=============================================================================== Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising FAQ/Walkthrough By: Kenny Taylor (A.K.A Cooldude345) =============================================================================== ______ _____ .___ ______ / \ / _ \ __| _/__ _______ ____ ____ ____ / \ / /¯¯\ \ / /_\ \ / __ |\ \/ /\__ \ / \_/ ___\/ __ \ / /¯¯\ \ | | \ \/ | \/ /_/ | \ / / __ \| | \ \__\ ___/ / / | | | | | \____|__ /\____ | \_/ (____ /___| /\___ >___ >_/ | | | ¯¯ | \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ | ¯¯ __ | __ __ ________ | __ | | | ___/ \ / \_____ _______ ______ \_____ \ /\ | | | | | / / \ \/\/ /\__ \\_ __ \/ ___/ / ____/ \/¯¯¯\ \ | | \ \__/ / \ / / __ \| | \/\___ \ / \ /\ \ \__/ / \ / \__/\ / (____ /__| /____ > \_______ \ \/ \ / ¯¯¯¯¯¯ \/ \/ \/ \/ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ____ _ _ _ _ _ ____ _ _ | __ )| | __ _ ___| | __ | | | | ___ | | ___ | _ \(_)___(_)_ __ __ _ | _ \| |/ _` |/ __| |/ / | |_| |/ _ \| |/ _ \ | |_) | / __| | '_ \ / _` | | |_) | | (_| | (__| < | _ | (_) | | __/ | _ <| \__ \ | | | | (_| | |____/|_|\__,_|\___|_|\_\ |_| |_|\___/|_|\___| |_| \_\_|___/_|_| |_|\__, | |___/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This document is copyright 2003 Kenny Taylor. This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. If permission is given to use this FAQ, credit to the Author must be given. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. The most recent version of this document can only legally be found at GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com). This guide cannot be used for personal profit. You can contact me at kmjt2000@ameritech.net for questions, comments, or things you may want to see. Please no flaming, bashing etc for I will delete your e-mails immediately. All trademarks and copyrights within this document belong to their respective holders. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +-------------------------------------------------+ | Game: Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising | | Platform: GameBoy Advance [SP] | | Subject: Gameplay | | Guide Type: FAQ/Walkthrough | | Author: Kenny Taylor | | E-Mail: Kmjt2000@ameritech.net | | Created: 6/04/03 | | Last Updated: 6/28/03 | | Version: 0.4 | +-------------------------------------------------+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Version History ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _____________________ _/ 6/04/03 Version 0.1 \_______________________________________________________ I created the guide today. I have laid out the format by using information given in Volume 169 of Nintendo Power. I have no idea what to expect from this hopefully great game, but with only a few weeks until release, we won't have to wait long. The announced release date is June 24, 2003. _____________________ _/ 6/26/03 Version 0.2 \_______________________________________________________ I got the game today. I've played through the first couple missions and have found that there are TONS of changes. I made the Table of Contents, Introduction, CO's, Units and Terrain, Damage Chart, Modes of Play, Mission Flow Chart, Walkthrough, and Thanks sections to the guide. _____________________ _/ 6/27/03 Version 0.3 \_______________________________________________________ Today I added the strategy basics and strategies advanced. I also added a search feature for the guide and more information to each of the sections. Hopefully all I have to add now is secrets, war room, and FAQ sections - along with finish the walkthrough. Duh. _____________________ _/ 6/28/03 Version 0.4 \_______________________________________________________ I finished the CO's section today, hopefully finishing every current section up, other than walkthrough. Yes, I still have a lot to add, but the game came out three days ago - keep your pants on! ******************************************************************************* To quickly go to a certain part of this Walkthrough, highlight the code, with or without the brackets next to your selected section. Then press Ctrl + C, Ctrl + F, then press Ctrl + V when in the search box. Press enter and you will be directly taken to your search choice! ******************************************************************************* =================== Table of Contents =================== I. Introduction [Ad1] II. Modes of Play [Ad2] III. Commanding Officer's [Ad3] IV. Units and Terrain [Ad4] V. Damage Chart [Ad5] VI. Strategy Basics [Ad5] VII. Strategies Advanced [Ad7] VIII. Mission Flowchart [Ad8] IX. Walkthrough [Ad9] A. Cleanup [M01] X. Thanks [Ad0] ======================= I. Introduction [Ad1] ======================= Once again, War Worlds is under attack from Black Hole forces. Sturm has come back stronger and smarter then he was before, and now he means business. But don't worry! Nell, Andy, Sami, and Max along with other CO's from Blue Moon, Yellow Comet, and Green Earth are on your side. Let the new war begin. --------- Controls --------- L Button: Move cursor to units awaiting your orders. R Button: Display intel on units and terrain features. A Button: Confirm selections, Display map menu, Display movement range, Scroll through text. B Button: Cancel selections, Display attack range, Highlight all units. Control Pad: Move cursor, Make menu selections, Move units. Start Button: Begin game, Display overview map, Skip cinema scenes and dialogue. Select Button: Display intel on units and terrain features. - The game offers three different play modes: Campaign, War Room, and Versus. Each mode contains a series of battles and options for single players. Versus mode allows for up to four players to battle. - The Commanding officers are pre-assigned in some battles. In others, you have the option of choosing your CO. Each CO has two special CO powers which can be used after they take so much damage. Your choice will affect the units, movement, and strategy that needs to be used during each battle. - You can use each unit once per turn. Direct-firing units can fire after moving. Indirect-firing units must be stationary in order to use their weapon. - Use the Control Pad to move your cursor over the terrain, then press the R Button to access vital information of that piece of land. Know where and when to fight, always. - Its important to know where your opponents can fire or move so you can efficiently maneuver your troops to the enemy base. By blindly running into combat, you risk being attack and fired upon by units you didn't even know were there. - In addition to influencing how units move, capture, and attack, all CO's have two special powers that they can use when their CO Power Meters are full. You can fill up your meter by defeating enemy units and taking damage your self. When CO Power Bars are half-full, they can use normal power. When they are completely full, CO's can use incredibly strong powers that can change the tide of battle for either side. - After each campaign victory, you'll earn a rank depending on how you scored in three categories: Speed, Power, and Technique. Speed depends on how many days it took you to complete the mission, the fewer the better. Power is affected by how many enemy units you destroyed, while Technique is scored by hom many allied units you lost. S Rank is the highest honor, followed by A, B, and C ranking. Depending on how many points you got, you can use your total amount of credits to buy maps and CO's in the Battle Maps mode. ======================== II.Modes of Play [Ad2] ======================== Campaign Mode - The Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising campaign is a single player, multi- mission war against Lord Sturm and his new CO recruits. After you complete campaign mode, you can enter hard campaign mode for new missions and more challenging versions of previous missions. Versus Mode - In Versus mode, up to four players can try a variety of battles. Some wars start with battle units and production facilities in place. Some begin with only production facilities, leaving players to build their armies from scratch. Other wars start out with only battle units and no production facilities. In Versus mode there are six types of maps available for you to play on: - Pre-deployed are maps where the units have already been placed down for you. The victor is the last leader standing - 3P Maps are when facilities for three armies are spread across the entire map. Up to 3 players can participate in these battles. - 4P Maps are when four factions populate one map. The battlers can team up or go solo in an all out free for all. - War Room maps are just what they appear to be. Multiple people can play versus one another or team up like in certain War room senarios. - Classic maps are maps from the original Advance Wars games. Comepete in these to relive the battles on maps you'll probably recognize. - VS. Maps are maps for two opposing forces that want to face off. This mode allows players to produce their own units. Design Room Design Room - The Design Room allows you to create your own maps and customize the looks of the CO's. In developing maps, you can shape continents, add terrain features, place facilities, and even put battle units into play. - After you've played several preset senarios, you'll have ideas of what you'd like to see in your own map. Enter the Design Room and create your world, complete with up to four HQs, production facilities, and pre-deployed troops. Consider your designs carefully and try to give each army an advantage. - As you design your battle area, put yourself in position of each army leader. The armies must be able to reach opposing HQ buildings to capture them. Create passages for battle units to ensure that each HQ is vulnerable. - Factories can churn out one unit per turn, provided that your army has the cash. Leave some open space for accumulating units near factories. - It may be fun to create obstacles with mountains and water, but if you want to encourage vehicular combat, you must lay down plains, roads, and wooded areas for them to move over. - If you'd like the computer to create a continent and islands for you, select the Fill option at the Design Maps menu, then choose random in the list of terrain types. Nell will then ask you if you want to computer to design a map. Answer yes to create a completly random map. (Not completely random, the computer will create a map like missions in campaign. There won't be a factory in the middle of an ocean...) - Each CO comes with eight hair- and clothing-color variations. Select the CO entry in the Design Room, then choose any unlocked CO and cycle between the color schemes. When you've arrived at the desired look for your CO, press the A Button to save your work. Link Mode - Advance Wars players unite! By linking GameBoy Advance systems using a game link cable, up to four players can participate in battles and trade maps. Multiple players can battle each other using one GBA system as well. - Multiple players can participate in versus-mode battles by passing a single Advance Wars 2 equipped GBA between turns or with a GBA-to-GBA link cable. Linking also allows players to trade customized maps between game paks. - Up to four linked players can participate in battles, even if they only have one Advance Wars 2 game pak between them. You can upload your choice of five maps with preset conditions and limited battle unit choices to GBA systems that aren't equipped with a game pak. - The ultimate multi-player experience is one in which all players have GBA sytems, link cables, and game paks. As long as one player has a map unlocked, all linked players can enter the map. CPU controlled enemies are out, its a war of human adversaries. - Recreate historical clashes, develop devious senarios, make challenging conflicts and share them with friends. By linking game pak equipped GBA systems, you can transfer the maps you have designed to another copy of Advance Wars 2. Battle Maps - Not all of the CO's choices and mpas for Versus Mode are available before you play Campaign mode. Among your rewards for doing well in missions are credits you can spend on maps and CO's in the Battle Map shop. After you complete normal Campaign, you can buy Hard Mode here. - Several Versus mode maps are locked at the beginning of the game. The only way to unlock them is to buy them at Hachi's Battle Maps shop. The colorful shop steward will give you some war strategies and other useful information when you walk in. Then selct the map, commanding officer, or color edit option for a selected CO and buy it using credits you got for doing campaign or war room missions. War Room Mode - War Room is an extension of Campaign mode. The enemy CO's are preset and senarios often favor one side. You can choose your own CO from the list of officers you have unlocked in the Battle Maps mode. There are ten new War Room situations for Advance Wars 2. ================================ III. Commanding Officers [Ad3] ================================ Also known as CO's, they are basically generals of the battle, each with their strengths and weaknesses. Who you use may ditermine the winner of the battle. Use CO's like Max when you need to crush the opponents land forces, or Grit when you want to just sit back and snipe the enemy. Commanding Officers come for four different continents all over War World. These Continents include Orange Star, Blue Moon, Yellow Comet, and Green Earth. ------------ Orange Star ------------ An experienced crew of CO's commands Orage Star forces. The campaign begins in Orange Star territory, and Orange Staf CO's play major roles throughout the story. Andy's, Sami's, and Max's abilities affect their units directly, making them tougher and more durable for any battle situation. Andy: Well-rounded CO Andy doesn't play favorites. He treats troops, vehicles, air units, and naval units equally. He's the ultimate CO for player who have never played Advance Wars before. He may not be the brightest person you've ever met though... CO Powers: Hyper Repair / Hyper Upgrade - Andy's Hyper Repair power restores two hit points for every unit. Use it at the beginning of your first turn following a big battle. For a heftier boost, call upon Andy's Hyper Upgrade. It restores five hit points to eahc units, along with allowing his units to move farther and increase their attack. Use either of these to counter Hawke's CO powers. Sami: The champion of troops, Sami encourages her infantry and mech units to move farther, capture cities faster, and cause more damage. She's not as proficient with vehicles though. CO Powers: Double Time / Victory March - Sami's calls upon her double time CO Power to increase the movement ranges of her infantry and mech units by one space. Her Victory March increases troop movement range by 2 spaces and allows them to capture properties in one day, even if they're damaged. Max is the master of treads and tires. When he's in charge, tanks and recon units cause more damage in direct combat. However, the firing range and firepower of his indirect-firing units suffer. CO Powers: Max Force / Max Blast - Playing his strengths, the Max Force CO Power increase smax's direct-firing units power and movement range. Max Blast doubles Max Force's movement range increase along with a bigger power boost for direct-firing vehicles. ---------- Blue Moon ---------- The Blue Moon forces are vairied in their specialties. Olaf hardens his units for any weather situation. Grit is make his long distance units impossible to hit by increasing their firing range. Colin uses his economic interest to make his units more cheaply, unfortunately, he gets what he pays for. Olaf: The king of cold, Olaf encourages his units to stay strong and keep moving in the snow. If you're going to set snowy conditions (why would you do that?), there's no better CO choice. CO Powers: Blizzard / Winter Fury - The snow falls on Wars World when Olaf executes his Blizzard CO Power. The snow causes enemy's units to slow their movements, giving Olaf the upper hand (that would be the point, wouldn't it?). Winter Fury causes the same effects to happen, only it damages enemy troops. Grit: True to his background as a marksman, Grit increases the range and power of his long-range units, but he's weak when it comes to tanks and recon units. He's the opposite of Max in every way. CO Powers: Snipe Attack / Super Snipe - Both the normal and super CO Powers that Grit possesses increase the range of his indirect units. Snipe Attack increases the range by 1 space, Super Snipe increase it by 2. Colin: CO Colin is a recent recruit to the Blue Moon corps. The wealthy, young commandercan produce units cheaper than any other CO. His troops, however, are weaker than most. CO Powers: Gold Rush / Power of Money - Colin's Gold Rush CO Power adds 50% more money to his revenue for a turn, giving him the green light to produce tons of troops. When Colin calls upon the Power of Money, his unit's strength increase according to how much money Colin has. ------------- Yellow Comet ------------- Carful planning makes the Yellow Comet forces near unstoppable in any situation. Yellow Comet CO's always go into battle prepared for the worst. Kanbei marches into battle with confidence, Sonja leads her forces with intelligence, and Sensei commands with experience. Kanbei: The emperor of Yellow Comet is Colin's opposite side. All of his units have increased power and superior defense - they're capable of shredding enemies to pieces in one turn. The drawback is that they cost 20% more to deploy. CO Powers: Morale Boost / Samurai Spirit - Kanbei's Morale Boost CO Power further increases the strength of his units, making them do further damage. Samurai Spirit increases both the offensive and defensive capabilities, along with a 150% increase in damage in their counterattack. Sonja: Kanbei's Daughter, Sonja, is a careful tactician. All of her units can see farther during fog of war missions, and their counter attacks are stronger. Also, Sonja is able to hide hit hit-point data from enemies. CO Powers: Enhanced Vision / Counter Break - Useful only when fog of war is on, Sonja's Enhanced Vision CO Power allows her units to peer into forests and reefs along with seeing farther. Counter Break is a more powerful version of Enhanced Vision. Sensei: New to Advance Wars 2, Sensei is an old and wise CO - a legendary paratrooper. Sensei has powerful infantry and copter units along with a high movement range for transports. He weakness is naval combat. CO Powers: Copter Command / Airborne Assault - Battle Copter benefit from increased firepower while under the command of Sensei's Copter Command. This CO Power also drops infantry with 9 HP (Sorry, its not that good!) onto each allied base. Airborne Assault drops mech units with 9 HP onto all allied buildings. Those units can move that turn and there is an increase in firepower bonus for copters and infantry units. ------------ Green Earth ------------ Green Earth CO's dominate the air, sea, and land with their specialties. Eagle is a master with air forces, Drake is unparalled in naval combat, and Jess is an expert with tanks. Eagle and Jess dont always get along that well, but Drake manages to keep the Grren Earth forces united as one to fight their common enemy. Eagle: Although Eagel has little patience for naval combat, his ability to rule over the skies is unmatched. Eagle's air units require less fuel than those of other CO's, and they are superior in offensive and defensive strength. CO Powers: Lightning Drive / Lightning Strike - Eagle's Lightning Drive increases the offensive and defensive power of his air units. Lightning strike further increases the power of his air units and allows the the units, eccept mech and infantry, to move twice in one turn if you had previously moved them. Drake: Jolly pirate Drake is a master of naval units. All of his floating forces move farther than those of other CO's. They have higher defenses, too, and they don't slow down in the rain. CO Powers: Tsunami / Typhoon - Both of Drake's CO Powers damage all opposing units and decrease their remaining fuel by half. Tsunami hits every enemy unit for one point and Typhoon for two. Jess: She may not have the tough exterior of CO's like Max and Flak, but she matches their influence over direct-firing vehicles. However, the tank-driving CO does not do well with troops, air units, or naval units. CO Powers: Turbo Charge / Overdrive - Jess's Turbo Charge is a tune-up for vehicles. Their movement range increases by one space when she summons the power. Units firepower is increased and their fuel is replenished. Overdrive is a more powerful version of Turbo Charge. ---------------- Additional CO's ---------------- These CO's can only be unloacked when certain conditions have been met in campaign mode. In order to unlock Nell, beat normal campaign with an A Rank or higher. To unlock Hachi, simply beat hard mode. Nell: As previously stated, you can unlock her by completing normal campaign with an A Rank. Her units strike with more force than other CO's at times. She usually does more damage than she should, sometimes doing double damage. No other strengths or weaknesses. Another good CO for beginning players, although by the time you get her - you won't fit in that category. CO Powers: Lucky Star / Lady Luck - Nell's Lucky Star CO Power increases the chances of her units doing enhanced damage, sometimes even doing damage to all surrounding units in a single attack. Lady Luck is a more powerful version of Lucky Star. Hachi: Following your victory in hard campaign mode, Hachi will become a selectable CO. Like Colin, Hachi is able to produce units at a reduced rate. CO Powers: Barter / Merchant Union - Hachi's Barter CO Power allows him to create units at an even cheaper price than they already are. Merchant Union drops the price of every unit, along with allowing you to deploy units from any allied property. ----------- Black Hole ----------- Brains and Brawn drive the the Black Whole Army's CO's. Lord Sturms underlings are new to the Advance Wars universe. Flak bring blind strength to the mix, Lash adds wit, Adder slinks in with cunning, Hawke rules with pure power, and Sturm, of course, is in a class by himself. Flak: Strongman Flak usually increases the firepower of his units undere his command. THe keyword being usually. Sometimes his units fire complete duds, doing absolutely no damage. He's the classic heavy hitter - he's strong when he connects, but he sometimes strikes out. CO Powers: Brute Force / Barbaric Blow - Flak's Brute Force power feeds off his strength. It increases his units firepower and sometimes triggers super strong blows. There's a chance it can fizzle out though. Barbaric Blow is a more powerful version of Brute Force, but it has the same drawbacks. Lash: Young inventor Lash is like Sonja's evil twin. She is wily and encourages her units to use the terrain to their advantage. While hiding in strong defensive positions, Lash's units have increased firepower. CO Powers: Terrain Tactics / Prime Tactics - Both of Lash's CO Powers make her ground units impervious to slowdown against all terrain features. The power also increases the strength of here units that use the terrain to their advantage. Prime Tactics is twice as effective as Terrain Tactics. Adder: An ambitious snake of a CO, Adder outranks Flak and Lash and he lets them know on a regular basis. By exerting his influence, Adder is able to build his CO Power quicker than others. CO Powers: Sideslip / Sidewinder - The far-reaching Adder uses his CO Power to make his units cross terrain quickly. Sideslip increases the movement range of his units by one space and Sidewinder by two. Hawke: Although his name suggests he is an air specialist, Sturm's top-ranking subordinate strengthens the firepower of all the units under his wing. Hawke's weakness is that his CO Power builds slowy. CO Powers: Black Wave / Black Storm - Similar to Drake's Tsunami and Typhoon, Hawke's CO Powers causes damage to opposing forces while repairing allied forces. Black Wave causes and restores one hit point, Black Storm causes and restores two hit points. Sturm: Will Lord Sturm ever learn his lesson? He was beat soundly in the first Advance Wars and his former COs have turned on him, but he continues to forge into Wars World. All of Sturms units hae increased firepower and they move swiftly over all terrain types. The only drwback is that he is slow on snow. CO Power: Meteor Strike - Sturm only has one CO Power, but it's a doozy. Similar to a missile silo, Sturm calls upon a meteor to fall upon the battlefield causing damage to all the units it hits. Unfortunately, it does 8 damage instead of 3. Along with causing major damage, it also increases the offense and defense of his units. ============================= IV. Units and Terrain [Ad4] ============================= By knowing your units strengths, weaknesses, and specialties you stand a better chance of winning the war. Every piece of the puzzle has a purpose. Examine the stats for every unit and weigh the costs against the benefits as you build your force. Move: The move stats reflects the number of spaces a unit can move in one turn with no terrain resistance. Fuel: The fuel stat is mainly a factor on only large maps. If your units are low on fuel, have them retreat to the nearest allied base or APC. Range: The range stat matters for only indirect combat units. All other units must be beside their targets to attack. Vision: The vision stat is only important for missions involving fog of war. Units with high vision rating can spot units from far diatances to prepare your attack. --------- Anti-Air --------- Description: The units name also suggests its use, build one of these to stop air units in their tracks. Anti-air units also work well against and infantry units. When you intend to capture an enemy airport, send one of these as back-up. Built At: Factory Cost: 8,000 Move: 6 Range: 1 Fuel: 60 Vision: 2 ---- APC ---- Description: APCs play a big role in the transportation of your land units. Use these to move your mech and infantry units to remote bases for effective capturing methods or to refuel your vehicle units. Built At: Factory Cost: 5,000 Move: 6 Range: - Fuel: 70 Vision: 1 ---------- Artillery ---------- Description: Artillery units are weaker than rockets, but are good long-range units when your on a budget. Put them behind strong direct-fire units at key positions such as bridges. Built At: Factory Cost: 6,000 Move: 5 Range: 2-3 Fuel: 50 Vision: 1 --------- Infantry --------- Description: Inexpensive foot soldiers that are great for capturing unguarded properties. They cost 1/3 the price of mech units and can move 1.5 times farther, though they lack the power of mechs. Not good for attacking anything other than enemy infantry units. Built At: Factory Cost: 1,000 Move: 3 Range: 1 Fuel: 99 Vision: 2 ------------ Medium Tank ------------ Description: Medium (Md.) Tanks are the most powerful unit that can be used in every mission. If you can pump out a medium tank early in the battle, your opponent won't be able to forge a strong attack. Built At: Factory Cost: 16,000 Move: 5 Range: 1 Fuel: 50 Vision: 5 -------------- Mech Infantry -------------- Description: Mech units move much slower than infantry units, but they are able to hold their own against recon and tank units. Use them in the middle of the battle to capture properties. Built At: Factory Cost: 3,000 Move: 2 Range: 1 Fuel: 99 Vision: 2 --------- Missiles --------- Description: Although they are powerful and have a long attack range, missile units can only fire on air units. Use them to defend your base against oncoming air attacks. Built At: Factory Cost: 12,000 Move: 4 Range: 3-5 Fuel: 50 Vision: 5 ------ Recon ------ Description: These ground units have the longest movement and vision ratings of all ground units. USe them during fog of war missions to see the enemy from a distance, then attack with indirect or direct fire units before they can retreat. Built At: Factory Cost: 4,000 Move: 8 Range: 1 Fuel: 80 Vision: 5 -------- Rockets -------- Description: Rockets have the longest indirect fire range of any ground units. Put them behind your forces to soften up the enemy's units, then move in with tanks. Built At: Factory Cost: 15,000 Move: 5 Range: 3-5 Fuel: 1 Vision: 50 ----- Tank ----- Description: Standard tanks can move and see farther than medium tanks, but lack the punch they can provide. USe them in the beginning of a battle, then move onto heavier machinery. Built At: Factory Cost: 7,000 Move: 6 Range: 1 Fuel: 70 Vision: 3 -------- Neotank -------- Description: New to Advance Wars 2, Neotanks can only be used when you have completed certain objectives in campaign missions. They cost the same amount of money as a bomber, but neotanks can move farther, provide more power than medium tanks, and are nearly indestructible in combat. Built At: Factory Cost: 22,000 Move: 6 Range: 1 Fuel: 99 Vision: 1 ----------- Battleship ----------- Description: The long-range fire guardians of the sea. Battleships have the longest range of any unit and can be used to patrol the seas or destroy units on land is missions that are near a shore. Built At: Seaport Cost: 28,000 Move: 5 Range: 2-6 Fuel: 99 Vision: 2 -------- Cruiser -------- Description: Perfect for sea-air battles, cruisers can attack both subs and air units. They are also capable of carrying 2 copter units. Built At: Seaport Cost: 18,000 Move: 6 Range: 1 Fuel: 99 Vision: 3 ------- Lander ------- Description: The lander is the only transport unit that can carry vehicles, making it indespensible in missions that have islands without factories. You can load two land units onto a lander on the ' shoals or seaports near your base. Built At: Seaport Cost: 12,000 Move: 6 Range: - Fuel: 99 Vision: 1 ---------- Submarine ---------- Description: Submarine units are extremely effective against all sea units other than cruisers. When submerged, they are undectible, but use 5 fuel a day. If you're running low on fuel, retreat to the nearest seaport before it sinks. Built At: Seaport Cost: 20,000 Move: 5 Range: 1 Fuel: 60 Vision: 5 -------------- Battle Copter -------------- Description: The least expensive air-to-ground attacking unit is the battle copter. They are able to fire upon ground units and other copters, but not high-flying airplanes like the fighter and bomber. Built At: Airport Cost: 9,000 Move: 6 Range: 1 Fuel: 99 Vision: 3 ------- Bomber ------- Description: The most powerful air-to-ground unit is that bomber, although it does cost more than twqice as much as a battle copter. Keep these units well-beyond the range or all anti-air units and demolish enemy forces. Built At: Airport Cost: 22,000 Move: 7 Range: 1 Fuel: 99 Vision: 3 -------- Fighter -------- Description: When an air war is about to take place, make sure you have some fighters on your side. Fighters are the most powerful unit to use against air units, other than anti-air of course. The only drawback of fighters is their inability to attack ground and sea units. Built At: Airport Cost: 20,000 Move: 9 Range: 1 Fuel: 99 Vision: 2 ----------------- Transport Copter ----------------- Description: Transport copters are extremely useful in missions that require you to quickly carry infantry units to remote locations, such as places over mountains and water. They cost the same as an APC, but are much more versitile. Protect these units from any and all attack. Built At: Airport Cost: 5,000 Move: 6 Range: - Fuel: 99 Vision: 2 Terrain plays a major role in the damage and movement of your units. Use the following information to see where to go during certain offensive and defensive situations. You will win or lose battles depending on your ability to read the Advance Wars 2 map. -------------- Terrain Types -------------- The difference between terrain types is how they affect the movement of your units. Some terrain types also provide a defensive advantage of when and where to attack. Plains: The tall grass of the wide open plains hinders the movement of vehicles and provide minimal defensive cover. Roads and Bridges: Ground forces travel at top speed when on roads and bridges. They can easily be blocked by enemy units though. They provide no defensive cover. Woods: Offering twice as much cover as plains, thick woods slow down vehicles even more. Units can hide in forests during fog of war missions. Mountains: Only ground forces can move across mountain terrain. They offer twice as much protection as woods and can double the vision rating of units on them during fog of war missions. Reefs: Reefs provide the only defensive cover for naval units. When fog of war is on, naval units can use reefs like forests to hide. Rivers: Water runs through many of the maps in Advance Wars 2. Infantry and Mech units can wade across them while vehicles must use bridges. Seas: The seas are open to all naval units. They don't offer any defensive cover and don' thinder naval movement. Submarines can hide by diving underwater. ----------- Facilities ----------- Much of the strategy in Advance Wars revolves around the capturing and managing facilities. You must develop a strategy before you fight based on the location of the following properties. Factories: These structures produce all types of ground units, from Infantry to Neotanks. Keep them churning out units to increase your forces. Cities: Cities generate the money used for units and repairs. They privide a defensive advantage and repair 2 hit points per unit if it belongs to you. Headquarters: This structure provides as much defensive cover as mountains. If Advance Wars were to be a chess game, this would be the king. If you lose it, you lose the game. Seaports: These are naval bases, use them to build, repair, and refuel your ships. Airports: These structure produce air units. When one of these is on the battlefield, push foreward in attempt to capture it. Airports can produce two of the most powerful units in the game: the Bomber and the Fighter. Missile Silos: New to Advance Wars 2, Missile Silos lauch missiles that cause severe damage to all units in the blast radius. The blast will also hurt your units, so use with caution. Only mech and infantry units can operate them. The blast radious looks like this: O O O O O O O O O Each O standing for one square on the Advance Wars map. Pipelines: These pipes feed Sturm's army. They are indestructible, the only place they take damage is at the seems. They play a major role in some Campaign missions. ------------------------- Campaign-Only Structures ------------------------- The following structures can only be found in Campaign Missions. They are also only in Advance Wars 2, and some of the coolest buildings in the game. You can't use them in the Design Maps mode. Laboratories: Hidden research facilities that appear on the world map only after you find the map during certain missions in Campaign. By finding these labs and completing the mission, you can then use Neotanks for that part of the Campaign. Black Cannons: Special cannons with a large range and superior fire power. They can only be used by the enemy and are susceptible to attack. Mini-Cannons: While not as powerful as Black Cannons, they are still formidible in combat. They can only be used by the enemy and are susceptible to attack. Lasers: These four-directional laser cannons hit both friend and foe. They can only be used by the enemy and are susceptible to attack. Factories: These huge factories can be used used by Sturms army to produce three units at a time. The units made can also be used that same turn, unlike your factories. A supply pipe is connected to every one of these, which when destroyed, renders the factory useless. Volcano: One of the many volcanoes on War World, it sometimes erupts spewing chunks of molten magma. Any troops struck by this will take damage. Deathray: The Black Hole Army's pride and joy, this mammoth structure fires lasers in only one direction, but it is incredibly powerful and only hits enemy units. It uses so much energy to fire that it can't be used each turn. It can only be used by the enemy and are susceptible to attack. ======================= V. Damage Chart [Ad5] ======================= When you know what types of units your up against, you can develop effective counter forces. You may want to throw a Neotank or Bomber in every situation, but it's often more economical and efective to use multiple unitsof different varieties. Do the math and develop a lean, mean, fighting force. Unit Key: AA = Anti-Air MI = Mech Infantry LD = Lander AP = APC MS = Missiles SB = Submarine AR = Artillery RE = Recon BC = Battle Copter IN = Infantry RO = Rockets BM = Bomber MD = Medium Tank TK = Tank FT = Fighter NE = Neotank CR = Cruiser TC = Transport Copter BT = Battleship Damage Key: 1 = Horrible 2 = Poor 3 = Average 4 = Good 5 = Excellent 6 = Max Damage AA AP AR IN MD MI MS RE RO TK NE BT CR LD SB BC BM FT TC +----------------------------------------------------------+ AA| 2 3 3 4 2 5 3 3 3 2 1 - - - - 5 3 3 5 | AP| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | AR| 3 4 4 5 2 5 4 4 4 4 1 2 3 3 3 - - - - | IN| 1 2 2 3 1 3 2 1 2 1 1 - - - - 1 - - 1 | MD| 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 5 3 1 1 2 2 2 - - 3 | MI| 3 4 4 3 2 2 4 4 4 3 1 - - - - 1 - - 2 | MS| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 5 5 5 | RE| 1 2 2 4 1 4 1 2 2 1 1 - - - - 1 - - 2 | RO| 5 5 5 5 3 5 5 5 5 5 2 3 5 5 3 - - - - | TK| 3 4 3 3 2 4 4 4 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 - - 2 | NE| 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 3 2 2 3 3 2 - - 4 | BT| 5 5 5 5 3 5 5 5 5 5 2 4 5 5 5 - - - - | CR| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 5 3 3 5 | LD| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | SB| - - - - - - - - - - - 3 1 2 5 - - - - | BC| 2 3 3 4 2 4 3 3 3 3 1 2 2 3 2 3 - - 5 | BM| 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 5 5 5 - - - - | FT| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 5 3 5 | TC| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | +----------------------------------------------------------+ =========================== VI. Strategy Basics [Ad6] =========================== If you run your missions with precision, you'll have a better chance of winning - even if the odds are stacked against you. Study the map at the beginning of every operation and formulate a strong strategy, but be ready to adjust based on your opponents actions. Your forces power is greater than the sum of its stats. The pieces of your army must work together to accomplish mission goals. Consider the ways your units can interact with each other as the mission progresses. Your forces can take a lot of damage really fast. If two units of the same type are in danger of elimination, join them together to turn them into one more powerful unit. The main function of transport units is to cary and protect units. When you load a units into a transport vehicle, the soldiers inside will not take damage even if the transport does. When you drop a unit, it will not be able to carry out any orders until the next turn. Be sure that the unit is protected from taking damage until that time. APCs can refuel and reload adjacent units on the battlefield. If you are going deep into enemy territory, be sure to bring an APC along making sure your rockets can fire and tanks can shoot. Examine the terrain features of every mission area. Your movement ranges will depend on what terrain they cross. Make sure you take the quickest possible route to the enemy base before they can prepare. Open plains are as easy as roads for most ground units to cross. Rockets and missiles unfortunately lose a space for every stretch of plains they must cross. Woods are harder to cross than plains, but infantry units can still cross them with ease. Units on treads lose one space for every wooded area they must cross. Missiles and rockets lose two spaces. Among ground units, only infantry units can cross mountains. Mech units can cross mountains as quickly as they cross anywhere else. Infantry lose one space fir every mountain they must cross. Mountains can increase vision rating in fog of war and provide the most defesive cover. Much of your strategy for each mission should revolve around the types of properties that are available for capture and the paths that lead to them. Identify, occupy, and capture key areas. Factories, also known as bases, produce, repair, and supply ground units for your army. Capture factories to incease your unit production and keep them out of enemy hands. Not only do cities provide revenue, but they also provide cover and repair and supply your ground units. Capture as many cities as you can. Bridges are bottle necks that you or your enemy must funnel your units through. By placing strong units on bridges and backing them up with long range fire, you can easily keep enemy ground forces from entering your territory. The strength of your naval and air forces depends on the number of sea and airports you have. Choose ports that are close to enemy properties. To make the most of every turn, carry out the functions of your facilities and units in a set order. Follow this checklist to make sure you're doing everything you can. 1. Capture Properties - Cities and production facilities bring in revenue, allowing you to produce more stronger units. Identify the properties that are within range at the beginning of every turn. 2. Target Air and Naval Units - Opposing forces that approach by air or water have a way of sneaking up on you. They move quickly and aren't affected by terrain features. Watch their ranges and target them first. 3. Attack with Indirect Units - Indirect-firing units are not in danger of immediate counter attacks. Use them to soften the enemy's forces before moving in with direct firing units. 4. Attack with Direct Units - Once you've done all the damage that you can with indirect-firing units, attack with your tanks. If your direct firing units are damaged, consider moving them out of harms way instead. 5. Move Strategically - After you've completed your attacks for the turn, move the rest of your units as you see fit. Keep the attack ranges of enemy troops in mind as you move and keep out of danger. 6. Produce Units - The last thing you should do every turn is take a look at your funds and see what units you need to produce and can afford. Choose strategically placed production facilties, then create your new units. ================================ VII. Strategies Advanced [Ad7] ================================ There is a battle-unit combination to fit every situation. Early in most missions it makes sense to produce infantry, mechs, and other inexpensive forces.As your revenue increases and your enemy's forces grow more powerful, bring out the big guns. - Neotanks are very strong and well-armored. They are the perfect anchors for your ground attack. - Fighters can target all air units, but only air units. Use them to thin out enemy air forces. - Submarines are strong and difficult for enemy's to find. When submerged, they can attack undetected. It's important to size up the number and types of units on the opposing side. If your enemies are creating powerful forces, you must counter with units that are effective against them or equal in power. Look at the following counter forces for certain enemy line ups. Enemy Units: Neotank, Midtank Your Counter: Neotank, Rockets, Bomber Fight fire with fire. When your enemies produce the most powerful tanks available, counter with your own strong tanks, indirect firing units, and bombers. Enemy Units: Fighter, Bomber, Battle Copter Your Counter: Fighter, Missiles, Anti-Air If your not prepared for them, air strikes can be devastating. Use fighters, missiles, and anti-air units in a combination that will effectively keep them away from your airspace. Enemy Units: Submarine Your Counter: Battleship, Artillery, Rockets When your enemy's submarines are trolling the waters, no naval units are safe. Cruisers are a good naval counter to subs, but the best choice is to fight from the land with indirect-firing units. As you march toward victory, you must be aggressive, but only to a point. Attack the enemies with all the strength you can muster, but don't leave them stranded in enemy territory. The following strategies will keep you in fighting shape. - Only infantry and mech units can capture enmy properties, but any units can keep an enemy factory, seaport, or airport from being used. Place a unit over an enemy facilty to stop their unit production. - When the object is to destry enemy units, you'll do well by double-teaming enemy units. Attack with the most powerful unit, or indirect-firing unit, then move in for the kill with the weaker one. - Transport units can't fight back, therefore making them sitting ducks. By surrounding key transports on all four sides, you can prevent them from taking fire. - Indirect-firing units are vulnerable to direct attacks, but they are useful in your second line. Mix up your unit combinations, putting powerful direct- firing units in the front and long range shooters in the back. - Position your attacking units on terrain that features better defensive cover. If you have the opportunity to attack from a city or woods, attack the enemy from the city. Your unit will take less damage in the counterattack and be in good position for the enemy's turn. - There is power in numbers. Keep your units together as they storm into enemy territory. Your fast units will have to wait as the slow ones catch up, but the benfits outweigh the costs. - When in Fog of War missions, use recon units to first reveal enemy forces. Then attack with your units before they know what hit them. A smart defense will keep enemies contained, your units intact, and your properties free from capture. Establish a safety zone around your HQ and use defensive positions to keep your enemies at bay. - By placing your defending units directly on bridges or in the middle of one- space passages, you can keep multiple direct-fire units from attacking them, along with preventing enemy movement. - If enemy force capture your HQ building, you will lose. As the battle develops, assign a mix of direct and indirect-firing units around your HQ to protect your capitol. - Don't leave your indirect-firing units out in the open without protection from other indirect-firing units. If you have to rockets or artillery units close together, they can prtect each other. - Mountains provide more protection than any other terrain type. When you're defending with troops, put them on mountains or allied properties if available. - Late in the battle, you may have to take desperate measures to keep enemies away from key positions. Put expendable units in the line of fire to keep enemies from attacking your more impotant pieces. - Your enemies will attempt to draw you into the range of their indirect-firing units. Don't take the bait. Pick off the units with your own long-range units or quick direct firing units before they can retreat. -When Fog of War is on, your ground units can hide out of siteof enemy ground unitsby waiting in the woods. Naval units can conceal themselves within reefs. By using these simple strategies listed in the previous two sections, you can easily humiliate Sturm and his friends on any battle field. ================================ VIII. Mission Flow Chart [Ad8] ================================ After you clear the first three missions, three more missions will appear on the map. You can take them on in any order. Once you've claimed victory in Orange Star , battles in Blue Moon and Yellow Comet territories will become available. Every fight offers its own challenges. If you can't crack a particular battle, move onto another one and come back when you have more fighting experience. Cleanup | Border Skirmish | Orange Dawn | Flak Attack - Lash Out - Andy's Time | | Test of Time* Liberation | @ | Tanks!!! - Reclamation - Toy Box - Neotanks!?* | | | T Minus 15 Nature Walk Two-Week Test | Factory Blues | @ | Sea of Hope* - Show Stopper - Silo Scramble - Sensei's Return | | | Duty and Honor - A Mirror Darkly - Foul Play | The Hunt's End | @ | Drake's Dilemma - Sea Fortress - Sinking Feeling - Danger X9* | | | To The Rescue - Navy vs. Air - Rain of Fire | Great Sea Battle | @ | Hot Pursuit | Final Front * denotes that you must find the secret map in the connected level to access it. @ denotes that there is a change in territories. Starting out in Orange Star, then Blue Moon, followed by Yellow Comet, moving into Green Earth, and finally Black Hole. ======================= IX. Walkthrough [Ad9] ======================= The main part of Advance Wars 2 is the Campaign mode. You can use CO's coming from all four allied continents. The story slowly unravels showing CO friendships and rivalies. Use all that you have learned to defeat your opponent. You can not lose, the world's fate depends upon you to lead its forces to victory. -------------------------- Mission 01: Cleanup [M01] -------------------------- Following a a large battle with Flak's forces, only two enemy units remain. It's a good time for you to step in and show Nell what your made of. You'll finish quickly if you focus on the two enemies rather than capturing the HQ. Hit them hard, then move onto the next challenge. Commanding Officers: Orange Star: Andy Black Hole: Flak - Bridges are important strategic points. Units on tracks or wheels can only cross rivers at these points. If you protect all bridges, you can contain enemy forces. - Trees provide cover. By attacking from forests, your unit already has a defensive advantage. In Fog of War (FOW) missions, units can hide in woods without being seen. Move your units foreward and simply attack the enemy units. You out number them and can use the forests for cover. Attack them while they try to cross the bridge. This is the easiest mission in campaign, obviously. More to come soon! ================= X. Thanks [Ad0] ================= This section is devoted to those that made this guide and game what it is. Thanks! CJayC: The owner and operator of GameFAQs. Without him, you wouldn't be reading this write now. You: For reading this. Myself: For writing this. Nintendo: For making this great game. =============================================================================== -Cooldude345 ===============================================================================