Hard Campaign Guide
Mission 30: Rain Of Fire
Move over the image to show the volcano hit pattern.
Difficulty:
Player CO: Jess
Enemy CO: Hawke
Perfect speed limit: 21 days
The map is the same here as in the Normal Campaign version. Even the volcano
pattern is exactly the same as before. And as with that version, the key to
winning this mission is memorizing that volcano pattern. The volcano has two
different hit patterns that it follows: one on odd numbered days and one on
even numbered days. Every lava blast will deal 5 HP damage to friend and foe
alike. Use this to your advantage. Try to lure Hawke’s forces in range of a
volcano blast on the correct day and have them get hit by it while avoiding
getting hit as much as you can.
The rest of the mission is pretty straightforward. You’ll have to split up
your forces early on, so you can grab the bases in the northwest and southeast
corners. Hawke will also send his units toward them, so both clusters of
neutral cities and bases will be the main battlefield. Getting the westernmost
neutral base is easy enough, but after that Hawke will have reached your
forces in the north. Try to at least keep him from grabbing the northernmost
neutral base and hold his forces at bay at the northern bridge. If Hawke can’t
get to capture most of the properties, the advantage will be yours and you can
push through. Once you drive away Hawke from these properties, the northern
front will be yours.
On the southern front, you will get company from Hawke before you’ll even be
able to reach the bases in the southeast. Keep Hawke from capturing properties
here as well, but first deal with his early forces near the cities in the
south. Of the cluster of three cities there, the easternmost one will get hit
by the volcano on odd numbered days. Use this knowledge to your advantage and
lure in Hawke’s tanks to attack an Infantry capturing the adjacent city from
that direction, so it’ll get hit by the volcano. Having the volcano do most of
the damage will cut your losses to a minimum and makes you able to advance
somewhat quicker. Once you also possess the soutern bases, dealing with Hawke
should be no problem at all.