Strategy:
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'''Both versions: '''[[Quadruped Fortress]] (invincible but turrets can be destroyed if active)
'''Both versions: '''[[Quadruped Fortress]] (invincible but turrets can be destroyed if active)
−
Two waves of
~5
[[Hector|Hectors]]
+
Two waves of [[Hector|Hectors]]
, all with 1 x Particle Gatling Gun and 1 x Spark Launcher, 4 and 8
Three waves of ~15-20 [[Flying Drone|Flying Drones]]
Three waves of ~15-20 [[Flying Drone|Flying Drones]]
== Storyline ==
== Storyline ==
−
The "defense lines" that were talked about in the last mission are revealed to be "three squads of [[Ranger|Rangers]] standing on a walkway" as the mission begins with the mighty Quadruped Fortress looming in the distance.
+
The "defense lines" that were talked about in the last mission are revealed to be "three squads of [[Ranger|Rangers]] standing on a walkway" as the mission begins with the mighty Quadruped Fortress looming in the distance
. The Ranger seem as skeptical about this as anyone, with one shouting "It's too huge!" and another declaring they cannot defeat it with only ground troops
.
== Strategy ==
== Strategy ==
To begin with, the mission description is bizarrely misleading; it is impossible to damage the Quadruped Fortress' legs in any way. Quite why this is in both mission descriptions is a mystery.
To begin with, the mission description is bizarrely misleading; it is impossible to damage the Quadruped Fortress' legs in any way. Quite why this is in both mission descriptions is a mystery.
−
The mission will end shortly after the Fortress is downed even if there are still enemies remaining; indeed, it will give a "cleared" message even if all of the players present are downed, as long as at least one was up when the victory conditions were fulfilled. It is thus possible (if unrewarding, in multiple senses) to beat this level without killing a single enemy.
+
This is actually a survival mission; Bomber Midnight will destroy the Quadruped Fortress after it has deployed five waves of enemies, and all Storm Team has to do is last until this has happened.
The mission will end shortly after the Fortress is downed even if there are still enemies remaining; indeed, it will give a "cleared" message even if all of the players present are downed, as long as at least one was up when the victory conditions were fulfilled. It is thus possible (if unrewarding, in multiple senses) to beat this level without killing a single enemy.
+
+
Since the enemies present are Drones and Hectors, some thought is required for armament as these two are fought in totally different ways and unlike [[Preventing Landfall|''Preventing Landfall'']] the NPCs are not equipped to take on the Drones by themselves.
+
+
For a [[Ranger]], the best combination is one of the [[Emerald]] multi-missile launchers and a powerful rocket launcher or heavy sniper rifle for dealing with the Hectors. A decent assault rifle or shotgun can also be useful against the Drones since they are deployed quite densely.
+
+
For a [[Wing Diver]], there are plenty of options among her homing launchers to deal with the Drones with a [[Mirage]] being ideal, though a [[Thunder Bow]] is also good against them. The Hectors are her main problem; Plasma Launchers take quite some time to kill them, and there are twelve of them in this mission with only Rangers with assault rifles to help out. Her only real options are to pick away at them at long range with a sniper weapon or Plasma Launcher, or fight them at dangerously close range with something like an [[Idunn]]. The confident may wish to try their luck approaching them from above and using a [[Rapier]]; while this is short-ranged, it will defeat a Hector extremely quickly, and good energy management will allow a group to be taken down, though there is the risk of a lucky Spark Launcher hit while approaching.
+
[[File:20160917073303 1.jpg|thumb|442x442px|The Ravagers were not prepared for the Ranger Special Indifference Unit.]]
+
For an [[Air Raider]], the player should determine which enemy they want to deal with using their vehicle, and bring equipment to deal with the other. A [[BM03 Vegalta]] is best for dealing with the Drones and some Vegalta variants such as Heavy Cannon can also put the hurt on the Hectors depending on the level, while an [[Epsilon Armored Railgun]] is ideal for the Hectors but its machine guns will not be very good for taking out the drones. If going the first route, it is best to bring a powerful anti-armour Strike like the [[Artillery Team|Artillery Team's]] [[Cannon]] or one of [[Whale|Whale's]] [[120mm Cannon]] strikes and the most powerful Limpet Gun the player has or [[C Bomb|C Bombs]] to lay in the path of the Hectors (since they will lumber towards the Air Raider's position, their path is quite predictable), while the second will benefit from bringing [[ZE-Gun|ZE-Guns]] and a [[Skytrap Wire]] gun if the player has one. To prevent the guns from harming NPCs, it is a good idea to place them on the pedestals at intervals along the wall to the side of the park, as shown above-right. This is generally a good trick for an Air Raider to remember on this map.
+
+
The [[Fencer]] has plenty of options for dealing with the enemies; the Hectors can be defeated with a good [[Blasthole Spear]] if the player has mastered Dash-cancelling, though it is a good idea to bring a [[Hand Cannon]] or [[Gallic Heavy Cannon]] in the other pair to soften them up first. [[High Altitude Impact Missiles]] can soften up the Drones but are not really a good idea unless the Fencer retreats to deploy them since the Drones are deployed close by, and it is generally better to use a [[Hand Gatling]], [[Dexter Automatic Shotgun]] or one of the back-mounted rapid-fire [[Galleon Cannon|Galleon Cannons]] against the Drones here.
+
[[File:20160918074635 1.jpg|thumb|442x442px|"Gad, something I haven't destroyed! Begone, puny human, this is my calling!"]]
+
The Quadruped Fortress itself is not a target, but it is a threat. The primary problem during the mission is the Fortress' feet; every time it takes a step it creates a powerful hit which is functionally an explosion, causing damage in the area indicated by a pillar of kicked-up dirt, which is rather larger than the Fortress' actual foot. There is also a rotary cannon mounted on the back of the main "torso" section of the Fortress' body which is always active and will shoot a constant hail of explosive projectiles at anything which is in its rear diagonals, though its fire is obstructed directly behind except at very close range by the vehicle's own hip section. It is worth noting the orange shield screens on the Fortress' sides do ''not'' block fire from its own weapons.
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+
The Fortress also has five powerful spherical laser turrets, four on the "torso" section and one between the rear pair of legs. These only come into play late in the fight when the Tactics Officer says Midnight has locked on, and have limited range; moving away from the Fortress when it is deploying the third wave of Drones will avoid damage from them, though they can be destroyed if the player feels so inclined.
+
+
While the fire from its giant dorsal plasma cannons might look frightening, this is never aimed at anything and the only way to be hit by it is to deliberately fly into it with a Wing Diver or [[Helicopter]]. If the player for some reason decides to do this, the shots deal a fixed 2,000 damage regardless of difficulty, but since they have a blast area that overlaps, being hit by anything but the outer edge of the shot will probably deal 4,000.
+
+
The mission starts with the Quadruped Fortress directly ahead. It will walk over the platform Storm Team starts out on, so it is a good idea to recruit the three Ranger teams here and then retreat. As it moves forward, it will deploy four Hectors one after another from its underside hatch.
== Online limits ==
== Online limits ==
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''4.1'' starts the mission off in a different area, some distance back from the starting location of the original mission among the skyscrapers. A rather poorly thought-out attack is made on the Fortress by two [[E551 Gigantus]] tanks and an [[E651 Titan]], with the driver announcing "Big fortress, ''better'' tank" followed by completely missing it with the vehicle's Requiem Cannon. He then calls for the tanks to retreat, which they do by...reversing about a block, and then parking up still in the path of the Fortress. This stupid behaviour is rewarded with the Fortress standing on the Titan and Gigantuses shortly afterwards and instantly destroying all of them (they must not have been well); the non-recruitable NPC Ranger Squad added here does not last long either.
''4.1'' starts the mission off in a different area, some distance back from the starting location of the original mission among the skyscrapers. A rather poorly thought-out attack is made on the Fortress by two [[E551 Gigantus]] tanks and an [[E651 Titan]], with the driver announcing "Big fortress, ''better'' tank" followed by completely missing it with the vehicle's Requiem Cannon. He then calls for the tanks to retreat, which they do by...reversing about a block, and then parking up still in the path of the Fortress. This stupid behaviour is rewarded with the Fortress standing on the Titan and Gigantuses shortly afterwards and instantly destroying all of them (they must not have been well); the non-recruitable NPC Ranger Squad added here does not last long either.
−
Following this the Quadruped Fortress walks forward to just past the park, circles around to the side of the park, walks across it, back into the city again, turns around at the other end of the park, walks back across it, and is destroyed while trying to walk back into the city.
+
Following this the Quadruped Fortress walks forward to just past the park, circles around to the side of the park, walks across it, back into the city again, turns around at the other end of the park, walks back across it, and is destroyed while trying to walk back into the city
. The final wave of Drones also appears to be somewhat larger than before
.
−
The NPC group in the park is still present, but
rather
than
three
recruitable
units
there
are
two,
one
of
which
is
twice
the
normal
size
.
+
The NPC group in the park is still present, but
only
one
group
is
up
on
the
walkway;
the
other
two
are
in
the
circular area immediately behind
it
.
On the more useful side of things, the Quadruped Fortress' turrets will no longer continue firing after it is destroyed in this version.
On the more useful side of things, the Quadruped Fortress' turrets will no longer continue firing after it is destroyed in this version.