Part 34: Chapter #19: Capital Clash, Part 1
It's time.Chapter #19: Capitol Clash
Briefing


Interview




Sadly, due to a momentary tactical lapse of my part, Barlow doesn't do a good job.



Well, that's kind of creepy.



Mission

Hmmm. Three Sharkings. Not ideal, I suppose, but manageable.




Huh.

Ah, seven Sharkings. Now that is a problem. Okay, here's the deal, you are surrounded by enemies, each of whom is stronger than the vast majority of your ATACs. It's possible to get through this mission without any casualties, but it's tricky, and I don't quite manage it in this playthrough, though part of that is due to poor luck on my part. For starters, the Sharkings will get their first turn before most of your troops and will launch Cutting Wheels at anyone in their range, so there's a good chance that several of your team members will be down to half-health before you can even move.

Okay, the first thing you need to do is understand that you can't stop all of the Sharkings from attacking. At best, you'll be able to direct them to attack the stronger members of your team. Collect your troops into two groups on either side of the fountain. It would be nice to get everyone together in one group, but the Sharkings are too fast to make that a realistic possibility.

After that, have your ATACs with Turbulence try and immobilize as many Sharkings as possible by driving up their FP. Then, attack any other Sharkings, but only with attacks they cannot counter, so collision and knockdown type attacks only. The Sharkings are tough, but, with a bit of time and planning, they'll start to go down...

...Except this mission has one last trick up its sleeve. The four Sharkings that attacked you from side and rear? When you kill one of them, another Sharking will arrive to take its place. This isn't a fight against seven Sharkings, it's a fight against eleven.

As you can see, Barlow's dead, and Devlin is soon to follow. Why? Well, Barlow just got a bit unlucky by being hit with a Cutting Wheel at the outset, and then catching another a few turns later, not much you can really do about that, seeing as the range for Turbulence and Cutting Wheel is the same. Now, Devlin? That was just a mistake on my part. Look at what I did. I put him right up against a Sharking. Some of your units will be able to survive that for a while, like Alden or Dionne, but Devlin sure as fuck can't, and it gets him killed.

After a while, Zakov will start moving towards the team. He's no more or less threatening that any other Sharking on the field.

Also, be prepared to move your ATACs around if one group is looking weak. Here, I moved Bastion and Andrew in once Barlow and Devlin bought it so that Alden and Milea wouldn't be next.

After a while, the reinforcements stop and it starts to get a bit easier as the total number of Sharkings on the map goes down. Well, it's time for Zakov's last gleaming...







Final Score: Bastion 11, Sharkings 2. Winning this mission is all about control. Control your troops' positions, control the Sharkings with Turbulence, and control the terror that comes with knowing that it still might not be enough.




Next Time: Where the fuck has Sadira been?