.
013.1 - Method One - Destroying the Junkyard Dog
The graveyard and relay station are relatively unguarded, in the sense that
the only resistances you'll encounter are some Autoguns and a single ship:
the Junkyard Dog, which can be described as basically the ultimate Salvage
Corvette. The Junkyard Dog is small, fast, and can capture any ship by
itself.
However, it does have one weakness: it's vulnerable to Gravity Well
Generators. So as soon as you drop out of hyperspace, set up your Battle
Group and begin construction of a Gravity Well. Have it guard a ship in the
middle of the group and send them about five to ten kilometers out in front.
Now enter the Sensors Manager. You'll see a single red dot flying around the
graveyard, that's the Dog. When it eventually comes to your end of the map,
it goes after one of your capital ships. Don't let it get close enough,
activate the Gravity Well Generator and order your entire Battle Group to
attack it. The Dog's armor is tough, but without the ability to move it's as
good as dead.
Without having to worry about the Junkyard Dog, send your Missile Destroyers
out to clear the graveyard of Autoguns. You might want to send a Support
Frigate with them just in case they take some damage, but the Autoguns aren't
terribly powerful. Use this time to check out the ships floating around the
graveyard, you'll see some rejected ship designs for Heavy Cruisers and
Support Frigates, among others.
When the Destroyers reach the relay station, send a small group of
Interceptors or Scouts (in case you missed an Autogun) in evasive tactics out
to dock with it. After it does, Elson thanks you and transmits new hyperspace
coordinates to your Mothership before hyperspacing away.
013.2 - Method Two - You Take The High Road...
I actually prefer this strategy over the other one, simply because it doesn't
take as long. You need about twenty-five Multi-Gun Corvettes and a handful of
Interceptors. Send the two groups above or below the graveyard until they're
over or under the relay station. Send the Multi-Gun Corvettes in first and
have them target any Autoguns in the area. About fifteen seconds after the
Corvettes reach the relay station, send your Interceptors in and have them
enter the relay station. The Multi-Gun Corvettes will be able to knock out
most of the graveyard's defenses, but remember to order your Interceptors to
do something when one of them goes to dock - they just sit around otherwise.
When one of your ships makes contact, immediately hyperspace away. After all,
there's really nothing else to do here but sit around and take damage.
014.0 - Bridge of Sighs
Primary Objectives:
- Destroy the field generator
Secondary Objectives:
- Destroy the hyperspace gates
New Technology:
- Sensors Array
Overview: Captain Elson gives you some useful information about what's
waiting for you around Hiigara. Most importantly, there are a series of
hyperspace inhibitors that will prevent the Mothership from hyperspacing into
the Homeworld system. Elson has given you the coordinates of the most
vulnerable inhibitor; if you can destroy it, you'll create an access point
for a hyperspace jump.
Fleet Construction: Like the Karos Graveyard level, there are two different
strategies that you can use. For Method One, you'll need fourteen to sixteen
Salvage Corvettes, twenty Multi-Gun Corvettes, five Scouts, and a small
Battle Group that has at least two Missile Destroyers in it.
For Method Two, you'll want six Cloak Generators, a pair of Heavy Cruisers,
four or five Destroyers, twenty Multi-Gun Corvettes, and twenty Attack
Bombers.
Also, in both strategies, research Sensors Array technology. You may want to
consider building one if you have the extra RUs.
014.1 - Method One - Thou Shalt Not Steal
Being the least protected field generator surrounding Hiigara, the only
resistance you'll come up against is a very small fleet of over a hundred Ion
Cannon Frigates and even more Strike Craft surrounding the inhibitor in a
gigantic sphere. The plan here is to bait small groups of Frigates out and
capture them with a team of Salvage Corvettes.
Why use this method? Well, for one, the size of your fleet will at least
double. In fact, you can begin the next level with anywhere from twenty to
one hundred and twenty Ion Cannon Frigates, six Destroyers, and three Missile
Destroyers, all for the price of a group of Salvage Corvettes.
Second, this is actually pretty easy to do. Luring the Frigates away from the
main sphere in groups of seven or eight isn't as difficult as it might seem,
and they're just as easy to capture.
The drawback: It's extremely time consuming. Having to go back and forth with
the slow-moving Salvage Corvettes and waiting for the Mothership to receive
the enemy ships becomes tedious and boring quickly.
Anyway, before stealing anything, you'll want to prepare your fleet. Take any
Ion Cannon and Assault Frigates (Ion Array and Multi-Beam Frigates will also
work if you don't have at least ten of the others combined) and any Missile
Destroyers you have and set them up in Wall formation. Position them about
halfway in between the Mothership and the edge of the Ion Cannon sphere.
Next, take the rest of your Battle Group and have them sit just in front of
the Mothership. Finally, take a group of fourteen or more Salvage Corvettes
and send them to where your Frigates are, except about twenty kilometers off
to the left or right.
Now send a small group of Scouts, set to evasive tactics, into the Ion Cannon
sphere. Don't go too far or you'll attract too many at once; but as soon as
an enemy ship comes into view, immediately send them back to the Mothership.
Anywhere from seven to twelve Ion Cannon Frigates will follow after them, so
be prepared to destroy anything you can't capture. Send your Frigate/Missile
Destroyer Battle Group to intercept them on their way to the Mothership, and
then slip your Salvage Corvettes in from the side. It's a good idea to steal
the Frigates that are closest together and near the back, since the remaining
Frigates may try to knock off any Salvage Corvettes that are latched onto one
of their comrades. If you steal a Frigate up front or leave one next to
another being salvaged, it might have enough time to catch up or turn and
attack.
With your Salvage Corvettes tied up, target any remaining Ion Cannon Frigates
with the Battle Group you have waiting. Occasionally, a wing of Strike Craft
will tag along, which is why you have a few Missile Destroyers on hand. You
should have the Frigates outnumbered, but if a few manage to slip by while
you're dealing with another one, the rest of your Battle Group is waiting by
the Mothership to defend her and your Salvage Corvettes.
Now repeat about a dozen times. You can pick away at the sphere by sending
your Scouts to different sides of the map, and you don't have to worry about
eliminating the Frigates behind the field generator. Just remember to save
after every successful capture, because there's nothing more annoying then
having to replay something that's already unbelievably repetitive.
When you get too close to the field generator, Fleet Intelligence reports
that there are several (three) hyperspace gates in the area, and they should
be destroyed to prevent reinforcements from aiding their defenses. At each
hyperspace gate, you'll encounter a pair of Support Frigates with a swarm of
Attack Bombers, Heavy Corvettes, and Interceptors, followed by two Destroyers
and a Missile Destroyer.
However, if you ignore the Strike Craft and focus solely on the hyperspace
gate, you can destroy it before the three Destroyers appear (since they
arrive after the Strike Craft are eliminated). On the other hand, these are
the only Destroyer-class ship you'll come across this mission, and it'd be a
waste not to capture them. Likewise, it's a good idea to steal the Support
Frigates, since you'll max out your Frigates and won't be able to build any
of your own for the final mission.
If you want them, send your Frigate and Missile Destroyer Battle Group to a
hyperspace gate, along with at least nine Salvage Corvettes (thirteen if you
want the Support Frigates) and a strong wing of Strike Craft that includes a
small group of Scouts. Keep your Salvage Corvettes well away from the gate,
since the enemy Strike will target them. When the Support Frigates appear,
have your Strike and Missile Destroyers attack them, but leave the Support
Frigates alone. When they realize what's going on, they'll move about twenty
kilometers away, but won't actually try to escape.
With most of the first wave dead, the three Destroyers appear. Send your
Scouts to harass the Missile Destroyer, and the rest of the Strike Craft to
attack the entire group. The two Destroyers will more than likely target one
of your capital ships, so order them to retreat and send your salvage team in
at the same time. The Destroyers will be preoccupied with attacking your
Battle Group that they won't have time to defend themselves, and the Missile
Destroyer shouldn't be too much trouble either with your Strike Craft keeping
them busy. When the threat is gone, send the rest of your Salvage Corvettes
to capture the two remaining Support Frigates, and return to the Mothership
for refueling and repairs. Afterwards, head over to another hyperspace gate.
Eventually, the majority of the sphere will be eliminated. You'll want at
least the front half gone, but getting rid of any more wouldn't be a bad
idea. When you think you're ready, send everything you have at the field
generator: both Battle Groups, a strong wing of Multi-Gun Corvettes, Attack
Bombers, and Heavy Corvettes, and at least six Proximity Sensors. Order all
of your ships to guard the slower group of Destroyers and Heavy Cruisers to
make sure you'll all arrive there at the same time, and then evenly spread
your Proximity Sensors around.
As you inch closer to the generator, a proximity warning will go off and
three cloaked Destroyers will attack. Order the majority of your fleet to
attack the Destroyers, and set aside a small group to knock out the Cloak
Generators. Soon after, another cloaked Destroyer will appear from above, so
repeat the same strategy you used before. The generator's last major defense
is a cloaked Heavy Cruiser, but the combined force of your Battle Group will
be able to overpower it without a problem.
From here, hit the generator, and hit it hard. There's a Carrier hanging
around, but it doesn't attack too aggressively. Send your Multi-Gun Corvettes
and Heavy Corvettes to wipe out any Strike Craft it decides to launch. A few
Ion Cannon Frigates may also wander over, but there shouldn't be too many if
you did a good job of clearing away the sphere. Allocate a small group of Ion
Cannon Frigates (ten is more than enough) and your Attack Bombers to deal
with these nuisances.
The field generator itself has no defenses whatsoever, but you do have to
worry about one of your ships being destroyed by one of the individual
sections as it rotates. It's not a major problem, but definitely set your
fleet to evasive tactics and keep an eye on where they are.
Once all eight sections are destroyed, Fleet Intelligence reports that the
hyperspace inhibitor field surrounding Hiigara has been shut down. There's
really nothing left for you here, so hyperspace away (unless you plan on
salvaging the Carrier and Resource Collectors).
014.2 - Method Two - Can't Hit What You Can't See
This method is just as simple as the other one, but it also leaves you with a
relatively small fleet (relative to what it could be using the strategy
described above). But the positive here is that it won't take as long to
complete. Instead of getting rid of the sphere of Frigates, you'll be
bypassing it entirely. Using Cloak Generators, a small but extremely powerful
fleet will sneak past all of the Ion Cannon Frigates and destroy the field
generator before the Taiidan can close in and retaliate.
To prepare for this, put your Heavy Cruisers and Destroyers into Wall
formation. Order your Attack Bombers into Broad formation and have them guard
the top of the Battle Group, while the Multi-Gun Corvettes do the same but
with the bottom of it.
Now put your Cloak Generators into five groups. Group 1 will be any three
Generators, and Group 2 will be the other three. Now choose one Cloak
Generator from each group and assign them to Group 3. Groups 4 and 5 will be
identical to Group 3, but with the other Cloak Generators.
It may sound confusing, but it's really not. The idea behind this is that you
can quickly activate any Cloak Generator from each group, so while one is
cloaking, the others can be recharging. And when the active one is about to
run out, you can easily switch to another Generator. With Groups 1 and 2 on
either side of the main Battle Group, you'll be able to keep your ships
cloaked indefinitely.
Before heading over to the field generator, run a few tests. Make sure all of
your ships are cloaked, but while moving and standing still. If anything is
visible and you aren't able to squeeze them into the Cloak Generator's field,
get rid of them (this applies to Strike Craft, not your capital ships).
When everything's working and you're sure the cloaking field will hold up,
send your Battle Group to the field generator. When you get close to the
sphere of Frigates, activate one pair of Cloak Generators (remember to do
this before the ships will spot you). When the first pair's power is running
low, switch to the next two and let the others recharge.
Once you reach the field generator, order your Battle Group and Attack
Bombers to destroy it. If the cloaked Destroyers and Heavy Cruiser figure out
what's going on and lumber over to attack you, ignore them; you should be
just about done destroying the last few sections of the generator anyway. Use
your Multi-Gun Corvettes to attack any Strike Craft that get in your way.
When the hyperspace inhibitor field is gone, immediately hyperspace away -
there's no reason to stick around and you have quite a few angry Taiidan
ships surrounding you.
014.3 - Method Three - The Best of Both Worlds
This isn't really a separate strategy per se, but it's still worth
mentioning. If you have a weak fleet but don't have the patience to knock out
the entire sphere of Ion Cannon Frigates, steal as many as you want and then
send your cloaked ships in to destroy the field generator.
015.0 - Chapel Perilous
Primary Objectives:
- Destroy the object
Overview: The Taiidan are becoming desperate, they've strapped an engine to a
very large asteroid and set it on a collision course with the Mothership. But
as they say, necessity is the mother of invention, and this is a surprisingly
effective strategy considering how bizarre it is.
Fleet Construction: There's no time to build anything new, so you're going to
have to deal with whatever you have on hand.
Send your entire Battle Group and all of your Strike Craft out to intercept
the asteroid; like with the field generator, use evasive tactics to avoid
colliding into it and losing one of your ships. As you get closer and closer,
the asteroids escorts will begin attacking you; first with a group of twenty
Interceptors, followed by twenty Heavy Corvettes, thirty-six Defenders, and
twenty Multi-Gun Corvettes. Order all of your Strike (minus the Attack
Bombers) and Missile Destroyers to go after them.
As for the meat of the asteroids escort, you're going to go up against two
groups of sixteen Assault Frigates and four Destroyers. You might want to
consider sending your Salvage Corvettes in to capture the Destroyers - or at
the very least hold them at bay while you attack the asteroid.
If you have a strong group of Ion Cannon Frigates (at least forty or more),
order them to attack the asteroid, along with your Heavy Cruisers and
Destroyers; any Ion Array or Multi-Beam Frigates you have should distract the
asteroids escorts. If you have a weak alternate Battle Group, ignore the
escorts and just attack the asteroid.
When the asteroid is destroyed, finish off (or capture) any remaining Taiidan
ships and harvest the area. At the same time, prepare your fleet for the
final level by maxing out all of your capital ships. If you've been using
Salvage Corvettes a lot, you probably won't even be able to build very many
ships, which is a good thing. If your Battle Group is maxed out and you still
have some spare RUs, build about twenty-five Multi-Gun Corvettes, twenty
Attack Bombers, and fifteen Interceptors. If you need RUs, retire any non-
combat ships you don't need: Research Ships, Proximity Sensors, and Sensors
Arrays. Don't get rid of your Collectors and Controllers, though.
Also - and this is important - build as many Support Frigates as you can. The
final mission throws a very large fleet at your Mothership, and without at
least one Support Frigate to repair her there's a slim chance you'll be able
to get through in one piece. Four is a good number, but more is better.
016.0 - Hiigara
Primary Objectives:
- Eradicate enemy forces
Overview: The asteroid, while not destroying you, served its purpose as a
delay tactic. When you arrive at Hiigara, a very large Taiidan fleet is
waiting for you, including the Emperor's flagship. This level is divided into
five fairly large battles, and you're going to have to fight some of them
simultaneously in different areas. If you really want your Homeworld back,
you're going to have to earn it.
Fleet Construction: Like the previous mission, there's almost no time to
build anything before being attacked; any fleet building should've been done
before hyperspacing. But feel free to build any new ships to replace the ones
you lose throughout the course of the level.
Quickly put all of your Capital Ships in front of your Mothership. You'll
want to have two relatively-equal Battle Groups for later, but at the moment
you're attacking one target. Move your Support Frigates behind the
Mothership, but close enough that they won't have to shift around to heal
her. Third, send your Missile Destroyers and any Strike Craft that do well
against other Strike Craft (Multi-Gun Corvettes, Heavy Corvettes,
Interceptors, et cetera) about twenty kilometers directly above the
Mothership. Finally, send your Collectors out to harvest and have your
Controller guard them; they'll be well away from the action, and they'll drop
off plenty of valuable resources.
After letting you wait around for a minute, the first wave of Taiidan appears
from all directions. Above you, a Carrier launches a few waves of Strike
Craft; none of which should really be too much trouble for your own Strike
and Missile Destroyers. Below you is a small group of seven Ion Cannon
Frigates that should be ignored for the most part, because the main threat is
much more destructive: six Ion Cannon Frigates, two Destroyers, two Missile
Destroyers, six Assault Frigates, and a Heavy Cruiser.
Luckily, most of these ships only go after your Mothership, which should keep
your losses at a minimum. Of course, this also means that the Mothership's
hit points are going to dramatically drop unless you have Support Frigates
repairing her and enough firepower to take out the wave of Taiidan ships.
With your Strike Craft dealing with the Carrier's escorts and your Attack
Bombers picking away at the Ion Cannon Frigates below you, focus all of your
attention on the main Battle Group. Destroy the Heavy Cruiser first, followed
by the Destroyers, Ion Cannon Frigates, Assault Frigates, and finally the
Missile Destroyers. As soon as your Mothership takes damage, order your
Support Frigates to begin repairing it. As long as you get Cruiser and
Destroyers out of the way quickly, you should be able to get through without
the Mothership going down in flames.
If you survive, save and prepare for the next battle. Your Support Frigates
should have enough time to repair your Mothership and any capital ships that
took damage. Don't forget about your Strike Craft hanging around out of sight
above you; the Carrier doesn't do anything afterwards, so don't bother
attacking it.
Now, divide your Battle Group into two parts. Order one to remain in front of
your Mothership (which will henceforth be called Battle Group 2), and send
the other one (Battle Group 1) twenty kilometers up and twenty kilometers
behind the Mothership. Eventually, Fleet Intelligence reports that
reinforcements are coming out of hyperspace behind and above you. Battle
Group 1 should already be heading in that direction, but adjust their
positions to intercept them.
The second battle puts you against a fleet similar to the main Taiidan threat
from the first battle: six Assault Frigates, six Ion Cannon Frigates, three
Destroyers, and another Heavy Cruiser. Attack them the same way you did
previously - concentrate fire on the bigger ships first. This is a little
more difficult because you only have half of your Battle Group, but you
should still be able to win if you get rid of the deadly Heavy Cruiser as
soon as possible.
With only a few enemy ships remaining, Fleet Intelligence announces that yet
another wave of Taiidan capital ships are coming out of hyperspace. This
time, they're below your Mothership and off to the right. Immediately after
Battle Group 1 takes care of the last of the second battle, send them down to
meet them. You have to do this quickly to prevent them from reaching the
Mothership, so forget about putting your ships into formations - it'll only
waste time.
While your first Battle Group is en route to the third battle, the rest of
your ships will be waiting by your Mothership. Don't send them down to help
the others, a fourth group of ships are coming at your Mothership.
Battle Group 1 will meet up with their target before the other Taiidan ships
reach the Mothership, so pay more attention to them at the moment. This wave
of Taiidan destruction is composed of a third Heavy Cruiser with an escort of
ten Ion Cannon Frigates and ten Assault Frigates. Despite their numbers, the
lack of any Destroyers makes this battle a bit easier than the others. After
the Cruiser is out of the picture, begin hunting the Frigates, but begin
switching back and forth between the two Battle Groups.
The final attack against your Mothership is similar to the first one: six
Assault Frigates, six Ion Cannon Frigates, two Missile Destroyers, a pair of
Destroyers, and a Heavy Cruiser. Like before, take them out in order of
firepower and have the Support Frigates repair the Mothership as it takes
damage. This time around, though, the Taiidan ships attack both the
Mothership and your Battle Group, which makes surviving a bit easier.
But right in the middle of this frenzy, Fleet Intelligence reports of another
fleet emerging from hyperspace. The usually calm voice is showing signs of
fear as he announces, "We're being overwhelmed!"
Thankfully, it's Captain Elson, and he's brought reinforcements for you
- certainly a change from the norm. He gives you command of six Assault
Frigates and a pair of Missile Destroyers, which you should throw into
the battle to finish off the rest of the Taiidan.
With both of your Battle Groups victorious, Elson and his Ion Cannon
Frigates head across the map to attack the Emperor's Mothership. If
Battle Group 2 is still intact for the most part, follow after him.
Otherwise, wait for Battle Group 1 to make it back and then send your
entire fleet after Elson. Remember, there aren't any more attacks
against your Mothership, so don't worry about leaving it defenseless.
Before attacking the Taiidan Mothership, Elson and his fleet stop at a
lone Carrier, which launches twelve Multi-Gun Corvettes and twelve
Attack Bombers. Your Battle Groups probably won't be able to catch up,
but your Strike Craft can. Order them to fight the Carrier's escort
while Elson destroys the Carrier itself. When your Battle Group finally
arrives, have it attack the Carrier as well.
Once the Carrier is space junk, follow Elson to the Taiidan Mothership.
The Emperor is guarded by three Heavy Cruisers, each with a pair of
Support Frigates. Elson ignores them, but you shouldn't; make sure to
get rid of the Support Frigates first, and then destroy the Cruisers.
When you reach the Mothership, you'll see the Emperor launching Strike
Craft that immediately kamikaze into Elson and his Frigates, along with
a pair of Missile Destroyers and a Gravity Well Generator. The Missile
Destroyers really won't put up much of a fight, so focus exclusively on
the Mothership. Elson's fleet has probably done most of the work for
you, so you probably won't have to wait very long before the Emperor's
flagship goes down. When it does, the Bentusi arrive with the Council
and declare and end to the war between your species and the Taiidan.
It's been a difficult journey, but you're finally home. Congratulations.
Sit back, watch the credits, and enjoy the song "Homeworld" by Yes.</p>
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