A Freelancer FAQ By JMak2000 (JMak85@yahoo.com) Date: 02 April, 2003 Version: 1.00 ~NOTICE!!!~ It's nothing really important. I just want the FAQ users to send me their opinion of what they think of my ASCII art/map. There's lots of them in the whole FAQ. Please send me a mail telling me how is it (good? bad? okay?) A new section entitled Freelancer Boo Boos (aka Weird Happenings) will be added soon, detailing all the weird happenings in Freelancer. For example, The Amazing Juni Ship Exchange, missing Battleship Harmony and more. +===================+ | TABLE OF CONTENTS | +===================+ 0. Version History 1. Introduction 2. Game Controls/Mechanics 2A: Game Controls 2B: Changing Equipments 2C: Mining 3. Walkthrough 3A: Mission 01 3B: Mission 02 3C: Mission 03 3D: Mission 04 3E: Mission 05 3F: Mission 06 3G: Mission 07 3H: Mission 08 3I: Mission 09 3J: Mission 10 3K: Mission 11 3L: Mission 12 3M: Mission 13 3N: After Mission 13 (COMING SOON) 4. Ships 3A: Light Fighters (LF) 3B: Heavy Fighters (HF) 3C: Very Heavy Fighters (VHF) 3D: Freighters (FR) 3E: Ship Locations 5. Rare Equipments 4A: Class 10 Guns 4B: Class 9 Turrets 4C: Other Noteworthy Equipments 6. Others 5A: Jump Hole locations (COMING SOON) 5B: Trade Routes (COMING SOON) 7. End Notes / Credits /========================\ |0: VERSION HISTORY | .========================. Version 0.30 (15/03/2003) Started the FAQ. Mission walkthrough is barely done and only the walkthrought for Mission 01 is available right now. The Ships and Rare Equipments section are almost finished. Version 0.33 (23/03/2003) Just a minor update. Mission 02 is now done. Rare Equipments section is extended and is very near completion. Added a few new sections, ie Version History (this one you are reading right now!) and Game Controls/Mechanics. Mission 03 and 04 coming real soon, promise! Version 1.00 (2/04/2003) A HUGE update. It has now reached 170 kb!!! Up to Mission 13 is done. Yep, that means I've finished the whole Walkthrough! I find that the Walkthrough needed a lot of ASCII art/map, thus why it took such long time for the update. Very sorry for not putting up the Trade Routes and Jump Hole Locations yet. Now that the walkthrough is done, it'll be up real soon. In a week, MAX, I promise! /========================\ |1: INTRODUCTION | .========================. This is your FAQ author, Justin aka JMak2000, at your service. This is only the 2nd FAQ I've ever written, and I hope I have improved since my first one. I do hope this FAQ will help everybody with their troubles in the game. If you need to ask anything that is not in the FAQ, just email me and I'll be sure to reply. Remember to have "Freelancer" somewhere in the topic, as I get a lot of spam mails and I mostly just delete all the mails I got from people I don't know, except, of course, if you write in the topic that it's about Freelancer or/and this FAQ. Freelancer is a great game, with a great campaign, atmostphere, space, planets and almost everything else. And the great part is, even if you finish the SP Campaign, there's still the whole universe for you to explore, better ships to buy, elite weapons to salvage, and much much more. It doesn't really end after the Campaign. The walkthrough is now complete. I only have to continue on the other parts and soon it'll be a very informative FAQ. Oh, I got one request to you readers out there. Tell me, how is my ASCII art/map? I tried my best. Well, that's all I have to say... on to the FAQ. Oh, one last thing, whoever else that wants to post this FAQ on their site(s), just send me a mail asking permission. Remember to have "Freelancer" somewhere in the topic! /===========================\ |2: GAME CONTROLS/MECHANICS | .===========================. What button is for what? How do I equip the stuff I looted/salvaged? How do I mine stuff? Well, you can find the answer to all those questions on this section. /========================\ |2A: GAME CONTROLS | .========================. Here are the main controls of the game. Memorize them for ease of usage and also for your very own survival in space. F1 : Game Menu F2 : Goto Takes you to the selected object. F3 : Dock Dock with selected station or Docking Ring. F4 : Formation Allows you to join a formation. F5 : Neural Net Log Mission objectives and personal log entries. F6 : Nav Map / Mission Log The Nav Map displays the surrounding sytem, mission details and can be also used to place waypoints F7 : Inventory Shos your ship, its current loadout and cargo, and your financial status. F8 : Player Status Displays information about you, including your stats and your reputation. F9 : Current Information Displays the information about the current base or planet you are on, or the object/ship you have targeted in space. ---------------------------- Movement Controls ---------------------------- W : Increase Throttle S : Decrease Throttle Z : Engine Kill X : Reverse Thrust Shift+W : Cruise Tab : Afterburn A : Strafe Left D : Strafe Right Space : Toggle Mouse Flight ---------------------------- Weapons Control ---------------------------- Mouse 2 : Fire Weapons Q : Launch Missile E : Launch Mines Shift+Q : Launch Torpedo Shift+E : Launch Cruise Disruptor C : Launch Countermeasures G : Nanobots F : Shield Battery ---------------------------- View Controls ---------------------------- H : Turret View V : Rear View Ctrl+V : Change View ---------------------------- Targetting Controls ---------------------------- R : Closest Enemy Ctrl+R : Next Enemy Shift+R : Pevious Enemy T : Next Target Shift+T : Previous Target Ctrl+T : Clear Target ---------------------------- Misc Controls ---------------------------- Shift+B : Tractor Beam (One Item) B : Tractor Beam (All Items) O : Scan Cargo N : Display Current Objective /========================\ |2B: CHANGING EQUIPMENTS | .========================. The art of equpping the weapons/equipments that you've salvaged/looted or/and have in your inventory, or in other words, modifying your ship's equipment, is almost a mystery in Freelancer. That question is asked so many times that I deduced it deserves its own section in this FAQ. Well, some artwork is needed here, as that'll explain things easier than I can ever do in words. NOTE:- You can only modify your equipments when you are docked. Meaning you can only do it while you are on a planet/base/etc and definitely not while you're flying in space. Go into the Inventory (by pressing Inventory Icon or F7) You will see a blue "locked" box on the picture of the equipment your ship is equipped with. Below is how it looks like. It means "MOUNTED", or that the equipment is mounted/equipped on your ship. Just click on it to UnMount/UnEquip it. _ _ _ | _| | | |_ | = MOUNTED, click to UnMount |_ _|_| First thing you need before you equip anything is an available hard point. Free the needed one(s) by unmounting the equipment(s) by following the instructions above. Any of the time when your ship got a hard point available that equipment(s) can be mounted on, you'll see a blue "unlocked" box in the pictures of the equipment(s) that can be mounted on it. Below is how it looks like. Just click on it to mount/equip it on your ship's first available hard point. _ _ _ | _| _| | | |_ |_ | = MOUNTABLE, click to Mount |_ _| |_| There are 7 type of hard points available in Freelancer:- a) Gun/Missile b) Turret c) Disruptor/Torpedo d) Mine e) Countermeasure f) Shield g) Thruster All uses the same system/mechanics. It's just that they're different categories. Have fun modifying your ship's equipments now that you know how :) /========================\ |2C: MINING | .========================. Mining is one of the ways to make Credits, albeit quite slow. Many people seem at lost about how to mine stuff, albeit the gloriously big notice/instructions that is given in the first mission in the game. Cut and paste game instructions:- In mineable zones, shoot the small floating asteroids to find valuable commodities Back to me. Well, it really does explain fully on what to do. Let me elaborate on it just in case you didn't understand fully. First, you must be in a mineable zone. On your NAV map (F6), click on Mineable Zones Map to see where you can mine. Go to one of the mineable zone, and you'll see small floating asteroids floating around. If you target it with your mouse, you'll see a target/shoot cirle (the white revolving one), meaning that you can shoot at it. Well, shoot at it. Most of the time nothing will come out of it, but sometimes a commodity will come out of it. Tractor it in (by pressing B). It's quite a slow job, and the odds of the the asteroids containing commodity varies from area to area. Some field are rich, while some are almost bare. Happy mining! /========================\ |3: WALKTHROUGH | .========================. /========================\ |3A: MISSION 01 | .========================. ---------------------------- Mission 01: Manhattan, New York Objectives: Look for a Job in the Bar Talk to Jun'ko Zane Meet Jun'ko at the Equipment Dealer ---------------------------- When you've control of your character, you'll be given objectives to do. Just follow the objectives and enter the Bar to look for a Job. The bartender will points you to Jun'ko Zane, a LSF (Liberty Security Force) agent. Well, you're in luck, as she does needs a someone to do a job for her. You don't have a ship, so she offers you one. Just go meet her at the Equipment Dealer. Go there. When you get there, you'll see a Starflier coming in. That is your ship, that is, if you accept the job. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: Escort a convoy of food and medical supplies from Fort Bush to the mining colony of Planet Pittsburgh. The mission's commanding officer, Michael King, is waiting to rendezvous in space near the Manhattan docking ring. DIFFICULTY: LSF Intel has classified this mission as low-risk. Pirate attacks are considered possible. REWARD: 2000 credits ================================================ Accept it as that the only thing you can do now. Sure, you can decline, but what can a freelancer do without a ship? Especially a Level 0 pilot. Anyway, accept it and the next step do to is Launch to Space. King will meet you in space, and will brief you on the mission. As King was explaining, the Donau will show up. It won't be there long! A group of ships appear and totally obliterate it. There were nothing anybody can do to save it, but we can avenge it. ---------------------------- Mission 01: Avenge the Donau New Objective: Destroy the Hostile Ships. ---------------------------- If Freelancer had a tutorial mission, this'll be it. Lots of allies, and the enemy doesn't even target you. Just get yourself familiar with the controls and back up your allies, and if you're lucky, get a kill or 2. When you see your first loot, an Info window will show up, teaching you how to tractor it in (by pressing the B button, in default). After you've finish off all the enemy ships, it's time to continue your mission. ---------------------------- Mission 01: Join the Convoy New Objective: Fly to Waypoint Fly toward the Waypoint (purple diamond), which marks the entrance to the Trade Lane to Fort Bush. Use W to accelerate and shift-W to cruise. Dock with the Trade Lane Click on any part of the Trade Lane ring in space. Then click the DOCK maneuver icon in the Neural Net at the top of your screen. Fly to the Transport USV Brandt Destroy All the Criminal Ships Re-enter Formation with the USV Brandt Dock with Planet Pittsburgh Select the planet's docking ring. Then click the DOCK maneuver at the top of your screen. The waypoint (purple diamond) is currently marking the docking ring. ---------------------------- Tutorial on Waypoint, cruising, trade lance docking and last of all, formation. When you get to the Transport USV Brandt, enter formation with it. You'll enter a Trade Lane automatically, and while on your way to Pittsburg, it is suddenly disrupted. You are being attacked by Liberty Rogue ships! It is they who damage the Trade Lane ring, and disrupted the your journey. With the help of King, destroy them all. Is is not that hard. When the first group is done with, another group shall appear, but it seems by now the Trade Lane the Trade Lane has been repaired. As King says, do not engage them. All you need to now is re-enter formation with the USV Brandt. It'll enter the Trade Lane and you'll follow it in, leaving behind the Rogue ships. You'll soon arrive near Planet Pittsburg. It seems it has been King's plan all along to get the Rogues to attack. He even paid USV Brandt to serve as bait! Anyway, your mission is done, dock with Planet Pittsburgh. ---------------------------- Mission Result: Success You have advanced to Level 1 ---------------------------- Some explanation by King later, and he'll tell you to meet him in space. He got another job for you. Before doing that, you might want to get another gun and/or upgrade the old ones. Also, if you got salvaged some goods earlier, might as well sell them for some much needed Credits. BTW, this mission, you'll accept it automatically. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: It is believed that the Liberty Rogue attack on the transports was staged from a base somewhere in the Pittsburgh debris field. Assist King in locating the criminals' base and eliminating the threat. DIFFICULTY: LSF Intel has classified this mission as medium-risk. Is is unknown how much resistance will be encountered should the base be located. REWARD: 3500 credits ================================================ ---------------------------- Mission 01: Pittsburgg, New York New Objective: Meet King in Space Above Planet Pittsburgh Enter Formation with Epsilon 1 Destroy All the Hostile Fighters ---------------------------- A wing of Fighters will join you and King on the hunt. Just enter formation with Epsilon 1. Suddenly, you'll hear a distress call from the XT-19 Prison Ship. It is under attack and it needs help. Get to where it is. You must protect it at all cost. Just destroy all the hostile ships that is attacking it. It is not at all hard. ---------------------------- Mission 01: Continue the Search Pattern New Objective: Fly to the Waypoint Resume the search pattern from your current location. Destroy All the Hostile Fighters ---------------------------- After that incident is over, it's time to continue your search. King will upload a new waypoint. Use it. Don't you ever get to execute a mission without any distraction? You'll receive (yet another) distress call, this time from Beta 4. He is under attack by enemy fighters, so just get there, and save him. ---------------------------- Mission 01: Beta 4 Reports New Objective: Fly to the Waypoint Proceed with King to the spot where Beta 4 was attacked. Destroy the Hostile Fighters Fly to the Waypoint Resume travel to the spot where Beta 4 was attacked; King and Alpha Wing will follow you. Fly to the Rogue Base Destroy the Weapon Platforms Near the Pirate Base ---------------------------- Well, this time, at least you do get something in return... even if it's not credits. Beta 4 will tell you about how he and his wing, during patrol was attacked by Rogue ships. King gets all excited, as this may be the info he needed. Beta 4 might have stumbled too close to the Rogue Base, causing the attack on him. Now we know where to search. Beta 4 will gives you the location where it was attacked, so head there! On your way, you will be attacked by Rogue ships. Send them to the scrap yard. Once that minor distraction is done with, continue on to the waypoint, accompanied by King and Alpha Wing. You'll soon see the Rogue Base. Get a wee bit near it and King shall give you a new objective. The base is too well armored for you and he to destroy, so all you can do is soften the defenses a bit in lieu with waiting for arrival of the Delta Wing and their torpedo run. Destroy the 2 Weapon Platforms! It is recommended to kill some enemy ships first before hitting on the Weapon Platform. Once the Platforms are down, well, whaddya know, Delta Wing will arrive! After their Torpedo run, the base shall be no more. Finish up the remaining ships, and then head back to Planet Pittsburgh. ---------------------------- Mission 01: Criminal Base Destroyed New Objective: Fly to Planet Pittsburgh ---------------------------- When you get near Planet Pittsburgh, King will thank you and predicts he'll be seeing a lot of you in the future. Anyhow, the mission is completed. He'll tranfer your reward to your Neural Net. ---------------------------- Mission Result: Success You have advanced to Level 2 ---------------------------- ================================================ MISSION 01 ENDED ================================================ You're free to do whatever you want now. Before you'll get to another of the Storyline Mission, you'll need to gain a level first. Level is gained by getting your Networth to a certain point, and that is by gaining Credits. Take up missions in the Bar, go trading or go mining. Those are the 3 main ways of making Credits. It's all up to you. Once you've leveled up, Juni will contact you, telling you to meet her at Planet Manhattan. Apparently she got another job for you. On a side note, you can continue gaining money, and going to meet Juni later, it's up to you. But only thing is you can't gain any more level until you do the mission. But still, earning credits is good. You might want a new ship and/or weapons. A Patriot sounds good. /========================\ |3B: MISSION 02 | .========================. When you meet Juni in the Bar at Planet Manhattan, New York, she'll explain about the mission. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: Capture Artifact smuggler. The LSF has received information that a wanted criminal, Sean Ashcroft, is attempting to move a shipment of illegal alien artifacts into the New York system. DIFFICULTY: LSF Intel has classified this mission as a moderate risk. Ashcroft will have strong defensive capabilities. REWARD: 4500 credits (and a BONUS*) ================================================ *BONUS: Jump Gate access to all Liberty systems ---------------------------- Mission 02: Manhattan, New York New Objective: Meet King in space near Manhattan. ---------------------------- Do I need to explain what you're supposed to do? Just launch to space and meet King. There will be a certain "event" happening as you head to the launch pad. Once it's over with, you're free to launch to space. Colorado Jump Gate access will be uploaded to your Neural Net, so you can use it to go to Colorado. ---------------------------- Mission 02: Outside Manhattan New Objective: Dock with the Trade Lane Fly with King to the Colorado System in search for Ashcroft Take the Jump Gate to the Colorado System Fly to the Waypoint Start scanning nearby ships Scan nearby ships and look for anything suspicious Disable enemy's engines Stand down from combat ---------------------------- Just follow the waypoints given to you to get into position. Once you are in position, start scanning all nearby ships. Actually, you don't have to do that. Just wait until a ship appears in your "!" HUD panel that marks important stuffs. That's be the one and only ship you'll need to scan. That's the one! King orders him to surrender but it looks like he ain't doing that without a fight. Disable his engines by shooting at it. Once it reached a certain damage, a scene will follow. He sure is a pain in the neck, but he's also surely isn't Ashcroft. But wait... Pueblo Station, who is setting a trap for Ashcroft is under attack! Head there at once! ---------------------------- Mission 02: Head to Pueblo Station New Objective: Dock with Trade Lane Help defend Pueblo Station ---------------------------- The marked Trade Lane near you will take you to Pueblo Station. Dock with it. Once you get there, you'll see that it's under heavy attack by enemy ships. Help defend it. You must not let it be destroyed, so defend it at all cost. Okay, it's really hard to screw up and ended up with it being destroyed. It's just almost impossible. Once you're done with here, you'll get some good news. ---------------------------- Mission 02: Hunt down Ashcroft New Objective: Fly to the marked ship Destroy the Enemy Rogues Follow Ashcroft Destroy Ashcroft's ship Tractor in Ashcroft's Lifepod ---------------------------- Pueblo managed to tag an enemy ship as it was heading into the Silverton Field. It'll upload the coodinates for you and King. Once you get it, fly to the marked ship. Juni will ask about the status of the mission. Once she is updated, she'll ask the Rio Grande to send you a Fighter wing as backup. Zeta Wing (your backup) will arrive just as you reached the marked ship. Forget about the transport. Just destroy the Enemy Rogues. With the help of Zeta Wing, it'll be quite easy. If it gets a bit too hard, just use afterburn and fly around and around, avoiding enemy shots and let them chase at you while your allies pick on them. Once the batch of enemy ships is done, King will have tracked down Ashcroft, but he is running away in Cruise speed! King will shoot a Cruise Disruptor at him but it'll miss, dang! Follow Ashcroft with your very own Cruise mode. A disturbance is detected... is Ashcroft trying to get away in a Jump Hole? The answer is obvious once you're near the waypoint. He sure have a lot of friends and he definitely isn't thinking about running away. Your #1 priority is destroying Ashcroft's ship. Ignore all the other enemy ships. Once you destroy him, tractor in his Lifepod! ---------------------------- Mission 02: Return Ashcroft New Objective: Fly to the New York Jump Gate Take the Jump Gate to the New York System Dock with the Trade Lane Destroy the Enemy Rogues Dock with the Trade Lane Fly to the Battleship Missouri Dock with the Battleship Missouri ---------------------------- King will thank Zeta Wing for their help. Their business here is done, and so is yours and King's. Just ignore the other enemy ships, and head towards the waypoint, which is the New York Jump Gate. You'll have some talk with King and Juni as you're on your way. Once you reached it, dock with it. Hmm, there's a change of plan. Instead of meeting you on Planet Manhattan, Juni now tells you to head directly to Battleship Missouri. Dock with the marked Trade Lane. Ashcroft must be really important, for once you're out of the Trade Lane, the Enemy Rogues will once again come to attack you! You're quite just next to Fort Bush. They must be insane! King will ask Fort Bush for assistance and it'll send you 2 Fighter Wings in respond. They'll all target you (as you're the one carrying Ashcroft in your cargo bay), but it'll be quite an easy battle with the help of the 2 Fighter Wings. Just dodge enemy fire using afterburn (thrusters) and do some fancy flying while your allies do the dirty job. As you continue on your journey and dock on the Trade Lane heading to Battleship Missouri, King will tell you what I've just said. Ashcroft must be really important for them to attack you and him so very near Fort Bush. You'll exit the Trade Lane without a hitch. Just head towards the Missouri. Once you got near it, King will receive some call to head somewhere else at once, so he's gone, for now. Just dock with Battleship Missouri where Juni will take Ashcroft off your hands (or cargo bay) and you'll get your reward AND bonus. ---------------------------- Mission Result: Success You have advanced to Level 4 ---------------------------- ================================================ MISSION 02 ENDED ================================================ Finally, you now have access to all Libery Systems! Before you do anything, I'll advise you to upgrade your ship, though. And the best ship you can buy in Liberty is available directly in the place you are in currently. The Battleship Missouri. Buy a "Defender" Liberty Heavy Fighter. NOTE: The Heavy Fighter of a certain House is only available to be bought from the Battleship(s) of that nation. The rule is the same for all 4 Houses (Liberty, Bretonia, Kusari, Rheinland). It only works for the 4 Houses, though, as Bounty Hunter, Civilian and Border World ships is available on Planets and/or Bases, not on a Battleship. Now, as usual, you'll need to gain a Level before you get your next mission. Do Missions, go trading or go mining, your choice. Might as well get a better set of equipment too while you're at it. Prioritize shield, then weapons. It's a very good idea to upgrade all of them before going to your next Story mission. About weapons, try to have simultenious firing rate and projectile speed, as to score full hits and not miss with some. It's really up to you, but that's my recommendation. I for one like slow firing put power packed guns, so I opted for the Lavablades. All 6 hard points in my Defender is filled with Lavablades, both the gun version and the turret version. And the good thing is same weapons means simultenious firing rate and projectile speed. Anyway, it's really up to you. Remember, you can always put back the story mission (as long as you hadn't accepted it yet) as long as you want, even after you've gain a level and Juni have contacted you. Once you're done, head to Planet Manhattan to find Juni. Hmm... apparently she's not there, but she left a message with the bartender for you. Meet her in California Minor, California. Once you've launched to space, you'll receive a message from Juni, apologizing and explaining about the change in meeting location. Well, head to California Minor by following the waypoints. Once you've reached the California system, another event will unfold before you. Once it's done with, head to California Minor. When you get near it, you'll receive a message from Juni will tell you she got you on her scanners. She thanks you for coming and tells you to meet her at the Bar on California Minor. Dock and meet her. /========================\ |3C: MISSION 03 | .========================. When you meet Juni at the Bar, she'll explain to you the situation and the mission she wants you in. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: Escort a convoy from the Magellan Gate to Research Station Willard. The transports are carrying alien artifacts to be studied by LSF scientists on Willard. DIFFICULTY: LSF Intel has classified this mission as a hish risk. Attacks on the convoy are considered very likely. REWARD: 3000 credits ================================================ ---------------------------- Mission 03: Cal. Minor, California New Objective: Meet Juni in Space above Planet California Minor Dock with the Trade Lane Take the Trade Lane to the San Diego Border Station Fly to the Transport Convoy Meet up with the Convoy Fly to the NavBuoy Head to the Entrance of the Barrera Passage ---------------------------- Right as you accept the mission, you'll hear an interesting news being broadcasted at the Bar. Apparently Liberty has just killed the leader of The Order, Gaspar Orillion. As his true identity is revealed, you'll be very doubtful that the person Liberty killed is actually Orillion. Anyway, no time to think too much about it, it's mission time. Launch to space. Just follow the waypoints until you meet up with the Transport Convoy. Once you got to them, you'll be given a new waypoint to go to. Just ignore it. Instead, just join formation with it. You'll automatically head to the waypoint. ---------------------------- Mission 03: Entrance to Barrera Passage New Objective: Escort the Transport Convoy to the First Buoy Escort the Transport Convoy to the Second Buoy Escort the Transport Convoy to the Third Buoy Defend the Transport Convoy Escort the Transport Convoy to the Fourth Buoy Escort the Transport Convoy to Research Station Willard Dock with Research Station Willard ---------------------------- If you've followed my advice and entered formation with the Transport Convoy, you'll automatically head to the 3 waypoints. On the way to the third buoy, there will be an attack on your group. Break formation and intercept. Juni will call on San Diego for help, and Gamma Wing will arrive to help you. Protect the transport at all cost, as it's game over if they're destroyed. The battle will be quite easy... the calm before the storm. You'll get what I meant later on. Once you've finish off the enemies, instead of heading to the waypoint, do like before and just enter formation with the Transport Convoy. You'll get there automatically. Break formation when you get to Willard, and when the objective call you to dock, dock. Mission is done, you'll get your credits. You'll get another mission automatically. ---------------------------- Mission Result: Success ---------------------------- ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: Travel with Juni to discover more about the pirate attacks on the transport convoy. Between Juni's LSF contacts and her more surreptitious sources she shold be able to acquire more information. DIFFICULTY: There criminal were very well equipped and there is likely going to be a tough fight ahead. ================================================ ---------------------------- New Objective: Meet Juni in Space outside Research Station Willard Fly to Planet California Minor Destroy the Rheinland Valkyries Fly to Planet California Minor Dock with Planet California Minor Meet Juni in the Bar Meet Juni and Walker in Space above Planet California Minor Fly to Walker Join up with Walker on the far side of the Planet ---------------------------- This one isn't part of any of the 3 Mission 03 chapters, as there isn't any chapter done for this mission, if you call it a mission. It's just a follow Juni event to learn stuff. Well, meet here in space, and follow the waypoint to head to California Minor. You'll be stopped by... Rheinland ships! What are Rheinland Valkyries doing in Liberty? Juni tries communicating with them, but they respond by going hostile on both of you! What else can you do except defend yourself? Once they're done, continue on with the waypoint to California Minor. When the objective says dock, dock. Meet Juni in the bar, she'll introduce you to a friend of hers, Marcus Walker. After some talk later, they both tell you to meet them in space. Before doing that, I advice you to get as a full load of as much shield batteries (most important) and nanobots your ship can carry. If you haven't upgraded your shield and weapons, do it now. You'll know why soon. Once in space, fly to the waypoint to meet with Walker. On your way, King will contact you and brief you about the weird going ons in Liberty. He's not the only one with stories about weird heppenings. When you meet up with Walker, he'll tell you about the curious orders he just received when suddenly you'll all receive a distress call from Station Willard! They are under attack by several Rheinland Gunboats and Fighter Wings. You'll get another automatic mission. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: Respond to the distress call of Research Station Willard. Walker's attack group should serve as a powerful force to help combat the Rheinlanders. DIFFICULTY: The Rheinlanders are well known for their military skills. There is a very high risk associated with getting involced in this conflict. REWARD: 3000 credits ================================================ ---------------------------- Mission 03: Respond to Station Willard New Objective: Fly to Research Station Willard Respond to Research Station Willard's Distress Call with Walker and Juni Destroy the Rheinland Pirates ---------------------------- Either fly to the waypoint or enter formation with Walker. Both will get you there. Once you get there, the battle is truly a sight to behold... too bad you're part of it! Now you'll know why I call for a full load of shield batteries and nanobots, best shields and also weaponry if possible. Do some fancy flying if you're overwhelmed. Use afterburn for speed boost to evade enemy fire. One thing, if Walker go, so does the mission. Try to make sure he doesn't die, maybe fight the ships around ship, for some cover fire besides you protecting him. What? The Gunboats are too fast for the Cruisers to hit! The Fighters must do the job (that means you also!). With some fancy flying dodging fire from enemy fighters, try to take down at least 1-2 Gunboats before... A Rheinland bomber wing is detected! All Fighters intercept them before they can shoot their torpedoes! I really recommend you to follow the Walker's instruction, as torpedoes really hurt the Cruisers and can cause their death. Once the bombers are done with, time to finish off the remaining enemies. If you're hurt and with no shield batteries and nanobots left, flying around with afterburn to avoid enemy fire is good enough while your allies pick on them. You may breath a sigh of relief now... it's finally over. One of the biggest battle since the 80-year war is over. Juni will transfer you your reward. You should know if you any of the Cruisers (besides Walker, as game over if Walker is down) is destroyed, there'll be some deduction in your rewards. ---------------------------- Mission Result: Success You have advanced to Level 6 ---------------------------- ================================================ MISSION 03 ENDED ================================================ As Juni says, you've already gone beyond the call of duty. Time for rest now. In other words, you're free for now, until you gain yourself a level. Only then shall Juni contact you for another mission. As you are now a higher Level pilot, you can purchase better weapons from the dealers that sells them. Upgrade all your stuff that can be upgraded. If you haven't upgraded your shield yet, an upgrade is recommended, along with a full load of Shield Battery and Nanobots. Once you're ready (and already gained a Level), go and meet Juni in Planet Manhattan, New York. /========================\ |3D: MISSION 04 | .========================. Juni will meet you just as you land. Strange things is going on around Liberty. Really strange things. Even Walker is missing, and his Cruiser is noted as lost 5 years ago. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: Follow Juni to the California System to find Walker. The last known location of Walker's ship was near California Minor. DIFFICULTY: Since this is not an official LSF mission, there is no LSF Intel data available. REWARD: 7000 credits ================================================ Once you've accepted the mission, watch the event where the mission goes terribly wrong in record time. You don't even get to do a thing before things go wrong. Scrap that mission, you now have an even more important one! ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: Something has gone terribly wrong and now you and Juni must escape from Liberty alive. DIFFICULTY: Standard operating procedure would be for Liberty to launch a system wide dragnet for your capture. Escape will not be easy. REWARD: Your life. ================================================ ---------------------------- Mission 04: Manhattan, New York New Objective: Meet Juni in space outside Planet Manhattan Dock with the Trade Lane This Trade Lane ends at Fort Bush Defend yourself! Libery Navy Forces have you surrounded, fight for your life! Destroy the Battleship Unity Walker and Lambda Wing have arrived, provide cover for them while they take out the Battleship Unity Dock with the Trade Lane This Trade Lane ends at West Point Dock with the Trade Lane This Trade Lane ends deep in the New York Badlands Fly to the Waypoint This is the first coordinate to Benford Station Fly to the Waypoint This is the second coordinate to Benford Station Fly to the Waypoint This is the final coordinate to Benford Station Dock with Benford Station ---------------------------- This is the last chance to get the stuffs you need. Get everthing in tip top condition and get ready for hell. Upgrading your Thrusters may be a good idea. The plan now is to flee using the Trade Lane that heads to Fort Bush but it doesn't go as planned. Once you've launched, you'll be intercepted by a few Liberty Navy Defender heavy fighters. This is when everything turns hostile on you, from the trade lane, to the docking ring, to just about every ship in the area. A record, eh? From friend to foe in less than a minute or so. This is the time you'll find out just why an upgrade to your thrusters for longer afterburn time is good. Defend yourself, it says... but forget about fighting! Just use your arterburn giving short burst of speed while flying around up down left right... just about anywhere you can to avoid all the fires. Last for a few moments and just when you thought this is the end of you, Walker and Lambda Wing (headed by King) will come to the rescue. They'll destroy the Battleship Unity that is blocking your way to the Trade Lane. Your objective is to provide cover for them, but you don't actually need to. Continue with afterburn burst and just wait, the Unity will be down in no time. The path is opened, go now! Dock with the Trade Lane to escape from that hot spot. The battle for survival is over... for now. Follow the waypoints to go to somewhere you can hide, Benford Station. Juni's friend, Van Pelt, owns that Station. King, who went with you, will leave your group for now. Anyway, get to Benford Station and dock. ---------------------------- Mission 04: After meeting Van Pelt New Objective: Defend Benford Station Liberty Navy Forces have caught up to you! Help Juni defend Benford Station. Fly to the Magellan Jump Gate Benford has fallen, you've got to get out of here before the Liberty Navy continues it's pursuit. Take the Jump Gate to the Magellan System The Jump Gate still works, take it and get out of here Fly to Freeport 4 Destroy the Bounty Hunters These Bounty Hunters want the price on your head, defend yourself! Fly to Mactan Base Mactan Base is located deep in this field. It is the secret home of the Lane Hackers Dock with Mactan Base ---------------------------- While in Benford, you'll find out from a broadcast that, just as King told you, you and Juni is now the #1 enemy of Liberty (well, maybe not #1, but...). You're wanted for murder, Artifact smuggling, treason, and the destruction of Freeport 7 and now you have a 1 million bounty on your head. Quite an impressive list, if I might say so myself! Bad thing is that just about every Bounty Hunter in the colonies will be after you. Liberty ships is detected... looks like they've caught up with you. They won't leave no matter what Van Pelt says. You'll launch to space automatically. Once there, you'll be yet again asked to surrender. Yeah, right. Defend Benford Station, it says... well, you can try, but I advised you to just dodge enemy fires using the same tactic like last time, short burst of afterburn use and crazy flying. 3 Cruisers will arrive very soon and they'll obliterate Benford Station! Time to run. Activate Cruise engine and head to the waypoint, which is a location of the Jump Gate to the Magellan System, given to you by Van Pelt earlier. Luckily for you, the enemies doesn't go and follow you. Once you're at the Jump Gate, which is still working, thank God, dock with it. You're now in Magellan. Your destination for now is Freeport 4, head there. It doesn't look like you'll be getting there anytime soon, as you're stopped by a large group of Bounty Hunters. They'll ask you to surrender, but again... yeah, right. Fire, dodge and run, fire, dodge and run. That's a very good tactic for now. As things look grim, you'll be saved by, of all people... the Lane Hackers! They'll even the odds, so now, if you have a good supply of shield batteries and also nanobots, and feel the urge to fight instead of run, feel free to join in the battle, but don't overdo it. When all else fails, dodge and run is a good tactic while your allies battle it out. Once the Bounty Hunters are done with, the Lane Hackers will upload a waypoint to their base. Follow it. Once you arrived at Mactan Base and objective says dock, dock with it. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: With Liberty behind you the only place left to go is home. Go meet back up with your old friend Tobias on Planet Leeds. DIFFICULTY: It should be smooth sailing from here on out, but don't let your guard down. REWARD: Your life. ================================================ ---------------------------- New Objective: Meet Juni in space outside Mactan Base Juni will be launching from Mactan shortly. Wait for her. Destroy the Rheinland Assault Wing Rheinlanders attacking a Lane Hacker Base? Take out the Rheinland Assault Wing before they inflict any further damage! Fly to the Leeds Jump Hole alone Juni is on her way to Cambridge to search for answers. Go to Planet Leeds and meet up with Tobias Take the Jump Hole to the Leeds system Fly to Planet Leeds Dock with Planet Leeds Meet Tobias in the Leeds Equipment Shop ---------------------------- Just a few moments after your launch, Mactan Base will be attacked by a Rheinland Assault Wing. These Rheinlanders seem to be everywhere... Anyway, with the help of Juni and the other friendlies there, take them out. It's about time you get to kick some ass after the running all these while. After you've taught them a lesson and sent them to the scrap yard, Juni will tell you that it's better if you and her split up for now. She's heading to Cambridge to look for some answers. You, on the other hand, can head to your home... Leeds. There's a Jump Hole heading to Leeds nearby that is marked by a waypoint, head there and use it. You're now in the Leeds system, and quite near to Planet Leeds, your final destination, for now. Follow the waypoint and get to Planet Leeds and once there, dock with it using the Docking Ring. Once you're on Leeds, it's time to meet your old friend, Tobias, who's at the Leeds Equipment Shop (he's the owner). After some conversation, he'll tell you to head to Planet New London and get a new ship there. He'll also supply you with... 25,000 (TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND!!!) Credits! That's like more than the total amount Juni (and the LSF) pays you since your first mission with them! I guess it's time to take back all you've said when the 7000 credits mission is aborted because of the incident at Planet Manhattan that is one of the reasons that cause you to be on the run from Liberty. Well, your current mission is done. Mission successful. ---------------------------- Mission Result: Success You have advanced to Level 8 ---------------------------- ================================================ MISSION 04 ENDED ================================================ Same old, same old, for now. Gain one level before you'll get on with the story. This time, after you level, Juni will request for you to meet her at Planet Cambridge, Cambridge. Take your time doing your stuff and only go when you're fully ready. You don't actually need to buy a new ship in Planet New London. To tell you the truth, the type of ships on sale in Planet New London is exactly the same as the one on sale at Planet Leeds. If you're wondering about Tobias's words, there is no price difference either. If I were you, I'll head to Planet New London in New London anyway, because 1 box (of NAV Map) to the left of it is Battleship Suffolk. Like I've said, the Battleships of a House sells the best fighter the House has to offer, their Heavy Fighters. Time to get yourself a Crusader, about one of the ugliest looking ship in the game, but it'll do, for now. Oh, before I forget, I'll tell you something. You can level up first before getting the ship, as your worth will be higher before you buy a ship and it'll be easier to level up. But I do advise AGAINST it, to be honest. It's better to buy a ship and/or new equipments before you start gaining credits to level up. Why? That is to make it so you've a healthy amount of credits going. I'll explain it easily. You got 45k, you need to go to 60k to level. Alright, do mission and get the 15k you need to level up. After that, you go and buy yourself the new ship and/or new equipments, making your money go down to maybe like 30k or so left. Not a healthy amount of credits, if you ask me. But if you go and buy the stuff first, you'll be left with like 15k, and still needs to go to 60k to level. You then go on to earn credits doing mission, etc. Once you leveled, you'll be at 60k, and can happily go on the story mission without worrying about not having enough funds for next upgrade, etc. Sure, it'll take longer, but that's the rule I follow, and I'm quite happy with it. I was never left without sufficient fund to upgrade my equipments when the opportunity arises for me to upgrade it. One more thing, the Bounty Hunter is hostile towards you, right? Well, once you get a new ship, they'll lost your scent and will be back to neutral with you. I do advise upgrading your equipments along with the new ship. For me, I got a full load of 6 Skyrails (best weapon buyable currently) for the 6 gun hard points of the Crusader. Like I've said, equipping all the hard points with the same weapons equals simultenious firing rate and projectile speed, which means when you hit an enemy, you get a full 6 hits and not like a few hits and a few misses that'll happen frequently if your weapons don't have simultenious firing rate and projectile speed. Shield upgrade is also recommended, as usual. And also as usual, a full load of shield batteries and nanobots will do no harm. Once you're finish with the upgrading and have also gained a level, it's time to answer Juni's request for you to meet her at Planet Cambridge, Cambridge. The waypoints will get you there soon enough. /========================\ |3E: MISSION 05 | .========================. When you meet Juni at the Bar at Planet Camridge, she'll ask for your help in doing something. If you must know, from now on, all storyline missions no longer offer any cash rewards. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: Juni has a lead that might shed some light on the whereabouts of Professor Quintaine. He's the key to learning more about the alien artifact. DIFFICULTY: Since this is not an official LSF mission, there is no LSF Intel data available. REWARD: Valuable information about the mysterious alien artifact. ================================================ ---------------------------- Mission 05: Cambridge, Cambridge New Objective: Meet Juni in Space above Planet Cambridge Dock with the Trade Lane This Trade Lane ends at the Battleship Norfolk Dock with the Trade Lane This Trade Lane ends at the Omega 3 Jump Gate Take the Jump Gate to the Omega 3 System Dock with the Trade Lane This Trade Lane ends at Freeport 1 ---------------------------- Juni will tell you that Dr. Quintaine has gone missing, not missing as in disappeared, but missing as in he's gone under, to hide. How do Juni deduce that? Well, this one left a trace. Dr. Trent... that sounds good. After the short event of pretending to be a Doctor of Xenoarcheology (or something like that), you'll not get any further information on where Quintane might be, but there's some hope, though. A Dr. Sinclair, who used to work with Quintaine, might shed some light on where Quintaine might be hiding at. She's currently at a dig site on Planet Sprague in the Omega 3 system. Once that's done with, launch and meet Juni in space. If you have ignored all my previous advises to upgrade your equipments and reload your shield batteries and nanobots, well, do it before you launch. Juni will give you a series of waypoints to go to. Just follow her directions. You'll be in Omega 3 after taking a couple of Trade Lanes and a Jump Gate. Once in Omega 3, you'll take a Trade Lane that heads to Freeport 1. During the trip from Planet Cambridge to Freeport 1, you'll get to hear about the many Rheinland activities around the other systems. ---------------------------- Mission 05: Route to Sprague New Objective: Fly to Sprague Be on the lookout for Rheinland ships in the area Destroy the Rheinland Ships Dock with Planet Sprague ---------------------------- There's no Trade Lane to Sprague, so from Freeport 1, you'll have to get there by yourself, using your Cruise mode and following the waypoint. There are a lot of Rheinland activities, so be on the lookout for any Rheinland ships in the area. Well, you will not experience any trouble and as you get within a few Ks of Sprague, you'll thought that this journey will be uneventful, but... What the heck?!!! These Rheinland Ships suddenly decloaked in front of you and Juni, blocking the way. They'll start attacking, so defend yourself and destroy them. Once the battle is over, you'll find out you're not the only one surprised by the sudden decloaking of the Rheinland Ships. Juni, too, will be quite surprised and in disbelieve about the usage of Cloaking technology by the Rheinland ships. Such technology is yet unheard of in the colonies. Well, if they hadn't appeared right before your very eyes, you won't believe it yourself, I reckoned. Sprague is almost right next to you, so just click on the waypoint (which is the Docking Ring) and press dock to automatically head there and dock. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: The Rheinlanders have found you. Get Sinclair to safety. DIFFICULTY: The enemy is right on top of you, expect heavy resistance. REWARD: Survival ================================================ ---------------------------- Mission 05: Flee from Sprague New Objective: Flee from Planet Sprague Fly to the Waypoint Coordinates You have to get Sinclair out of here. Flee to the Nebula! Fly to Baxter Research Station Baxter Station should be a good place for you to hide. Dock with Baxter Research Station ---------------------------- After some flying around the planet, the underground dig site is finally found and both you and Juni will enter it and dock. You'll meet with Dr. Sinclair. Apparently she's the one who found the artifact (the one you have) in an archeological (what else?) dig, but it was stolen. Well, that part of the mystery is solved. She doesn't know where Quintaine is, but she knows a man like Quintaine won't just dissapear. Instead, he probably had went into hiding when he found out about the weird happenings and disapearrances. That doesn't exactly help, does it? She also doesn't want to come with you. Ignoring your warnings about the Rheinlanders, she doesn't actually believe your "fairy tale" about the cloaking Rheinland ships. Well, that doesn't come as a surprise. Before you can even try to persuade her, you'll get news that a group of Rheinland ships appearing out of nowhere and is heading towards the dig site. You'll provide her with an ultimatum. "Do you want to be a live scientist on the run or a dead one in the ground?" The dig site is under attack. Sinclair, with some help from the workers of the Dig Site, will load whatever she can on her ship (mainly her very precious alien writing/parchment that she showed you earlier), while Juni will rush to her ship followed closely behind by you heading to your ship. Juni and you will escape from the Dig Site just as a Rheinland ship drop a bomb into it, totally destroying the site and killing those that were left in there. You'll also exit the Docking Ring just as it blows up. Yep, they blew up the Docking Ring! Apparently, Sinclair has left before you and Juni (No idea how she did it) in a Clydesdale (In a Freighter? How the heck did she managed to do it?), and you're the last one out of the Docking Ring before it goes. Objective is to flee from Planet Sprague, which is a very good idea. Sinclair knows a place to hide at and she'll give you a waypoint. Run and dodge using the afterburn burst tactic until you get the waypoint and when you got it, use your Cruise mode to head there as fast as you can! Once you're in the Nebula, it looks like you lost the Rheinlanders, for now. The good doctor will give you a waypoint towards Baxter Research Station, follow it. Once you get there and objective says dock, dock. You'll very soon find out that this safe haven doesn't prove to be so safe after all. The Rheinlanders have found you, and they're attacking the station. It's exploding around you! You'll get a new mission automatically. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: There's no hiding from the Rheinlanders this time. You have to fight your way out. DIFFICULTY: The station is exploding around you. You'll be lucky to live through this. REWARD: Survival ================================================ ---------------------------- New Objective: Meet Juni and Sinclair in Space outside Baxter Research Station Destroy the Rheinland Ships Fly to the Cambridge Jump Hole Take the Jump Hole to the Cambridge System Fly to the Trade Lane Follow Rheinlanders to the Leeds Jump Hole ---------------------------- The station may be exploding, but you have the time to do whatever you want before you launch. There's an Equipment Dealer, so take the opportunity to reload your Shield Batteries and Nanobots. Once you're ready, launch. There's no running this time. Now is the time to fight. Remember the good old tactic of running and dodging while your allies pick on the enemy ships if in any time the battle becomes too hard for you. It's a good tactic to recharge your shield too, without using any shield batteries. Anyway, I don't think it'll come to that, so fight anyway you want. The head to head way, or the dodging around way. Once they're done with, you'll be given a waypoint to head to the Cambridge Jump Hole. Well, go there and when you reach it, take it. Once you're in Cambridge, you'll be given a waypoint to head to a Trade Lane. Follow it. You won't go very far before 2 Rheinland ships decloak in front of you. As your group gets ready to fire, they'll communicate with you, telling you they come in peace. Apparently, they've deserted because of a certain reason, or so they say. I won't elaborate on the reason on this walkthrough. They'll tell you every way out of this system is blocked, but there's a Jump Hole that heads to Leeds nearby that may not be that well guarded. When asked why they're helping you, they'll say that alone, both you and them might not make it, but if the 2 groups work together, there just might be a chance we'll all survive this one. Do you believe their story? Well, Sinclair does. Whatever doubts you have, you can just keep it to yourself, and follow those Rheinlanders. When you get close to the Jump Hole, you'll see a sight that is... not good for you. The Battleship Wutan. ---------------------------- Mission 05: Route to Leeds New Objective: Wait for Rheinlanders to make Torpedo Run Destroy the Rheinland Ships Take the Jump Hole to the Leeds System Fly to the Trade Lane Dock with the Trade Lane Dock with Planet Leeds ---------------------------- The group will automatically stop quite a distance from the enemies. Apparently your group is to play bait, making the enemy think you're easy prey. The 2 Rheinlanders will cloak and make a Torpedo Run at Battleship Wutan. Wait for them while they do it. A scene will go on, with the 2 Rheinlanders heading towards the Wutan at Cruise speed, cloaking in mid way. The Battleship will have detected your group, and is sending a Fighter Wing heading towards the group. Just as the Fighter is heading your way, the Rheinlanders decloak right next to the Wutan and shoot their Torpedoes like there is no tomorrow. Wutan is taken by surprise and it goes down. If you don't trust them at first, this'll take away any doubts you have. Now to do your part of the bargain, help them destroy the remaining enemy fighters. You'll be done with them in no time at all. NOTE: Only 5-6 Starkiller Torpedoes hit the Battleship. In any other event besides this storyline event, 5-6 Starkiller Torpedoes ain't enough to destroy a Battleship. You'll need around 20 or more, if I'm correct. So later on in the game when you see an enemy Battleship and you have those Starkiller Torpedoes loaded with a Launcher on your ship, don't think you can emulate that event with just 5-6 torpedoes. That really makes me wonder what those Rheinlanders load into their torpedoes :) Well, you're free to enter the Jump Hole now, so do it. Once you get to Leeds, both groups thank each other. The Rheinlanders is giving themselves up to a Bretonia Battleship, hoping somebody will believe their story. I really wish them luck. Follow the waypoint to get to Planet Leeds. It'll be a smooth ride from here on. Once you've docked at Planet Leeds, the current mission is done. After the meeting with Tobias, Sinclair, with the help of Juni (I guess), will start studying the artifact somewhere in Tobias's Shop. Mission successful. ---------------------------- Mission Result: Success You have advanced to Level 10 ---------------------------- ================================================ MISSION 05 ENDED ================================================ Once again you're free to do whatever you want. As usual, you'll be contacted once you've gain a level. Apparently Sinclair reach a point where she can't go any further without the help of Dr. Quintaine, so you really need to find him. A Dexter Hovis, who does some jobs for Quintaine now and then, might help. Find him at Battleship Hood, Dublin. You're a higher level pilot now than before, so you can now purchase better equipments from the shops. For me, I upgraded from Skyrail to Adv. Skyrail in whichever hard point that can hold it. Both Skyrail and Adv. Skyrail have same firing rate and projectile speed, so it's a match. Upgrade whatever you want that can be upgraded. Well, there's nothing else you can do, except gain a level by doing mission or trading. There's no new ship to buy, and only a minor upgrade possible. That's about it. Once you've leveled, time to continue on the storyline. Follow the waypoints and head to Battleship Hood which is in the Dublin system. Once you are docked it, head to the bar. When asked, the bartender will points you to Hovis. /========================\ |3F: MISSION 06 | .========================. It's time for one of the oddest but also one of the most exciting mission of the game. It depends on how you see it. Some may say it's the most annoying one. It's time for... racing! Dexter Hovis will challenged you to a race. If you win, he'll tell you everything you want to know. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: Defeat Hovis in a one-lap contest of speed. Then find Quintane and bring him to Planet Leeds to help Sinclair and Juni with the artifact. DIFFICULTY: Unknown. Hovis seems to be confident of his abilities. REWARD: Critical information about the artifact. ================================================ ---------------------------- Mission 06: Hood, Dublin New Objective: Launch to Space when You and Your Ship Are Ready to Race Meet Hovis in Space near the Racecourse Beat Hovis to the Final Gate Final Gate ---------------------------- Okay, one thing I should say is never ever use a Freighter. You can still win with it, but it's hard enough (for some) while flying a Heavy Fighter. Launch to space when you're ready to race. You'll see a scene where you automatically fly to the race course and take position at the start of it. Some explanation of the rules later and... 3... 2... 1... START! Not exactly... Game will be paused as a tip box appears on the screen giving you tips on how to race. Once you're ready, close the box, and the race will start. Remember, you must follow the course (the rings). Press tab for a burst of speed for the first second, before pressing Ctrl+W to start your Cruise mode. Make sure you're in Mouse Flight, and always watch 2 rings ahead of you, as to know which direction to head or be heading to as your pass the next ring. You may or may not pass Hovis during the race, but don't worry if you don't. During the last 3-4 rings, Hovis will stop and... cheat! He'll activate the Weapons Platforms, but don't worry about it, they won't really hurt you. Continue on following the Rings till the Final Gate. You've won the race! You should know that although Hovis stop for a while, he doesn't stop forever. It's just a chance for you to overtake him if you fail to do so earlier in the race. He'll continue on after a while, so if you screw up on that chance by knocking a ring or missing one, you can still lose. From my experience, you can still win if you've accidentally knocked or missed one ring. You got enough time to turn back and continue the race. More than one and it's almost a sure lose. NOTE: If you lose the first time, you'll be given a second chance to race Hovis. You'll head back to the starting line and it'll begin after the countdown, without any pausing of the time for the Tip Box to show. NOTE: The race requires turnings that are quite tight that are quite hard to do with a Freighter, thus using a Freighter isn't recommended. A Crusader Heavy Fighter, though, is sufficiently maneuverable enough to win. You don't need a very meneuverable Light Figher. NOTE: If you really can't win even with a Heavy Fighter and would do just about anything to win, try buying the Cavalier Light Fighter that is sold at Battleship Hood. It has better maneuverability and turning, making it a bit easier for the race. I can't say that it's good for the missions ahead... but like I've said, if you can't with a Heavy Fighter and would do just about anything to win, try it. After winning the race, you'll get another automatic mission. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: Find Quintaine and bring him to Planet Leeds to help Sinclair and Juni with the artifact. DIFFICULTY: Quintaine may be in a non-combat vessel and must survive the journey. You must be alert. Obviously, you are not hte only person trying to find him. REWARD: Critical information about the artifact. ================================================ ---------------------------- Mission 06: Hovis Lost New Objective: Fly to Battleship Hood Land on Battleship hood Launch to Space Fly to the Waypoint Enter the mouth of the old trade lane to Station Glorious Fly to Station Glorious Follow the path of the old trade lane to Station Glorious Defend Station Glorious Land on Station Glorious ---------------------------- Hovis tells you to meet him at the Hood, well then, go and meet him. When you land, he'll tell you where Quintaine is hiding at, Station Glorious. Of course, you didn't hear this from him. Well, you can keep this a secret. Before you go, he tells you that a few Rheinlanders came here asking the same question earlier. Did they race? You'll find out the didn't. Too yellow, Hovis said. Those Rheinlanders sure are everywhere. When you're ready, launch to space. It's time to head to Station Glorious following the instructions given to you Hovis. Just follow the two waypoint and you'll get there, it's not very far. Once you're close, you'll see a Rheinlander Gunboat and Fighter Wing. They'll start attacking the station after some conversation with it. Help defend the Station. I suggest taking out the big easy target first, the Gunboat, followed by the fighters. You got some helpers out there, so you don't need to do it all alone. Once the last of the enemies is finished off, Station Glorious will thank you and tells you that you got permission to land. ---------------------------- Mission 06: Quintaine Found New Objective: Meet Quintaine in Space near Station Glorious Fly to Quintaine Fly to the Waypoint Lead Quintaine's group to the Leeds Jump Hole. Defend Quintaine Destroy the Rheinland Gunboat Destroy All Hostile Ships Fly to the Leeds Jump Hole Destroy All Hostile Ships Take the Jump Hole to the Leeds System Dock with the Trade Lane Lead Quintaine's group to Planet Leeds Land on Planet Leeds ---------------------------- Not quite a welcome, is it? Even after you've helped them. Well, you finally convinced Quintaine to come with you. He got one condition, and that is he doesn't come alone. Good for you, actually, at least you got some allies for the road ahead. Launch when you're ready, meaning after you've reloaded on Shield Batteries and Nanobots too, if required. You'll see Quintaine once you're in space. You can't miss him since he's marked with a waypoint. Fly to him. He's in an Armored Transport. He'll explain that he's in a transport because he needed it to carry all the needed equipments, which is a lot, I guess. You'll be met by a few friendlies too, Quintaine's escorts. Quintaine will tell you to lead the way, so do so. Head to the marked waypoint. You won't get far before you'er attacked by Rheinland ships. Quintaine's cruise engine is down after being hit by a Cruise Disruptor. With the help of the others, defend Quintaine at all cost. As suggested by one of your allies, let's take down the Gunboat first. After it's down, take care of the other ships. Once it's over, continue on to the marked waypoint, the Leeds Jump Hole. Once you get near it, you'll find that it's blocked by more Rheinland ships. Well, it's time again to battle it out. It's not that hard, but if you ever need time to reload shields, the afterburn short burst run and dodge tactic should do the trick. Once the enemies are destroyed, you can take the jump hole to Leeds. Dock with the marked Trade Lane to head to Planet Leeds. Whew, you're finally there. And in one piece too. Quintane will tell his escorts to head back since he has arrived at the destination. Dock with the Docking Ring to land on Planet Leeds. Once again, you bring another person to Tobias's Shop. Quintaine will have a reunion of sort with Sinclair. Your current mission is done. Mission successful. ---------------------------- Mission Result: Success You have advanced to Level 12 ---------------------------- ================================================ MISSION 06 ENDED ================================================ You don't get to go any further since just after the reunion, Tobias's shop will be visited by 2 Rheinlanders looking for Quintaine! Tobias will chase them out, even after their threats that Quintaine is an enemy of Rheinland, telling them that they are NOT in Rheinland, but in his Shop, in Bretonia! They'll leave, telling Tobias that they can wait. Well, the group now knows that this is no longer a safe place for them, as the Rheinlanders already know they're here. Quintaine will tell you that he got a message quite some time ago from a certain Kress, offering Quintaine to meet him. He's the one that told Quintaine the strange going ons that cause Quintaine to go into hiding at the first place. The others need you to help them find the base of the mysterious Kress, which is located at the Border Worlds. For the first time, you'll get to the next storyline mission without a break for gaining a Level before the story continues. You can decline, though, to make some credits first, before going back to accept it. NOTE: No Level can be gained this time between the Campaign Missions as it continues right away. There's nothing you can actually do that you haven't already done. No new equipment upgrades are available that you can't buy earlier, no new ship, nothing. Well, except wanting to make more credits before accepting the mission, you can accept the mission right away. /========================\ |3G: MISSION 07 | .========================. The current place is no longer safe. The Rheinlanders have found you. The others need your help to head to the Border Worlds to find the base of the mysterious Kress. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: You have to hide from the Rheinland agents. Fly with Juni, Sinclair and Quintaine to the Border Worlds and find the base of the mysterious Kress. DIFFICULTY: The Rheinland agents will be trying to stop you from reaching the Border Worlds. They will likely to hunt you the entire way. It's very advisable to fly a powerful combat vessel. REWARD: This is not about money; it's about survival. ================================================ ---------------------------- Mission 07: Leeds, Leeds New Objective: Meet Juni, Quintaine and Sinclair in Space above Planet Leeds Fly in the Border Worlds to find the base of the mysterious Kress Destroy the Rheinland Agents ---------------------------- In a scene, the group's ships heading towards the Trade Lane, with some conversation. As you should know by now, a scene where the ship moves automatically is not a good sign. The group will be stopped by 2 Rheinlander ships uncloaking in front of them, piloted by the very same 2 person looking for Quintaine earlier. Engage them! When one of them is destroyed, the other will cloak and get away. ---------------------------- Mission 07: Escape from Leeds New Objective: Dock with the Trade Lane Take the Trade Lane to Stokes Mining Station Dock with the Trade Lane Take the Trade Lane to the Tau-31 Jump Gate Destroy the Rheinland Fighters ---------------------------- Time to continue on your journey, dock with the marked Trade Lane that heads to Stokes Mining Station. Once you exit, another Trade Lane will be mark, now one that heads to the Tau-31 Jump Gate. But just as you get close, a group of Rheinlanders appears to stop you. Take them out! ---------------------------- Mission 07: Outside Stokes Mining Station New Objective: Dock with the Trade Lane Take the Trade Lane to the Tau-31 Jump gate Destroy the Rheinland Blockade Ships Dock with the Jump Gate to the Tau-31 System Dock with the Trade Lane Take the Trade Lane to Holman Outpost Dock with the Trade Lane Take the Trade Lane to the Tau-29 Jump Gate Fly to the Trade Lane Escape the Rheinland Blockade by flying to the Trade Lane ---------------------------- Despite the warning by Stokes about the Rheinland hostile activity in the area, you must go on. Dock with the marked Trade Lane. Once you've exited, you'll watch a scene you won't soon forget. The appearance of a Rheinland Cruiser and along with it several Rheinland Fighters. It's a blockade to prevent you from going to Tau-31. You have no choice but to fight your way forward. Things may not look good, but very soon you'll get backup. It's Tobias and his friends! Your may want to take out the Fighters first, but I say go for the Cruiser as it's a very big and slow target moving, meaning it's very easy to hit. It doesn't have that good armor like a Battleship too. Two to 3 runs by you, with some help of your allies, and it'll go down. Just don't fly straight towards it, strafe left and right or if you prefer, fly randomly around with the mouse while shooting at it. Once it goes down, things will look far better than it was before. Take out the remaining fighters. Once they're down, Glasgow will ask you not to travel any further until the crisis is over. Tobias will say no, explaining that the group needs to get out of this system. He will ask Glasgow to lock the Jump Gate after the group used it, though. Take the Jump Gate, and you'll be at the Tau-31 System. Dock with the marked Trade Lane, heading to Holman Outpost. It's still quiet for now. Continue on to the next Trade Lane that ends at the Tau-29 Jump Gate. You won't go far, as there will be another Rheinland blockade, larger than the previous one! One sentence: The dodge and run short afterburn burst tactic. You'll not survive a battle and this time, running and dodging is the only option. Very soon, Tobias's friend will ask you to go on while they occupy them. Follow the waypoint to head to a Trade Lane that is the key to your escape. ---------------------------- Mission 07: Fleeing to Tau-23 New Objective: Dock with the Trade Lane Take the Trade Lane to the Tau-23 Jump Gate Defend Quintaine and Sinclair Fly to Quintaine and Sinclair Meet up with the others at the Tau-29 Jump Hole Take the Jump Hole to the Tau-29 System Fly to Shinkaku Station ---------------------------- Once you get to the Trade Lane, take it. It'll head to the Tau-23 Jump Gate. In the middle of the way, it'll be disrupted! The cause? 2 Rheinland Gunboats damaging the Trade Lane ring. Tobiast will tell Juni, Quintaine and Sinclair to head to the nearby Tau-29 Jump Hole while he and you will occupy the 2 Gunboats. Gunboats are never a big problem, just follow them and shoot at them. After some time, Tobias will say you and him have bought the others enough time and they would be at the Jump Hole by now. Follow the waypoint to meet the others at the Jumphole. It doesn't matter if you haven't destroyed any of the Gunboat, but if you or Tobias managed to destroy one, he'll boast and say that'll say now they'll know that you two are not an easy targets after all. Anyway, destroy a Gunboat or not, Tobias will say that he's proud of you once you two arrived at the Jump Hole where the others is at. Juni will tell you they were just about to turn back help you and Tobias. Oh ye of little faith. Take the Jump Hole and you'll be in Tau-29, finally! Head to Shinkaku, where Kress told Quintaine to go to. We don't know if he's actually for real and as an added situation, that was quite some time ago. Let's just cross our fingers and hope. ---------------------------- Mission 07: Shinkaku Station New Objective: Dock with Shinkaku Station Meet Quintaine in Space outside Shinkaku Station Fly to the Waypoint Coordinates Journey to the coordinates of Kress' Base ---------------------------- Dock with Shinkaku Station. Reload your Shield Batteries and Nanobots. It is "VERY IMPORTANT" that you carry a full load of Shield Batteries and Nanobots. Once you're ready, fully loaded with Shield Batteires and Nanobots, launch to space to meet Quintaine and see what tidings he got for the group. Good news! There's actually a message for Quintaine after all. The bartender has given Quintaine the waypoint coordinates of Kress' Base. Before can head there, Tobias will tell the group that he's leaving. With open conflict between Bretonia and Rheinland bound to happen soon, he's needed back at Bretonia. Say your goodbyes, and then head to the coordinates. And then... OH MY GOD!!! It looks like about the whole Rheinland Fleet decloaked right in front of your eyes! A Battleship (!!!), 3 Cruisers (!!!!!), some Gunboats and a helluva lot of Fighters. ---------------------------- Mission 07: Engage the Rheinland Fleet New Objective: Destroy the Rheinland Fleet Fly to the Waypoint Coordinates Rendezvous with Sinclair and Quintaine at Razor-One's coordinates Fly to the Tau-23 Jump Hole Take the Jump Hole to the Tau-23 System Fly to Kress' Base Dock with Cali Base ---------------------------- As you're about to think that everything is over, in ride Razor-One with his Wing from the other side of the Battleship, hitting it with missiles and weapon fires. Kress is the one that sent them to help you! They'll tell Sinclair and Quintaine to head to a given coordinates, and asked their escorts (ie you and Juni) to help them take out the Rheinland Fleet. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT charge right into the battle. The Battleship and the Cruisers shall just shoot you down within moments. Stay back at all times. This is it, this is the part when all your previous training from all the past missions will come to play. Help a little bit whenever possible, when you got an opportunity and a good amount of shield. Other than that, play what I've taught you best since the start of this Walkthrough. Flying around like crazy while at full speed, and using short afterburn bursts, dodging as much enemy fire as possible. A wise pilot lets his allies to the dirty job while he plays run and dodge with the enemies. It's not a good idea to fight with the Battleship and the Cruisers, even if you want to fight. Just take on the enemy Fighters and Gunboats, let the others take care of the Battleship and the Cruisers. If you really want to take on one of the big ships, choose a Cruiser and not a Battleship, as it'll be way easier to take down. Use the Shield Batteries and Nanobot when needed. Stay alive long enough, and I tell you, it'll be quite long, and the battle will be over. You're lucky that your allies mostly have a "God Mode" on and can't die, so sooner or later (I'll bet on later), they'll slowly but surely will take care of all the enemies. If you survived, give yourself a pat on the back. You've just survived one of the biggest battle ever on Freelancer. And you did it without having even a Cruiser or Battleship class ship on your side. Laugh to your heart's content because you, Juni and Razor-One's Fighter Wing have just took on a whole Rheinland Fleet and won. Well, the mission is not over yet. Go to the waypoint to meet with Sinclair and Quintaine. Together with Razor-One and his Wing, the group will head to the Tau-23 Jump Hole, marked by a waypoint. Once you get there, use it to get to Tau-23. In Tau-23, you'll be given the waypoin to Kress' Base, head there. Once you've reached Cali Base (Kress's Base) and it says dock, dock. After a stand off with some of Kress's henchmen who won't let you see Kress, Colonel Kress finally shows up settle things. After guiding the good Doctors to the lab area, Kress will talk with you and Juni to explain some things while answering some questions. When asked who he works for, you'll get a surprising answer... The Order. It's been quite some time before you hear about them, isn't it? Quintaine will shows up and says that they've forgotten something, and they need another item before they can study deeper about the artifact. The Proteus Tome, which is located in Kusari. Kress says he got a man there, and will contact the man about the liberation of the Tome, but you're not about to let Kress and that man of his handle it by themselves, are you? You're going with them, you say. Kress will ask about you not trusting him, but you got a good answer, in Kress's very own words. Well, if you're going, so is Juni. Kress can do nothing else but agree. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: Meet up with Kress's agent, Lord Hakkera, to arrange for the retrieval or the Proteus Tome. DIFFICULTY: The trip through Kusari should present little risk as it would be a very bold move for the Rheinlanders to show their presence there. REWARD: This is not about money; it's about survival. ================================================ ---------------------------- New Objective: Meet Razor-One in Space outside Cali Base Fly to the Kyushu Jump Hole Take the Jump Hole to the Kyushu System Fly to Planet Kyushu Dock with Planet Kyushu ---------------------------- Restock your supply of Shield Batteries and Nanobots. I'll hazard a guess that you've certainly used a lot of them during the last battle. If you want to get some weapons from Cali, feel free to do so. Pyros Type 1 is good for a Class 4 gun. It's better than a normal Skyrail, so you might want to replace your Skyrails, if you are using them, with Pyros Type 1. Pyros Type 2 is better than Adv. Skyrail, but it looks like your reputation with the owner of the base isn't good enough for you to be able to buy them. Once you're done doing whatever you need at the base, launch to space to meet with Razor-One. He'll explain some stuff to you and will give you the waypoint to the nearby Kyushu Jump Hole. That's it, you and Juni are alone now, but it'll be a smooth ride to Planet Kyushu, don't worry. Fly to the Jump Hole and use it. In Kyushu, you will be given a set of waypoints to use that'll guide you to Planet Kyushu. After entering a couple of Trade Lanes later, with some conversation from Juni during the journey (Kusari is her home), you'll be at Planet Kyushu. Dock with it when it says dock. You'll meet with Lord Hakkera, Kress' agent. He tells you that he's arranging for the retrieval of the Proteus Tome. All you can do now it wait. Well, Juni isn't. She got her contacts here in Kusari too. What about you? She tells you to get do some jobs while waiting, you could use the credits. ---------------------------- Mission Result: Success You have advanced to Level 13 ---------------------------- ================================================ MISSION 07 ENDED ================================================ A well deserved time out. As with the usual, you need to gain a level first before you can continue on the storyline. But look on the bright side, you're in Kusari now! New place means new ships and new equipments! When you've leveled up, Juni will contact you to tell you to meet her in Shinagawa, New Tokyo. If you've been following my advise about keeping a steady amount of Credits, you should have about enough to buy a new ship. My recommendation still stays on getting a Heavy Fighter. It'll cost 71,210 credits. If you don't have enough credits, do some jobs and then buy one. Here, you'll have a choice between 2 ships. Both are Heavy Fighters, and both have almost exactly the same stats and price. Directly from Planet Kyushu, which you're at now, you can buy a Barracuda, a Bounty Hunter Heavy Fighter. Either that or you can follow the trade lanes, heading left (of NAV Map), and besides a Jump Gate is located a Battleship, Battleship Nagumo. In it you can buy a Dragon, a Kusari Heavy Fighter. Only difference between the 2 HF is their design and Barracuda have 5 more cargo spaces. Well, Kusari sells mostly fast firing low damage weapons, which I don't really like, so I kept my old weaponries, for now. Feel free to change your weapons to Kusari weapons if you feel like it, although I don't really recommend it. But a shield upgrade, that's good! A Sentinel shield sounds good. Well, after you've buy yourself a new ship and gotten yourself a configuration that you like, and have also leveled up, it's time to meet Juni. The waypoints will get you there. /========================\ |3H: MISSION 08 | .========================. Well, it looks like you won't be getting the Proteus Tome through Lord Hakkera after all. Tekagi is about to defect, taking with him the Proteus Tome to Rheinland. Juni's friend, Ozu, who is also a Lieutenant of the Blood Dragons, a sort of good rebels. He'll offers you a deal. Help him capture the Transport and kill Tekagi, who is a traitor to Kusari. He'll get Tekagi, and whatever the Transport holds, while you can have the Proteus Tome. It's a deal! ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: Attack a transport in the nearby Honshu system that is secretly transporting the Proteus Tome to Rheinland. Join Ozu and a Blood Dragon strike force in their attempt to capture the transport. DIFFICULTY: The transport is under heavy guard and will be well defended. This mission will be very difficult and a potent combat vessel is highly recommended. REWARD: The Proteus Tome - the very reason why you came to Kusari. ================================================ ---------------------------- Mission 08: Shinagawa, New Tokyo New Objective: Meet Juni and Ozu in Space near Shinagawa Station Dock with the Trade Lane Fly to the Waypoint Take Jump the Hole to Honshu (In-game spelling error) Fly to Tekagi's Transport Destroy the Weapon Platforms Destroy the Kusari Forces Enter Formation with the Transport Destroy the Enemy Ships Escort the Transport to the Waypoint Take the Jump Hole to Chugoku Escort the Transport to the Waypoint Dock with the Blood Dragon Base ---------------------------- A very short and straightfoward mission where everything is carefully planned and is executed perfectly. If you can ever call something a "surgical strike", this'll be it. It's almost poetic, so you'll describe it when it's over. Launch to space to meet Juni and Ozu. Follow the instruction and dock with the Trade Lane heading to the Honshu Jump Gate. Once you exit, you'll see the Honshu Jump Gate, but you're not using it, as Ozu will tell you. He'll give you a waypoint, so follow it. Along the way, you'll be met by the Blood Dragon strike team, only a few ships. They may be few in numbers, but the Blood Dragons are the best pilots in the colonies, so Ozu says. Follow the waypoint to head to the Honshu Jump Hole and take it. After being updated about the current situation, head to the waypoint, which marks the Transport. Fly as fast as you can with your Cruise engines. Once the Transport is in sight, Ozu will give different task to everybody. Yours is to take out the Weapon Platforms. Head towards one of the Weapon Platforms while still in your Cruise mode. Disengage Cruise while you're close and fire at it with all you have. If you're using the old weapons from Bretonia, which are more powerful albeit slow, you should be able to take it out in a sweep or 2. Once the first one is done with, head to the second one with full afterburn and until you're in firing range. Once you're within range, don't hold anything back. With the second Weapon Platform destroyed, it's time to eliminate the remaining ships. Help your allies to do it if you want. The Blood Dragons have managed to seize the Transport. Enter formation with it! At around this time, there's like 1-2 enemies left, if you enter formation, you'll fly slowly with the Transport while your back is being shot like crazy by the enemy ship. So follow this advise, destroy them. Only after they're destroyed do you enter formation with the Transport. The Transport will move a very long way in normal speed before engaging Cruise mode, thus the reason why you'll be shot at a lot if you don't destroy the few remaining enemy. Halfway through the journey, you'll be attacked by some enemy fighters. Send them to the scrap yard before rejoining formation with the Transport. At the Jump Hole, you'll be told to enter first, so do it. Once in Chugoku, reenter formation with the Transport. That'll get you to Kyoto, the legendary base of the Blood Dragons. Dock with the base when it says dock. Bad news... neither Tekagi nor the Proteus Tome was in the Transport. It is the correct Transport, but it looks like Tekagi got one up over us. Well, Ozu says he'll try to get more information, while Juni goes to see if the Blood Dragons needs an extra pilot. She ask you to get yourself some jobs too. Anyway, the mission is finished. Mission successful, bar neither getting Tekagi nor the Proteus Tome. ---------------------------- Mission Result: Success You have advanced to Level 15 ---------------------------- ================================================ MISSION 08 ENDED ================================================ Ahh, the Blood Dragons. This time, you'll get the feel of flying for the other side. About time, I'll say. I got tired of playing Police and Navy assistant for all 3 Houses. Another level to gain before you can continue on the story. Kyoto sells Adv. Sentinel, the best shield you can get in the SP Campaign, but it's quite expensive. Buy it if you can afford it. You should be able to if you followed my advise about having steady amount of Credits. It's worth it. Also, Kyoto sells Advanced Thrusters, the best thrusters in the whole game, so if you might as well buy it. It's not very expensive. It'll give you a longer afterburn use time for your "expert" (should be by now) run and dodge skills. Blood Dragons only have those fast firing but weak guns, so I am still using my old Bretonia guns. Like I said all these times, your choice of weapons is up to you. Do some missions, and if you want, find the nearby Hokkaido jump hole. Once you enter Hokkaido, you'll see 3 wrecks in the NAV Map, quite near to where you're at, each loaded with 2 guns. If you don't know how to salvage equipments from wrecks, I'll explain. Just shoot at once, with weapon, and they'll drop whatever they hold for you to tractor in. Select them from the NAV Map and use GoTo, it'll be easier to reach them that way. If I'm not mistaken, getting that 3 wrecks is enough for you to gain a level. Well, up to you if you want to salvage the wrecks, the weapons ain't that good. Gaining some credits by doing missions is advised, though. Anyway, when you've gained a Level, Ozu will contact you to meet him at Kyoto Bar. Meet him there when you're ready. /========================\ |3I: MISSION 09 | .========================. Hmm... an almost suicide mission. But this is the last chance for you to ever get your hands on the Proteus Tome. Accept it when you feel you're ready. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: Attack Tekagi's fortified base in the Tohoku System. You have to enter his base and steal the Proteus Tome out of Tekagi's control. DIFFICULTY: Tekagi's fortress is heavily protected and it will be very difficult to get into the complex. REWARD: The Proteus Tome - the very reason why you came to Kusari. ================================================ ---------------------------- Mission 09: Kyoto Chugoku New Objective: Meet Ozu in Space outside Kyoto Base Fly to the Tohoku Jump Hole Take the Jump Hole to the Tohoku System Meet up with the fighter wing in the Tohoku System Fly to the Blood Dragon Hideout Rendezvous with the Attack Force at the Blood Dragon Outpost ---------------------------- Launch, meet Ozu, follow waypoint, take Jump Hole, follow waypoint to get to Blood Dragon Hideout and meet the Attack Force. That's about it. On your way, you'll be contacted by Juni. She doesn't seem too please that you and Ozu have acted without her, taking on a suicide mission nontheless! You'll get to know how tough the coming battle will be when you see the size of the Blood Dragon Attack Force. These are the guys that managed the to seize Tekagi's Transport with just a few ships. ---------------------------- Mission 09: Attacking Tekagi's Fortress New Objective: Fly to Tekagi's Arch Attack Tekagi's Arch Destroy the Tekagi Patrol Fly to Tekagi's Arch Attack Tekagi's Arch Destroy the Generators Dock with the Tekagi's Base ---------------------------- You'll be given the waypoint to the Arch. Head there. You'll be met by Tekagi's patrol during the journey. Destroy them (or just run and dodge while your many allies destroy them) and continue on. The Arch is amazing... and it's guards are amazing too. A helluva lots of ships and... a Battleship!!! The arch's entrance is protected by a shield, so you must destroy the generator surrounding the shield. Oh, and the shield and generators... they're right next to the Battleship. Here's a map of it, in a view from the top. The lines that surrounds the Generator is the Shield. _ (#) = Generator | | = Battleship |> = Your ship [D] = Docking | | entrance |_| _(2)_ _ / \ | | (1) [D] (4) | | \_ _/ |_| (3) Continue Cruising on to the generator located on the opposite side from the Battleship protected generator, marked as #1 in the map I've drawn. Stop and position your ship head to head with it, like this. _(2)_ _ / \ | | |> (1) [D] (4) | | \_ _/ |_| (3) Good to know that the shield that blocks the entrance to the Arch is blocking you from the Battleship too. Strafe left and right to avoid fire from enemy fighters in case they're firing at you while taking out Generator #1. From that location, you can take out #2 and #3 as well. It's #4 that will prove to be a problem, being fully guarded by the Battleship, and no matter where you head to it from, you'll be totaly open to the Battleship fire. For #4, you need to do firing runs, flying at it in full speed, using short afterburn burst to dodge as much fire as possible, while firing at the Generator when you get in range. Once you've passed it, turn back (not straight, perform random flying to dodge fire) and do another run. By the second or third run (be sure to use Shield Batteries and Nanobots when needed), it'll be down, and you need to dock with the Arch. Well, don't click on it and press dock as the auto-flying of the ship is suicide and you will take all the hits from the Battleship and other enemies, killing you before you can dock. Use full speed with full afterburn usage to head as close as possible to the dock entrance (while trying your best do dodge enemy fires). Make you sure have the waypoint (the Arch) in your selection, and when you're right above the docking place, press F3 (dock), and your ship will directly (with maybe a few seconds to get to correct position) enter the dock. A scene will be showing now. Ozu will follow you into the dock and together, you two will head deeper into the place. Ozu will show his "great plan" by shooting at everything that's in the way. Some plan, just shoot everything, even you could've thought of that. Once you got to the room with the Proteus Tome, Ozu will set a bomb under the table, that can be detonated by a detonator he's holding. You, on the other hand will just take the Proteus Tome. Everything seems to be going fine, until you'll find out that it's a trap! Neural Gas... and the door out is locked! Before you can blast it open, you're overtaken by the effect of the gas and go unconscious. You'll wake up in the same room, sitting on a chair beside the table with a guard standing besides you. Ozu is still unconscious on the chair opposite the table, guarded by yet another guard. Tekagi will lecture you a bit, before slapping Ozu to wake him up. Tekagi then calls his 2 guards to leave and after some conversation, a blade came out of his sleeve and he threw it at Ozu, with the blade stabbing through Ozu and the chair (!!!) too. His eyes will then start glowing (What the heck?!!) and he comes after you, wanting to know about The Order and what you know when... in comes a ship! It's piloted by Lord Hakkera, he gave you a signal to duck as he starts shooting the whole room! It only damaged the room, and nothing else. Hakkera will opens the cargo hold of his ship and shouts for you to get in. Ozu, who is still alive, will look up at you weakly and then shift his look to his detonator, giving you a signal (what's with all these guys and their silent signals?). As you grab the Proteus Tome and run towards Hakkera's ship, the fat guy (Tekagi) got up and you can see another blade emerging from the sleeve of his other hand. As he's about to throw it at you, Ozu detonated the bomb! In a big explosion, with you having just enough time to jump into Hakkera's cargo hold, what's left of the room is a ball of flame. Ozu may have died, but he took Tekagi with him. Ozu... sensei... sayonara. Hakkera will get you to the docking area and tell you to get to your ship quickly. You'll do so and automatically launch out of this place. You'll get a new mission automatically. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: You have to return the Proteus Tome to Juni. Fly back to Kyoto Base with Lord Hakkera as quickly as possible. DIFFICULTY: With Tekagi dead and a large portion of his forces defeated your escape should be less difficult than gettign in. Resistance is expected to be sporadic and light. REWARD: The Proteus Tome - the very reason why you came to Kusari. ================================================ ---------------------------- Mission 09: New Objective: Return the Proteus Tome Fly to the Chugoku Jump Hole Fly to Juni Help Juni fight off the Rheinland attackers Destroy the Rheinland Forces Fly to the Chugoku Jump Hole Take the Jump Hole to the Chugoku System Fly to Kyoto Base Dock with Kyoto Base ---------------------------- Whoa! There is totally nothing outside Tekagi's Arch. Somehow, they were all taken care of. Fly to the given waypoint, heading to the Chugoku Jump Hole. While in the middle of the way, Juni will radio for help, saying her wing is under attack by Rheinland forces, so change course to head to Juni and help her! Together with all your allies, destroy the Rheinland Forces harassing Juni and then continue on together towards the Chugoku Jump Hole. Take it to Chugoku and continue on to Kyoto. When you reached Kyoto, Kyoto will ask for an update and Hakkera will tell them that Ozu is dead, but so is Tekagi. Dock with the base. During your journey from Tekagi's Arch to Kyoto Base, Hakkera will explain a lot of things. He'll tell you that Ozu was killed by a Nomad, and that nobody has ever seen a Nomad and live (except you!). He'll also tell you about the Nomads, which are aliens lifeforms that can possess people. That is why the Order was formed, to protect mankind from the Nomads. A Rheinland expedition to an uncharted planet not so long ago started all these weird going ons. Key positions in the Rheinland Government and high ranking officials are slowly being taken over by the Nomads and Rheinland is getting more and more aggressive. He'll also explain about an event that happened very early in the game. It was believed that Admiral Schultzky (of The Donau), the representative of Rheinland visiting Liberty, was one of them (Possessed by Nomad). The Order destroyed The Donau to prevent the Nomads from taking over the Liberty government, like they did in Rheinland. Oh, and how long have Lord Hakkera knew about The Nomads? Long before he met Juni. Once you've docked, you'll be really pissed off at Lord Hakkera for not telling you about the Nomads, resulting in the death of Ozu. Ozu knew the risk, Hakkera answered. Well, you didn't! ---------------------------- Mission Result: Success You have advanced to Level 17 ---------------------------- ================================================ MISSION 09 ENDED ================================================ Meet Juni in the Bar. She's with Hakkera. Hakkera was just telling her about The Nomads. After that is done, Hakkera will ask you for your help. Thi is your next mission! No break this time, the story goes on. You can decline, though, to do other stuff and make credits. Once you're ready, accept it. /========================\ |3J: MISSION 10 | .========================. Remember when you were in Kyushu and Hakkera said he lost contact with one of his informants? Well, the informant has vital information about The Nomads but he is now in trouble and needs to be extracted... from Rheinland. ================================================ MISSION ================================================ OBJECTIVE: Lord Hakkera's key informant in Rheinland, Herr Von Claussen, has vital information about the Nomads. It is imperative to extract the informant alive. Fly to New Berlin, find Von Claussen and bring him back to Kusari space. DIFFICULTY: Rheinland has declared war on Kusari and the Nomads now have a complete control over the Rheinland Military. It will be difficult for anyone to get into the heart of Rheinland territory, but it likely will be harder to get out with a wanted spy on board. REWARD: The survival of mankind in the colonies. ================================================ ---------------------------- Mission 10: Kyoto Chugoku New Objective: Meet Lord Hakkera in space outside Kyoto Base Fly to the Sigma 13 Jump Hole Plans have changed and now Lord Hakkera and his Honor Guard will escort you to the New Berlin Jump Hole Take the Jump Hole to the Sigma 13 System Fly to the Waypoint Be careful, the Rheinland Northern Fleet is using Sigma 13 as a rallying point. Destroy the Rheinland Heavy Fighters The Battleship Fenrir and Battleship Jormungand are the cornerstones of the Rheinland Military Fleet. Destroying even one will help slow the Rheinland War Machine Break off your attack and fly to the New Berlin Jump Hole The Blood Dragons can take care of themselves, head to the New Berlin Jump Hole Take the Jump Hole to the New Berlin System Dock with the Trade Lane This Trade Lane ends at Planet New Berlin Dock with Planet New Berlin Launch to space Fly to the Frankfurt Jump Gate Dock with the Trade Lane This Trade Lane ends at the Frankfurt Jump Gate Take the Jump Gate to the Frankfurt System Dock with the Trade Lane This Trade Lane ands at Mannheim Station Dock with the Trade Lane This Trade Lane ends at Mainz Storage Facility Dock with Planet Holstein ---------------------------- Before you launch, resupply on your Shield Batteries and Nanobots. When you're set, launch and meet Hakkera in space. The plans have changed. Rheinland has just declared war on Kusari. Hakkera and his Honor Guard will escort you till the New Berlin Jump Hole. Scan their ships, look and drool! Among other things it has, your listen carefully... 10,800 armor! Just slight info about it. The Series Z Border Worlds "Sabre" Very Heavy Fighter is one of the 3 "Ultimate" ship in the game. It has 10,800 armor, carries up to 63 Shield Batteries and Nanobots, have 2 Class 9 and 4 Class 10 Gun/Missile hard points, a Class 10 Turret hard point, an Elite-Class 10 Shield hard point and 70 cargo spaces. You won't have chance to get it until after you've finished the SP Campaign (boo). The whole group (except you -_- ) are piloting Sabres. Although they're not loaded MAX Class equipments and only carrying average Class Blood Dragon Equipments, each of them will still outclass your ship in like at least about a 4 or 5 times over. Enough of ranting and feeling puny, it's time to go on with the mission. Follow the waypoint to the Sigma 13 Jump Hole. Once you've reached it,t ake it to go to Sigma 13. Once there, you'll be given a waypoint, use it. When you're about to reach the waypoint, you'll see, as the dust cloud opens up, the whole Rheinland Northern Fleet! 2 Battleships and around 4 Cruisers, among other things. They're heading to Kusari. Hakkera and the Blood Dragons decide to try to slow the Rheinland fleet. They'll protect their home land, even though they're the rebels. In they go! Don't follow them... just run and dodge from enemy fire, fighting any of the enemy Fighters when possible. Other than that, let the others do their work. You should already know from my ranting and drooling how powerful those ships are, and combined with the "God Mode" of certain allies, you should be seeing enemy Fighters dropping like flies while the Cruisers going down faster than you can say "I want one of those Sabre". Use Shield Batteries and Nanobots if you need it (I doubt it). After some time have passed (and also enough carnage), Hakkera will tell you to break off your attack and fly to the New Berlin Jump Hole while they'll take care of remaining Rheinland fleet. A new waypoint shall appear leading you to the Jump Hole. By now, most likely is that only the 2 Battleship remains (not for long), with wreckage of the 4 Cruisers floating around. Man those Blood Dragons can fight. Anyway, follow the waypoint to get to the Jump Hole and take it to the New Berlin system. Follow the waypoints and soon you'll be at Planet New Berlin. Notice the high amount of Gunboats and also Battleships besides Planet New Berlin. Anyway, dock with New Berlin. You'll automatically head to the Bar... and meet 2 spooky person. But still, they'll give you a message from Von Claussen on where to find him as he's not here on this planet. You can go to the Equipment Dealer to buy some weapons. Here, as I like Plasma Weapons, I b