Stop Crest Invasion Force is a mission in Armored Core: Nexus.
The Mirage Defense forces.
Information[]
Client: Mirage
Details: Defend HQ buildings. Defeat all MTs, protect the base.
Advance: 0c
Reward: 212000c
Bonus Part:
Area: Mirage Base
Remarks: --
Enemies[]
Dialogue[]
Operator:Targets approaching. |
Operator:Take out the MTs. |
Agraya:A Raven, no wonder... |
Agraya:Let me teach you what happens to those who oppose Crest. |
Operator:Raven, that's not an Ark-registered AC, take it out! |
Raven System:The unit equips weapons corresponding to various ranges. Adjust tactics accordingly. |
Agraya:Not bad... |
Operator:Enemy withdrawal confirmed. |
Gallery[]
Walkthrough[]
The following information is "gray area" content — it may not be completely factual, and/or falls under YMMV territory.
This is one of the harder missions in the game. You have three objectives: destroy the invading MT force consisting of a squadron of eight CR-MT98G spider tanks (which you might recognize from an earlier test assignment), protect the headquarters buildings of the Mirage base, and lastly you will have to fend off an Irregular piloting a Crest-exclusive AC. It is recommended to have a fairly mobile AC, since the MTs will lay waste to the base in short order if you do not intercept them quickly and the Crest AC is a very fast opponent too.
The MT89Gs first appear in a group of four, and four more are going to be delivered later on on the different sides of the base. You will have to start maneuvering quickly as they are going to open fire at you immediately. Dodging their grenade cannons is of utmost priority, as they both cause heavy damage and stun; the former might your ruin your chances of defeating the AC enemy later on and the knockback will slow you down severely, making it extra difficult to protect the HQ buildings. These are located in the central complex of the base, consisting of four indvidual parts. You have to ensure that at least one of them survives; if you fail, you will be ordered to abort the mission immediately.
To prevent the MTs from destroying the HQ buildings, go after them as rapidly as you can and hit them hard. If you want to save ammo for the later confrontation, you might consider cutting them down in melee, as one strong blow will ensure their destruction. However, you have to be careful when closing the distance, since their cannons will impede you a lot if they score a hit, especially if you get interrupted when attempting to engage your blade. If you can, approach them from the behind or the sides and strike them before they face you - the MTs that do not have a line of sight of you should focus on the HQ buildings, giving you a chance to flank them if you utilize this moment well. You might also use the non-critical buildings and installations of the base (such as the garrison barracks) as temporary cover on your approach - however, do not overuse them as they are destroyed in one grenade shot of the MTs (and you might find this cover also useful in the AC duel). The MTs do not seem to utilize their other weapons (napalm launcher and machine gun) much at all, so as long as you can omit most of the cannon fire you will be fine. Destroying the initial wave of four MTs is paramount; if you can do so quickly enough, you will have the luxury of facing the later ones individually, which is going to make it much easier to finish this phase of the mission.
When Agraya shows up, before anything else, keep your distance. Her Red Star AC can fight at every range, but is especially intimidating at close range due to the lethal shotgun + grenade rifle combo. If you get hit more than once by that, it is likely she will close the distance and not let you run away, which might lead to ending you up in a stunlock situation. Furthermore, Agraya has the advantage of OP-INTENSIFY performance, giving her extra mobility and ability to fire the back chaingun at will. If you stay away from her, she will keep trying to grind you down with triple missiles; they are not the hardest to avoid, but coupled with Agraya's constant pressure it might make things hairy to avoid excessive damage, especially if she mixes her weapons (and that she does fairly often).
As in the first phase of the mission, you will need to protect the HQ buildings. However, now your opponent will be focused solely on you, making it much easier to defend your targets as long as you can avoid collateral damage from stray fire. To this end, you might stay to the outskirts of the base, taking the fight away from the central structure. Whatever you do, do not let yourself get cornered by Red Star. Agraya tends to strafe airborne in rapid succession, which makes close quarters fighting extra difficult. Fighting at mid to long range is safer, although missiles are going to be less effective because of Red Star's AMS Extension. As long as you can react to Agraya's movements at suitable range, you will have much easier time dodging and returning fire. Fortunately, her AC is not particularly durable - being a lightweight biped - so it will not take that much to force Agraya to retreat. Once she is gone from the scene, your mission is complete.
