II - The Fleet
001.0 - Fighter Class
002.0 - Corvette Class
003.0 - Resource Class
004.0 - Frigate Class
005.0 - Super-Capital Ship Class
006.0 - Non-Combat Class
007.0 - Mothership Class
III - General Strategies
001.0 - Offense
002.0 - Defense
003.0 - Resource Collecting
IV - Multiplayer Strategies
001.0 - Starting Out
002.0 - Developing Your Fleet
003.0 - Finishing On Top
004.0 - Adapting
V - Single Player Walkthrough
001.0 - Kharak System
002.0 - Outskirts of Kharak System
003.0 - Return to Kharak
004.0 - Great Wastelands Part 1
005.0 - Great Wastelands Part 2
006.0 - Diamond Shoals
007.0 - The Gardens of Kadesh
008.0 - The Cathedral of Kadesh
009.0 - Deep Space - Sea of Lost Souls
010.0 - Super Nova Research Station
011.0 - Tenhauser Gate
012.0 - Galactic Core
013.0 - The Karos Graveyard - The Shining Hinterlands
014.0 - Bridge of Sighs
015.0 - Chapel Perilous
016.0 - Hiigara
Welcome to my Homeworld FAQ.
Any questions, comments, corrections, or contributions are welcome, my email
is tarrun75(at)gmail(dot)com. Please make sure to add something related to
Homeworld in the subject line so I don't have to figure out what game you're
talking about. Also, questions regarding something that's already covered in
the guide will not be answered. Credit will be given to anything sent to me
that I add or major corrections. For corrections, please email me only if
it's something really important, something that will clearly confuse anyone
reading.
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Version History:
First Submission: Version 1.0
II - The Fleet
001.0 - Fighter Class
001.1 - Defender
Cost: 65 RUs
Firepower: 10
Maneuverability: High
Max Velocity: 385 m/s
Coverage: 11%
Armor: 325
Mass: 10 tons
Strengths: Heavy armor means that Defenders are best used as a wall to
protect other ships.
Weaknesses: Defenders don't really excel in anything, and it has a very low
firepower, so don't plan on destroying anything without a lot of these
things.
001.2 - Scout
Cost: 35 RUs
Firepower: 12
Maneuverability: Very High
Max Velocity: 1000 m/s
Coverage: 12%
Armor: 110
Mass: 8 tons
Strengths: Scouts are quick to build and are good for annoying capital ships
while your Salvage Corvettes slip in and steal the grand prize. And because
of how inexpensive they are, they're great to kamikaze into your enemy.
Weaknesses: Weak, both in firepower and armor. They might be able to survive
because of their speed, but don't expect them to destroy anything by
themselves.
001.3 - Interceptor
Cost: 55 RUs
Firepower: 26
Maneuverability: Very High
Max Velocity: 875 m/s
Coverage: 12%
Armor: 160
Mass: 10 tons
Strengths: Better than a Scout in almost every way without increasing the
cost very much. If you actually expect to get anything out of a wing of
fighters, Interceptors are a great way to go. Just make sure to have them in
groups of 25 or higher.
Weaknesses: In terms of the fighter class, none. Its only drawbacks are weak
armor and firepower, but that's why it's a fighter. Interceptors do become
fairly obsolete against more powerful opponents, though.
001.4 - Cloaked Fighter (Kushan only)
Cost: 85 RUs
Firepower: 25
Maneuverability: High
Max Velocity: 775 m/s
Coverage: 4%
Armor: 150
Mass: 10 tons
Strengths: Like the name implies, it's a cloaked fighter. You can attack
enemies without being seen.
Weaknesses: More expensive than the other fighters without getting very much
in return. It also takes a while to build, and it doesn't score very high in
the firepower department.
001.5 - Attack Bomber
Cost: 85 RUs
Firepower: 42
Maneuverability: Very High
Max Velocity: 750 m/s
Coverage: 12%
Armor: 100
Mass: 10 tons
Strengths: The most powerful fighter out there, Attack Bombers are good for
taking on capital ships and Resource Collectors. They're particularly deadly
when you have a group of corvettes protecting it.
Weaknesses: Without that escort, your Bombers won't stand a chance against
the enemy's Strike Craft or Missile Destroyers.
Defense Fighter (Taiidan only)
Cost: 85 RUs
Firepower: 0
Maneuverability: High
Max Velocity: 875 m/s
Coverage: 80%
Armor: 300
Mass: 75 tons
Strengths: It shoots down incoming attacks.
Weaknesses: It doesn't actually attack anything. More often than not it's a
better idea to have an escort that can fight back guarding your valuable
ships.
002.0 - Corvette Class
002.1 - Light Corvette
Cost: 135 RUs
Firepower: 9
Maneuverability: Medium
Max Velocity: 575 m/s
Coverage: 16%
Armor: 900
Mass: 150 tons
Strengths: Higher armor means that Light Corvettes will last longer than the
fighters. They're also pretty cheap.
Weaknesses: Fairly slow and poor firepower. Instead of these, spend the same
amount of resources on Interceptors.
002.2 - Heavy Corvette
Cost: 250 RUs
Firepower: 23
Maneuverability: Medium
Max Velocity: 520 m/s
Coverage: 33%
Armor: 1700
Mass: 150 tons
Strengths: Well protected and fairly powerful, Heavy Corvettes are great for
wiping out Strike Craft. Have five or six of these things guard your Resource
Collectors against Strike Craft and forget about them (until you can build
Multi-Gun Corvettes, that is).
Weaknesses: They're more expensive than most Strike Craft and are still
pretty slow.
002.3 - Repair Corvette
Cost: 150 RUs
Firepower: 5
Maneuverability: Low
Max Velocity: 500 m/s
Coverage: 0%
Armor: 1200
Mass: 150 tons
Strengths: It repairs your ships. It's also pretty useful to kamikaze.
Weaknesses: Very weak. Support Frigates are usually a better choice.
002.4 - Salvage Corvette
Cost: 220 RUs
Firepower: 0
Maneuverability: Low
Max Velocity: 425 m/s
Coverage: 0%
Armor: 1500
Mass: 400 tons
Strengths: They steal enemy ships. Not only does this eliminate one ship that
you'd have to destroy anyway, but now you can use it against your enemy.
Salvage Corvettes are the key to winning any game in Homeworld; in the single
player game, you gain ships that you normally wouldn't be able to until later
at a bargain. Do the math: four Salvage Corvettes steal an enemy's Missile
Destroyer (it takes three, but we'll assume one is destroyed). That means you
score a 1500 RU ship for 880 RUs. And remember, Salvage Corvettes can be
reused, so that's the low estimate.
Weaknesses: They're fairly slow, which makes them an easy target to knock out
if they come at a ship head-on. And any intelligent player will attack your
group of Salvage Corvettes before you get the chance to steal anything.
002.5 - Minelayer Corvette
Cost: 295 RUs
Firepower: 183
Maneuverability: High
Max Velocity: 425 m/s
Coverage: 100%
Armor: 1800
Mass: 150 tons
Strengths: The mines are small, which makes picking them out if you aren't
really looking a chore. The mines are also pack a punch, and even a capital
ship will go down if it gets caught in a field.
Weaknesses: Space contains a lot of wide, open space, so there's a good
chance no one will ever stumble upon your group of mines unless they're
placed in a heavily trafficked area (directly in front of the other
Mothership or in patches of resources).
002.6 - Multi-Gun Corvette
Cost: 225 RUs
Firepower: 19
Maneuverability: High
Max Velocity: 695 m/s
Coverage: 74%
Armor: 1400
Mass: 150 tons
Strengths: Multiple guns with high armor and coverage. Multi-Gun Corvettes
will annihilate any Strike Craft. Good for escorts.
Weaknesses: Technology-wise, don't expect to see these for a while. And
Multigun Corvettes won't make a dent against frigates or capital ships.
003.0 - Resource Class
003.1 - Resource Collector
Cost: 650 RUs
Firepower: 0
Maneuverability: Low
Max Velocity: 325 m/s
Coverage: 0%
Armor: 10800
Mass: 400 tons
Strengths: It collects resources for you, isn't that enough? It's also the
largest ship that you can kamikaze.
Weaknesses: It can't protect itself and it doesn't automatically repair.
Collectors also attract enemies looking to interrupt your flow of resources,
so make sure to send an escort with them or risk having to replace it.
003.2 - Resource Controller
Cost: 680 RUs
Firepower: 0
Maneuverability: Very Low
Max Velocity: 300 m/s
Coverage: 0%
Armor: 13600
Mass: 600 tons
Strengths: If you order a Controller to guard your Collectors, it'll follow
them around, drastically decreasing the time it takes for a Collector to drop
off its resources and begin harvesting again. They can also repair and refuel
fighters and corvettes, which means they won't have to leave the Collectors
that they're protecting to refuel.
Weaknesses: Like the Collector, without any weapons, the Controller won't be
able to defend against the enemies that will surely come after it.
004.0 - Frigate Class
004.1 - Assault Frigate
Cost: 575 RUs
Firepower: 82
Maneuverability: Low
Max Velocity: 325 m/s
Coverage: 33%
Armor: 16000
Mass: 400 tons
Strengths: The Frigate's turrets allow it to fire in multiple directions,
unlike the Ion Cannon Frigate. It's one of the few non-Strike Craft ships
that can take on Strike Craft.
Weaknesses: It doesn't really serve any distinct purpose. If there's a
specific job you need done, there's always a better ship to use than the
Assault Frigate.
004.2 - Support Frigate
Cost: 425 RUs
Firepower: 28
Maneuverability: Very Low
Max Velocity: 450 m/s
Coverage: 1%
Armor: 12000
Mass: 400 tons
Strengths: Repairs and refuels Strike Craft, and can repair capital ships at
200 points per second. Great for using as a secondary base that's closer to
your target.
Weaknesses: None, really. Its firepower and coverage are laughable, but you
aren't building a Support Frigate with the intentions of using it to fight.
004.3 - Drone Frigate (Kushan only)
Cost: 800 RUs
Firepower: 0
Maneuverability: Very Low
Max Velocity: 325 m/s
Coverage: 0%
Armor: 16000
Mass: 400 tons
Strengths: Good for protecting other ships.
Weaknesses: The drones don't provide a lot of firepower; it's useless against
anything stronger than a corvette.
004.4 - Defense Field Frigate
Cost: 800 RUs
Firepower: 0
Maneuverability: Very Low
Max Velocity: 325 m/s
Coverage: 100%
Armor: 17600
Mass: 400 tons
Strengths: Same as the Drone Frigate. It has different abilities, but it gets
the same job done: protecting larger ships that are vulnerable to Strike
Craft.
Weaknesses: Same as the Drone Frigate. Missiles, ions, and mines aren't
affected by it.
004.5 - Ion Cannon Frigate
Cost: 650 RUs
Firepower: 138
Maneuverability: Low
Max Velocity: 300 m/s
Coverage: 3%
Armor: 15000
Mass: 400 tons
Strengths: With its highly concentrated ion beam, you'll be able to begin
considering taking on super capital ships and Motherships.
Weaknesses: Low maneuverability and coverage; because of the single ion beam,
the Ion Cannon Frigate has to completely shift its position before aiming and
shooting. You'll be fine against the slow-moving capital ships, but they
don't stand a chance against Strike Craft.
005.0 - Super-Capital Ship Class
005.1 - Destroyer
Cost: 1350 RUs
Firepower: 347
Maneuverability: Very Low
Max Velocity: 315 m/s
Coverage: 41%
Armor: 44000
Mass: 1800 tons
Strengths: The addition of turrets along with ion cannons means that, unlike
the Ion Cannon Frigate, Destroyers can fend off Strike Craft, just not very
well. Regardless, Destroyers are the backbone of your Battle Group, and will
wreck havoc against almost any ship it encounters. Probably the most
satisfying ship to steal with a group of Salvage Corvettes.
Weaknesses: Expensive, and they take a while to build.
005.2 - Missile Destroyer
Cost: 1500 RUs
Firepower: 450
Maneuverability: Very Low
Max Velocity: 295 m/s
Coverage: 100%
Armor: 42000
Mass: 1000 tons
Strengths: It fires powerful homing missiles that will utterly decimate
Strike Craft. Always have at least two of these with your Battle Group and
you'll never have to worry about being picked apart by formations of fighters
ever again.
Weaknesses: Its missiles aren't as effective against other capital ships. In
a one-on-one battle, the other ships will usually win. And after the initial
volley of missiles, Missile Destroyers can only fire one or two missiles at a
time without recharging.
005.3 - Heavy Cruiser
Cost: 3700 RUs
Firepower: 921
Maneuverability: Very Low
Max Velocity: 250 m/s
Coverage: 100%
Armor: 90000
Mass: 10000 tons
Strengths: Incredibly high firepower and armor, the Heavy Cruiser will
obliterate any capital ship it targets. It has turrets all around it as well,
which makes salvaging one a real chore.
Weaknesses: Very slow, very expensive, and it takes forever to build one.
Anyone with half a brain will send their entire Battle Group after the Heavy
Cruiser first, so without an escort of other capital ships it's a sitting
duck. Unless you know how to use it, don't waste the resources building a
Heavy Cruiser - you can get three Destroyers for almost the same price.
005.4 - Carrier
Cost: 2000 RUs
Firepower: 109
Maneuverability: Very Low
Max Velocity: 300 m/s
Coverage: 100%
Armor: 72000
Mass: 10000 tons
Strengths: It's a miniature version of your Mothership that can build Strike
Craft and Frigates. A great strategy in multiplayer is to build one of these
with a heavy escort and send it to hide in a dust cloud, leaving your
Mothership defenseless. When the other player destroys it, hyperspace your
Carrier to their own Mothership and take them out.
Weaknesses: Without the ability to build capital ships, using one as a last
resort to survive won't get you very far. It also won't be able to defend
itself.
006.0 - Non-Combat Class
006.1 - Probe
Cost: 30 RUs
Firepower: 0
Maneuverability: Very High
Max Velocity: 4000 m/s
Coverage: 0%
Armor: 800
Mass: 25 tons
Strengths: Four times as fast as a Scout, and it's cheap. It's a good tool to
use when you want to get an idea of what your fleet is getting into. But be
ready to survey the area, because people hate being spied on and will
immediately go after a probe if they find it.
Weaknesses: Its engine can only be used once, so make sure you're on target
when you send it off.
006.2 - Proximity Sensor
Cost: 50 RUs
Firepower: 0
Maneuverability: Very High
Max Velocity: 1000 m/s
Coverage: 0%
Armor: 800
Mass: 25 tons
Strengths: Let's you know when cloaked enemies are in the area. They're also
fast, cheap, and quick to build. Keep them around your Mothership and main
Battle Groups to avoid be caught by surprise.
Weaknesses: They have almost no defenses, so you'll have to build a few of
them if you plan on attacking groups of cloaked ships, particularly fighters.
006.3 - Sensors Array
Cost: 800 RUs
Firepower: 0
Maneuverability: Very Low
Max Velocity: 280 m/s
Coverage: 0%
Armor: 4500
Mass: 300 tons
Strengths: It let's you see every ship on the map, and Heavy Cruisers,
Carriers, and Motherships actually appear on the sensors manager. Everything
else is still a red dot, but now there's a red dot for every ship instead of
one dot representing an entire group. It's good to have one to get an idea of
what's going on.
Weaknesses: It takes a lot of researching to get one, it's slow, and it
doesn't have any defenses.
006.4 - Research Ship
Cost: 700 RUs
Firepower: 0
Maneuverability: Low
Max Velocity: 280 m/s
Coverage: 0%
Armor: 7500
Mass: 300 tons
Strengths: Probably the most important ship in your fleet, next to the
Mothership. Without one, you can't research new technology and build newer,
better ships.
Weaknesses: Defenseless.
006.5 - Gravity Well Generator
Cost: 800 RUs
Firepower: 0
Maneuverability: Very Low
Max Velocity: 325 m/s
Coverage: 0%
Armor: 8000
Mass: 400 tons
Strengths: Immobilizes Strike Craft and prevents anyone from hyperspacing
into your area.
Weaknesses: Strike Craft can still attack it even if they can't move. And
since capital ships aren't affected by it, you know the first thing they'll
do is target your Gravity Well Generator to rescue their Strike Craft.
006.6 - Cloak Generator
Cost: 500 RUs
Firepower: 0
Maneuverability: Very Low
Max Velocity: 325 m/s
Coverage: 0%
Armor: 6000
Mass: 400 tons
Strengths: Can cloak small groups of ships for a limited amount of time. If
you combine a few Cloak Generators working at different times (while one is
cloaking, the others are recharging), you can keep ships cloaked
indefinitely.
Weaknesses: Slow, and far down the technology tree. The only time I've ever
used Cloak Generators was in the Bridge of Sighs level.
007.0 - Mothership Class
007.1 - Mothership
Cost: N/A
Firepower: 7500
Maneuverability: N/A
Max Velocity: 50 m/s
Coverage: 60%
Armor: 160000
Mass: 5000000 tons
Strengths: It stores your ships, builds new ones, and can take a beating.
Without it, you can't play the game.
Weaknesses: Motherships can't defend themselves, and they can only move by
making hyperspace jumps.
III - General Strategies
001.0 - Offense
001.1 - Strike Craft
- Strength in numbers
This one's a no-brainer. With a few exceptions, Strike Craft are similar
enough that in an even match, you're bound to lose as many fighters as the
enemy will. Besides sending a Scout to spy on someone, always keep multiple
wings on hand.
- Different Strike Craft are better in different situations
Again, this should be obvious. As a blanket statement, it's always good to
have about twenty Interceptors, twenty Defenders, and fifteen Scouts as your
Strike Craft's foundation. An extra group of fifteen Heavy Corvettes can
knock out any escorts the enemy capital ships, and later on a group of twenty
Multi-Gun Corvettes will plow through any formation of fighters like it's
nothing. On the other hand, Attack Bombers are pretty much the only Strike
worth using against capital ships, along with Heavy Corvettes.
- Sphere formation is the best way to attack lone capital ships.
Strike Craft suffer from a lack of firepower, so you'll want your attacks to
be highly concentrated. In Sphere, all of your shots become a constant stream
of fire, quickly knocking down the ship's armor. This only works if the
capital ship is left unguarded, though, because having your ships that close
together makes them easy to target and destroy by other Strike Craft.
- Claw formation is the best formation to use against opposing Strike Craft
When fighting groups of Strike Craft or Missile Destroyers, Sphere formation
is suicide. With Claw, your ships remain mobile while only sacrificing a
small part of that constant stream of fire.
- Attack enemy Resource Collectors
If they can't harvest resources, then they can't build more ships, right?
Early on, if you see a Collector far enough from the main Battle Group, send
your Strike Craft to pick away at them while your own Battle Group deals with
the enemy's. Besides, Collectors are quick enough and take irregular paths
that they'll be able to escape from your slower Battle Group.
Obviously, Attack Bombers will work the best, but make sure to have a group
of Multi-Gun Corvettes with them to take care of the Collector's own escort.
Of course, if you're looking to do this early on, Heavy Corvettes and
Interceptors will get the job done as well.
Likewise, this strategy can also be applied to Research Ships in multiplayer
games.
- Use Salvage Corvettes to capture enemy ships
I don't think I can say this enough: Salvage Corvettes are the key to being
successful in Homeworld. It's the easiest and most cost-efficient way to
build your fleet, and at the same time it takes a ship from your enemy to use
against you.
One of the better ways to capture ships is by having a small group of Ion
Cannon Frigates coax a Destroyer or two to chase after it. While your
Frigates return to the Mothership, send in your group of Salvage Corvettes at
an angle to capture as many ships as you want. By the time they realize
what's going on, it'll be too late to shift around and attack.
Another great strategy to use involves Cloak Generators. By keeping a small
group of Salvage Corvettes, along with an escort of Multi-Gun Corvettes or
Interceptors, invisible until the last moment, you can sneak out with a nice
prize without even being noticed.
Here's a list of how many Salvage Corvettes you need to capture a particular
ship:
Keep in mind that Strike Craft can only be salvaged if they're immobile,
either from a Gravity Well Generator or a lack of fuel. It's also a good idea
to send one extra Salvage Corvette than needed, just in case one is
destroyed. This way, you can still capture it, instead of leaving it swinging
in circles until another ship comes by and targets the other Corvettes. And
if you don't need it, simply send it to steal something else or follow after
the others back to the Mothership.
- Missile Destroyers spell disaster for Strike Craft
For the most part, capital ships aren't able to seriously defend against
Strike Craft, but Missile Destroyers almost make using them obsolete. The
best strategy to use is to distract it with a small group of Scouts flying in
evasive tactics at first to draw the initial volley of missiles. Afterwards,
send your Attack Bombers in on evasive and simply continue pounding it.
On the other hand, not having a Missile Destroyer in your own fleet is an
entirely new level of foolishness.
- When all else fails, kamikaze
Sure, it's a cheap shot, but it's actually pretty effective, particularly
late in the game when your enemy has multiple Missile Destroyers protecting
its fleet. It's always worth keeping Attack Bombers and Heavy Corvettes, but
your weaker ships like Interceptors and Scouts will do more damage this way
than trying to survive and attack. This also applies to Resource Collectors,
which are the biggest ship you can kamikaze. Once you reach the point where
you've built your fleet, consider sending them headlong into your enemy's
Mothership.
001.2 - Capital Ships and your Battle Group
- Keep your Battle Group in Wall formation
Wall formation isn't just the best, but probably the only formation worth
using with your big, lumbering capital ships. It prevents your ships from
getting tangled together, and it allows you to align them and attack a single
target.
- Have at least two Missile Destroyers in your Battle Group
It was mentioned before, but it's worth repeating. With a pair of Missile
Destroyers around, Strike Craft have almost no chance of making a dent in
your powerful capital ships' armor before being shot down.
- Concentrate your attacks on one ship at a time
Sure, it's easier to simply drag a box around the enemy fleet and let your
Battle Group take care of them, but unless you have an incredibly stronger
fleet you won't be as successful. Think of it this way, you each have five
ships that do the same amount of damage, and you order you ships to attack
one at a time while they attack all five at once. Yeah, more of your ships
are taking damage, but you're destroying theirs five times faster. And as
each ship goes down, you decrease their overall firepower while yours remains
the same. By the end of the battle, you'll have a few damaged ships, but
their ships are now space junk.
- Always make sure to have enough firepower - and then some
Never go into a battle without at least having an idea of what you're up
against. Before deciding to attack, send a probe out to see how many ships
are waiting for you. You should have enough firepower to wipe out an enemy's
Battle Group, with a large escort of Multi-Gun Corvettes and Attack Bombers
to keep smaller capital ships and Strike Craft at bay. In multiplayer games,
you also have to worry about Salvage Corvettes stealing your ships and being
able to do enough damage to drain 160,000 points from the opposition's
Mothership.
002.0 - Defense
002.1 - Escorts
- Strike Craft are the best ships for escorts
This is important for several reasons. For one, if you have capital ships
guard other capital ships, it means you're dividing your fleet. And as I
mentioned above, you really don't want to unnecessarily divide your fleet.
Second, Strike are quick enough to move from one place to another in case
they get separated from what they're protecting. And just to top it off,
Strike Craft are quick and cheap to build, so you don't have to worry about
losing and replacing them.
- Sphere formation is the only formation to use with an escort
The idea behind surrounding a ship in a large sphere is that any incoming
fire will hit the escort, not the ship that they're protecting. Of course,
Sphere isn't the best offensive formation, so you'll want to make sure you
have enough firepower to at least hold off anything that's going to attack
you. If you need that extra punch, stick with Claw.
- They're called "Defenders" for a reason
Early on when your fleet consists mainly of Strike Craft, you'll want to
protect any capital ships you already have. While some of the more expensive
ships like the Heavy Corvette are great to use, the Defender - as the name
implies - is designed to defend stuff. For its price, the Defender has good
coverage and armor.
- Mutli-Gun Corvettes are the best anti-Strike Craft ship
Once you finish researching the technology, Multi-Gun Corvettes are the best
ships to use for escorts. A strong Battle Group to attack enemy capital ships
with an escort of Multi-Gun Corvettes to deal with other Strike is almost
unstoppable.
002.2 - Defending the Mothership
- Have a diverse fleet defending your Mothership
Don't try to guess what the enemy will throw at you. With a strong fleet of
quite a few different types of ships, you'll be prepared for anything. For
example, you can have as many Destroyers and Ion Cannon Frigates as you want,
but without a Missile Destroyer or Strike Craft to defend against enemy
Strike, you're in trouble.
That being said, don't build ships for the sake of wasting resources. To
effectively defend the Mothership, you should have a strong group of frigates
and maybe a spare Destroyer or two as your main defensive Battle Group with a
large wing of Multi-Gun Corvettes, Attack Bombers, and Heavy Corvettes. You
may want to include a few Gravity Well Generators to immobilize Strike Craft
and Proximity Sensors to reveal any cloaked ships. If you have the spare
resources, consider building an extra Missile Destroyer to keep at home.
- Make sure your Battle Group is prepared for an attack
This means setting them up in a formation and positioning them correctly.
Frequently check the sensors manager for any red dots moving towards your
position, and have your Battle Group facing in that direction. There's
nothing worse than watching the enemy blast away at your Destroyers while
your capital ships slowly spin around to counter-attack.
003.0 - Resource Collecting
003.1 - Using and defending Resource Collectors
- Your Collectors should always be harvesting
This is common sense. If you don't use them, your Collectors end up being a
waste of resources. For best results, send them to the largest pack of
resources first and then order them to harvest. That way, you'll be getting
more resources in a shorter amount of time.
- Send Resource Controllers to guard your Collectors
Perhaps the most annoying part of collecting resources is when you need RUs
immediately and have to wait for your Collector on the other side of the map
to reach a Controller or the Mothership. Ordering your Controller to guard
the Collectors ensures that the Controller will be as close as possible to
your harvesters at all times. Ideally, you'd want the Controller/Collector
ratio to be 1:1, but this is probably unrealistic. Still, two or three
Collectors to a Controller is fine.
- Never send out an unprotected Collector
Unless you have the entire map to yourself (after one of the single-player
levels, for example), an unprotected Resource Collector is a dead Resource
Collector. An escort of Heavy Corvettes, Attack Bombers, and Multi-Gun
Corvettes will keep them safe.
Likewise, make sure your Controllers are protected even more, since they'll
be the main targets for your opponent. Another positive is that Controllers
can refuel Strike Craft, and you can send the extra ships out to one of your
Collectors if it's attacked.
Later in the game when you have the extra resources, send out a small group
of Ion Cannon Frigates near the main resource areas in case your Collectors
come across anything bigger than an Assault Frigate.
003.2 - Attacking enemy Resource Collectors
- Attack enemy resource teams early and continuously
In multiplayer games, the first thing you should do is create a wing of
Interceptors to go out and hunt the enemy Collectors. As the game progresses,
add Attack Bombers and Multi-Gun Corvettes to deal with the Collectors and
Strike Craft escorts, respectively.
- Don't attack Collectors unless you can win
The one time you shouldn't be aggressive against enemy Resource Collectors is
when they stay close to their Motherships. In this case, it's better to leave
them alone rather than risk losing your ships. In multiplayer games, more
often than not you'll find that you and the other player set unspoken
boundaries where it's safe to harvest without having to worry about being
attacked. Of course, if they cross into your territory, feel free to let them
know.
- Destroy the Controllers first, and then the Collectors
Just like you want to attack the ship with the most firepower in a major
battle, it's a good idea your ships on the most important part of the
resource team - the Controller. Once it's destroyed, the Collectors will have
to retreat all the way back to the Mothership, giving you enough time to
chase them down and destroy (or salvage) them.
IV - Multiplayer Strategies
001.0 - Starting Out
Your first goal is to build a few Resource Collectors and Research Ships:
three or four of each is good. You'll want to build the Collectors first,
though, since technology is useless without the resources to put them to use.
As each ship is built, immediately begin using it. The multiplayer games
start out as a race to see who can harvest and research the fastest and most
effectively, so an idle Collector or Research Ship is a waste.
Early on, one question that you'll probably be asking is, "What should I be
researching?" You have so much technology available to you and you'll
eventually want all of it, but where to start? While it may seem logical to
start with fighters and work your way up to capital ships, it's actually
better to research Capital Ship Drive first. For one, you'll be able to build
a Resource Controller, which means you'll be getting resources more
frequently. After you have Capital Ship Drive, begin researching Capital Ship
Chassis and Ion Cannons, it'll allow you to build Ion Cannon Frigates and
it's a step towards Destroyers. Also consider building a few Assault Frigates
in the meantime.
But you do still need Strike. Decide at the beginning which Strike class
you'll be using more and use them exclusively, at least in the beginning. On
one hand, Defenders are good for protecting your frigates early on, but
Multi-Gun Corvettes wipe out any Strike Craft foolish enough to attack you.
Whichever you decide doesn't really matter, but the fact that you only
advance one class at the moment gives you an advantage over someone who tries
to get both at the same time.
But besides building ships, is there anything in terms of offense you should
be doing? Well, nothing much, but there's always ways to harass the other
player regardless of how far along you are. In the very beginning, send out a
group of Scouts to attack the enemy's Research Ships. Remember that they're
trying to research as quickly as possible, and if you manage to destroy their
Research Ship before they can add a second one to it (which double its armor)
they'll just have to spend that much more time building a replacement. If
it's burning up and about to explode, you can always kamikaze into it to
finish it off.
But if a suicide mission isn't your thing, there's always the option to go
after Resource Collectors. At this point, it's unlikely that they're very
well protected, which is the perfect opportunity to attack. Max out your
Scouts and hunt them down. Like destroying a Research Ship, it hurts to
replace it.
002.0 - Developing Your Fleet
Alright, so you have a large harvesting operation going on and enough new
technology to play with - it's time to get serious about building a fleet.
The first step towards this is to build a group of Ion Cannon Frigates.
They're the best ship you have at the moment, and they'll more or less hold
their ground for the rest of the game. From here, it depends on how your
opponent is playing. If you find that they're attacking you and your Resource
Collectors, focus on researching and building more advanced Strike Craft,
either Attack Bombers and Interceptors or Heavy Corvettes and Multi-Gun
Corvettes. If you've been relatively left alone, it probably means they're
planning an attack, so you'll want the extra firepower to survive it.
Super-Capital Ship Drive is the important one, since it'll allow you to build
Destroyers. Don't jump at Heavy Guns just yet, it takes forever to research
and there are better technologies to have right now - Guided Missiles, for
example. A Missile Destroyer would be a significant addition to your fleet,
but I'm getting ahead of myself. After Super Capital Ship Drive, return to
researching Strike Craft technology. If you using fighters, you want to go at
least as far Plasma Bomb Launcher tech for Attack Bombers. For corvettes,
Fast-Tracking Turrets, and the Multi-Gun Corvettes that result, are a must.
You'll want to make sure you have enough protection around you Collectors and
Controllers so that you won't have to worry about them while you build up
your fleet. A group of Heavy Corvettes and Multi-Gun Corvettes or Defenders
and Interceptors for each ship is enough, although you may want to consider
adding a few Assault or Ion Cannon Frigates later on.
Attacking enemy Resource Collectors becomes extremely important at this
point, because the resources that are gained now are probably going to be
used to build the capital ships that will be attacking your Mothership. A
group of Ion Cannon Frigates, along with Multi-Gun Corvettes or Defenders
will be powerful enough to quickly wipe it out, along with its escort.
But the most important part of this stage of the game is building your Battle
Group. The Ion Cannon Frigates you hopefully have are a good start, but
you'll need more - a dozen if possible. Besides that, three or four
Destroyers and a pair of Missile Destroyers will serve as the extra firepower
you'll need to take out the Mothership and its capital ship escort.
Note: Heavy Cruisers are nice to have, but more than likely you won't have
time to build one. They take forever to build, and it's probably not worth
sitting around while it's being built.
003.0 - Finishing On Top
Before heading out to your opponent's Mothership, take the time to build a
Probe and send it out to spy on the other player. There's a good chance it'll
be spotted pretty quickly, but you'll still have enough time to get a glance
at where they stand. Obviously, if you don't think you have enough firepower
to eliminate their own fleet and then the Mothership, start building more Ion
Cannon Frigates and Destroyers immediately. Conversely, make sure you aren't
being probed either; they're relatively easy to spot if you're looking for
them, and the less your opponent knows about you the better off you are.
That being said, when you think you're ready, send you Battle Group out to
attack, but make sure to leave a group of capital ships back at the
Mothership in case she's attacked. After all, by this point in the game,
it'll be the most vulnerable with the majority of your Battle Group out, and
the last thing you need is to get to the Mothership just to have the other
player's Battle Group hyperspace in and find your Mothership defenseless. A
good defense for the Mothership is a large wing of Ion Cannon Frigates with
plenty of Attack Bombers. Besides that, any Strike Craft that are good
against other Strike (Multi-Gun Corvettes, Heavy Corvettes, Defenders) should
hang around as well to deal with enemy Strike.
Also, consider building a Heavy Cruiser for an added boost of firepower. It's
a tough choice whether to leave it at home or send it out with the rest of
your Battle Group, and both have their pros and cons.
Keep in mind that your Battle Group, even with Missile Destroyers, still need
Strike Craft to protect it. Build a large wing of fighters or corvettes to
tag along and attack those pesky Attack Bombers that are thrown your way.
As for actual capital ship combat, do only as much fighting as you need to.
Concentrate your attacks on the more powerful ships (Heavy Cruisers and
Destroyers) first. Getting the big guns out of the way early makes it easier
to plow through the rest of their fleet and reach the Mothership relatively
intact.
And once you do reach the Mothership, hit it with everything you have. Even
if there are a few straggling Ion Cannon Frigates, you should have more than
enough firepower to destroy their Mothership before the remaining fleet can
wipe out your Battle Group. Of course, if you're playing with multiple
players you obviously can't do this, but hopefully that's a given.
004.0 - Adapting
004.1 - Specific Game Options
004.11 - Carrier-Only or Low Resource Games
In both situations, the games move much quicker that the standard one.
Because of this, you may have to rely solely on fighters or frigates. While
your opponent is busy researching Heavy Guns for that Heavy Cruiser, you'll
have a strong fleet of Assault Frigates and Ion Cannon Frigates that can take
out their Mothership. The key here is to only build ships that are quick and
cheap, the limited resources make the more advanced ships a waste of RUs.
As for Carrier-Only games, you might even want to forget about capital ships
all together. If you've played the single player missions then you know how
well Strike Craft can be against a Carrier. Again, the key here is speed. If
you can throw together a powerful fleet of Strike Craft while the other
player is wasting time building Ion Cannon Frigates, nine times out of ten
you'll come out on top.
004.12 - High Resource Games
On the other hand, those long, high resource games are just about the
opposite to the previous style of gameplay. With enough extra resources, by
all means invest in that Heavy Cruiser and extra Destroyer. Another
interesting note is that the extra time you have gives you the option to
bring Salvage Corvettes into play. It's a little more difficult to pull off
than it is against the game's AI, but the rewards are that much more
beneficial.
Cloak Generators are also used more often, since you now have the time to
research for them. In fact, combining Cloak Generators with Salvage Corvettes
can be a great way to increase your fleet or gain an extra Resource
Collector. Of course, your opponent might be thinking the same thing, so make
sure to have a handful of Proximity Sensors on hand.
004.2 - Multiple Opponents
Multiple players are unique for the obvious reasons. You now face the
possibility of fighting on multiple fronts, as well as having to quickly
regroup after eliminating a player.
For the most, the first two parts are the same, since you'll need to get to
the point where you're powerful enough to fend off and hunt down enemy Battle
Groups. However, beyond that point things get tricky. The most important rule
to keep in mind is that you can't get into all-out wars with a single player.
Anyone with a brain will stand on the sidelines while you and your target
duke it out, and then attack you both with a full fleet when you're at your
most vulnerable.
So how do you prevent this from happening? The best answer is alliances. If
you can team up with another player, you not only gain their firepower for
the time being, but that also eliminates them as a threat. Sure, you'll have
to fight later, but worry about that when it comes up.
With or without an alliance, always go for the weakest players first. It
might seem a bit dirty, but it means one less enemy that'll eventually attack
you. If you see some action on your sensors manager, send a Probe out to see
what's going on and who's winning. Players who have been weakened by recent
battles are perfect targets, as are the ones who have lost their Resource
Collectors.
Conversely, it might be better to team up with the weakest players and go
after the strongest player first. If you notice one player is particularly
powerful, it probably means that the other players have noticed it as well,
in which case forming an alliance to get rid of the greater threat is the
only way to stay alive long enough to make it to the end of the game. After
all, even an incredibly strong fleet will have trouble fighting up to three
different opponents at the same time.
V - Single Player Walkthrough
001.0 - Kharak System
Primary Objectives:
- Harvest asteroids
- Construct a Research Ship
- Destroy the target drones using a formation
- Destroy the target drones using tactics
- Capture a drone using a Salvage Corvette
Secondary Objectives:
- Research Fighter Chassis
New Technology:
- Fighter Chassis
- Corvette Drive
Overview: It's taken many years and a lot of work, but the Mothership is
finally ready. Before making your first hyperspace jump, though, a few trials
need to be completed.
Fleet Construction: You begin with a small group of Scouts and a Resource
Collector, but you'll need to build a Research Ship and a Salvage Corvette.
This is basically an introduction level for anyone who skipped over the
training session, so don't expect much out of this level.
You can knock out the first two objectives almost immediately. Begin
constructing a research ship with the RUs you have already and send your
Resource Collector out to harvest the area. When the Research Ship is
completed, don't forget to research Fighter Chassis technology and Corvette
Drive after that.
When Fleet Intelligence prompts you, assign your Scouts to a group and set
them up in a formation - any formation - and attack the drones. When they've
been destroyed, head over to the second group of drones and attack them in
either aggressive or evasive tactics. When they're finished, send the group
back to the Mothership for refueling and repairs.
Afterwards, Fleet Intelligence announces, "The next trial will test the
performance of the Salvage Corvette. Build one and capture the Target
Drone here."
Do exactly that. Your Research Ship should have already researched
Corvette Drive technology, so you'll be able to build a Salvage Corvette
right away. Capture the drone and bring it back to your Mothership.
Well, that was exciting. Before making the hyperspace jump, let your
Collector finish harvesting the area and build a group of six
Interceptors.
002.0 - Outskirts of Kharak System
Primary Objectives:
- Send a probe to the Khar-Selim
- Defend the Mothership
- Salvage the Khar-Selim
- Defend the salvage team
- Destroy the attacking fleet
Secondary Objectives:
- Investigate the power source
New Technology:
- Corvette Chassis
- Heavy Corvette Upgrade
Overview: You're first hyperspace jump is successful. Well, almost. You've
mis-jumped, but at least you're still in one piece. After failing to make
contact with the Khar-Selim, Fleet Intelligence pinpoints the support ship's
beacon and orders you to send a Probe to investigate.
Fleet Construction: Add about six or seven Interceptors and four Heavy
Corvettes to your Scouts. The enemy isn't very strong, so that should be more
than enough firepower.
Don't go near the Khar-Selim just yet. Instead, have your Collector harvest
the area and begin researching Corvette Chassis technology. When that
finishes, research the Heavy Corvette Upgrade, which will allow you to build
Heavy Corvettes. In fact, it would be a good idea to build four of them as
soon as you can, if you run out of resources your Collector should be
dropping off another batch any time.
Divide your Strike Craft into three groups: one of your Scouts, one of
Interceptors, and another of Heavy Corvettes, and send a probe to the Khar-
Selim. The ship has been destroyed, and the enemies that did the deed appear
and head towards your Mothership. Order your Scouts to attack the two
Fighters that are ahead of the group, and have your Interceptors and Heavy
Corvettes take on the main pack of six Fighters and three Corvettes before
they reach the Mothership.
Your Strike Craft should pass this test with flying colors, so have them
regroup as Fleet Intelligence tells you to retrieve the Khar-Selim's data
recorder. Send a Salvage Corvette out to do so, but make sure to have your
group of Heavy Corvettes guarding it (preferably in a sphere formation). As
the salvage team is returning, more Fighters appear, but they don't stand a
chance against the escort of Heavy Corvettes. After the Salvage Corvette is
safely aboard your Mothership, focus your Interceptors and Corvettes on the
three waves of Fighters thrown at you. Again, thanks to the group of
Corvettes, this shouldn't be a problem. After watching the final recording of
the Khar-Selim, another wing of Fighters and Corvettes will stage a final
strike against you. With your Heavy Corvettes initially focused on their
Corvettes and the Interceptors battling the Fighters, this should be a one-
sided match.
With only a few enemy units left, Fleet Intelligence locates the source of
the fighters - a Carrier. It's tempting to properly punish them for what they
did to the Khar-Selim, but resist the urge to follow after it. Clean up any
remaining crafts that haven't docked with the Carrier, and then return to
your Mothership for repairs.
Like before, don't immediately hyperspace away. Finish harvesting around the
Khar-Selim and build as many Salvage Corvettes as you can for the next
mission. A total of eight would be ideal, but you may only have the RUs for
an additional six to go along with the one you already have. As long as most
of your Strike Craft is still intact, don't worry about building anything
else.
Before making the hyperspace jump, group your Salvage Corvettes into groups
of two.
003.0 - Return to Kharak
Primary Objectives:
- Defend the Cryo trays
- Capture an enemy ship using two Salvage Corvettes
- Salvage the Cryo trays
New Technology:
- Capital Ship Drive
- Capital Ship Chassis
Overview: There's a surprise waiting for you when you return to Kharak. The
entire planet is engulfed in flames, and the Scaffold has been destroyed. And
it just so happens that there's an attack squad arriving to wipe out the Cryo
trays that contain the last of your population.
Fleet Construction: Your Strike Craft should still be intact from the
previous mission, so don't worry about adding anything. However, build as
many Salvage Corvettes as you can before hyperspacing from Level 2. Eight
would be ideal, but seven will still work.
You have almost no time to prepare for this, as the group of Assault Frigates
will be in range of the first Cryo trays within a few seconds. Send your
entire Strike Craft out to intercept them, but keep them on evasive tactics
and don't focus them on a single one. With the Frigates distracted, send your
Salvage Corvettes in to capture all four of them.
Now here's where it becomes tricky, because the Assault Frigates will attempt
to pick off the Salvage Corvettes latching onto the other Frigates. If you
have eight, this shouldn't be a problem as long as you keep them out of the
Frigates' lines of fire for as long as possible. If you have less than that,
you'll have to adapt to how they spread out. They seem to fall into a pattern
of three staying together with one drifting over to the far right, which
works out perfectly.
With seven (or any odd number, really) Salvage Corvettes, order your
Interceptors to harass the three Frigates that are together as cover for the
six Salvage Corvettes. Send the Scouts and Heavy Corvettes to distract the
fourth Assault Frigate until the seventh Salvage Corvette can latch on. He
won't be able to drag it in, but the Frigate will be stuck swinging around in
circles while its partners are hauled into the Mothership. After the first
Frigate is captured, send a second Corvette to bring the final Frigate in.
With an even six Salvage Corvettes, follow the same pattern, except after the
three Assault Frigates are captured, focus all of your energy on the final
Frigate. This is actually a little more difficult to do than capturing all
four of them, because the other Frigate has a tendency to attack your salvage
teams. Just make sure to keep your Heavy Corvettes on it from the beginning
to ensure its destruction as quick as possible.
Either way, when the threat is eliminated, order your Salvage Corvettes to
bring in the Cryo trays. Don't worry if one or two of them were destroyed,
the only reward for protecting all of them is personal satisfaction. And
don't forget to begin researching Capital Ship Chassis technology; you
automatically gain Capital Ship Drive for capturing the enemy Assault
Frigate.
As always, harvest every last dust ball in the area before hyperspacing. You
should add enough Interceptors and Heavy Corvettes to have fifteen of the
former and eight of the latter, as well as at least two Assault Frigates.
Spend the rest of your RUs on Salvage Corvettes. You need a total of sixteen
for the next level, but you'll have time to build more early on. If you
aren't interested in capturing enemy ships, either save those resources for
later or build a Resource Controller.
004.0 - Great Wastelands Part 1
Primary Objectives:
- Begin collecting resources
- Protect the fleet from Turanic Raiders
- Destroy the retreating Turanic Raider Carrier
Secondary Objectives:
- Build and deploy a Resource Controller
New Technology:
- Ion Cannons
Overview: The previous two missions have made your trip home much more
complicated. Interrogation of the captured captain has revealed that a
powerful empire ordered the destruction of Kharak because you broke a four-
thousand year old treaty preventing you from developing hyperspace
technology. So instead of simply returning to Hiigara, you're going to have
to fight your way through. But first thing's first: Revenge against the fleet
that destroyed Kharak and the Khar-Selim.
Fleet Construction: You'll want to build a Resource Controller early on in
this level, as well as fifteen Interceptors and eight Heavy Corvettes. If you
have at least two Assault Frigates from the previous mission, you'll be set.
Like before, invest the rest of your resources into Salvage Corvettes; by the
middle of the level you'll want sixteen.
Follow Fleet Intelligence's advice and begin harvesting the resources. If you
have a Controller already, order it to guard the Collector. This way, it'll
follow the Collector around, making it easier and quicker for resources to be
dropped off.
If not, don't worry about it. But after one batch of resources, begin
building one. Around this time, Fleet Intelligence reports that another
Mothership is closing in, one with power readings that are off the chart. But
luckily, it's just the Bentusi, and they're more interested in trading than
fighting. They offer you Ion Cannon technology for 300-500 RUs, but don't
accept it just yet. In the time that it took for the cinematic to play out,
your Collector should be full and your Controller - if you began building it
this level - should be just about completed.
If you want to capture a lot of ships, hold off accepting the Bentusi's offer
for now. If not, accept right away and build three or four Ion Cannon
Frigates to make up for the ones you would've captured. Otherwise, wait until
the Bentusi are prepared to leave before accepting; it'll give you Collector
enough time to gather more resources.
Either way, as they leave, they warn you that Turanic Raiders are about to
ambush you; or more specifically, your Resource Collector and Controller.
Send your Strike Craft and Frigates out to protect your resource team and
begin building as many Salvage Corvettes as possible until you reach the
magic number of sixteen. I know it's frustrating to continue pouring
resources into Salvage Corvettes, but this is the last time you'll have to
for a while, and it'll really pay off in the long run.
With your team of Salvage Corvettes, position them around your Mothership in
this fashion: one group of two on each side about seven and a half kilometers
away and four groups of two behind it twelve kilometers away. The remaining
four should be sent out to where your Strike Craft is, except well off to one
side to keep them out of the action.
By now, a dozen Turanic Fighters should be tangling with your Strike Craft,
but with a more powerful fleet than before you should finish them off easily.
A second wave of Fighters and Corvettes will appear afterwards, but they too
will fall to your fleet.
But the Turanic Raiders wise up, and decide to send a group of five Missile
Corvettes into the battle. These things will obliterate your Interceptors if
you let them, but Heavy Corvettes are able to withstand their attacks long
enough to destroy them. After the majority of the units are destroyed,
another wing of Missile Corvettes appear, along with the host Carrier and a
pair of Ion Array Frigates.
Send your Heavy Corvettes to wipe out the new group of Missile Corvettes; and
after your Interceptors finish off the last of the Turanic Strike Craft, send
them to annoy the Carrier and Ion Array Frigates. At the same time, order
your Frigates to go after the Carrier and the four Salvage Corvettes to steal
the two Ion Array Frigates. If you don't eliminate the Carrier's escort,
they'll attack your Frigates, making it impossible to destroy the Carrier in
time. That's right, there's a time limit here; if you let the Carrier escape,
the game is over. To prevent that from happening, switch all of your ships'
tactics to aggressive and hit the Carrier as hard as you can.
A few minutes after the Carrier appears, six Ion Array Frigates hyperspace
directly around your Mothership. But if you positioned your Salvage Corvettes
beforehand, they'll appear directly above your salvage team. Quickly capture
all six of them (remember, you can select ships and move the camera while the
game is paused) and return to the battle with the Carrier.
There really isn't much more you can do at this point. If you gain control of
an Ion Array Frigate before the Carrier is destroyed, send it out to aid your
fleet. As long as you attacked it early, though, they should be able to
handle it by themselves.
With the Carrier destroyed, send your fleet back to the Mothership and wait
for the salvage team to "officially" capture all of the Ion Array Frigates.
Your resource team is probably done harvesting by now, so use the extra
resources to build up your Strike Craft. If you didn't capture at least four
or five Ion Array Frigates, consider building enough Ion Cannon Frigates to
have a total of eight Frigates, regardless of whether they're of the Ion, Ion
Array, or Assault variation.
Besides that, though, have at least twelve Heavy Corvettes and twenty
Interceptors. If you captured all of the Ion Array Frigates, then you have
more than enough Salvage Corvettes already. If not, you'll want at least ten
going into the next level.
005.0 - Great Wastelands Part 2
Primary Objectives:
- Investigate the asteroid belt
- Eradicate all enemy ships
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
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.
