Introduction

So you think you know how to play war, huh? You think you've got
everything figured out and right smack dab in the palm of your
hand, waiting to execute a few aircrafts and some tanks to seal the
victory, yeah? Well what happens when they drop the nuclear
bomb on your silly buns, soldier!? Drop down and give us twenty!

Don't you worry that pretty little head off, sugarcakes. We've got
everything under control, because you're at IGN Guides, baby! We
make it aight! If you're voting for Christopher Walken in '08, you're
here in the Intro. If you don't know what a war is, tell us that Hootie
sucks. Or just visit the Basics section. Are you a total "n00b" when
it comes to your terrain, or are you simply looking to brush up your
"mad skillzorz?" Whatever your cause, view our Atmosphere
section. Looking to see the different types of weaponry in the
game? View the Units section. Want to browse the Rank Skills?
Take a look at that section. Need help on those tougher missions? Glance at our Campaign section. Looking for the
secrets? Go to Secrets then! It's not that hard to understand, people!

In this Advance Wars: Dual Strike strategy guide, you'll find:

Basic strategy to get you started.

Atmosphere and environmental tips.

Unit info, with details on ground, air, and sea units.

Rank skills listknow what bonuses you get as you rank up.

Complete Advance Wars: Dual Strike campaign walkthrough.

C-9? We sunk your battleship! Hey now, put away those guns...

Guide by: David "Zoop of War" McCutcheon

This PDF Guide is property of IGN Entertainment. Any unlawful duplication or posting of this document without the consent of IGN
Entertainment will result in legal action.
Basics
Fog of War
During certain missions or random battles, you will be limited by the fog of war. This, of course, is a term for having
decreased vision of the battlefield due to fog. When the fog of war is in effect, you can expect to see very little of your
opponent, as you can only move about/view the first few squares of terrain around you.

Gaining Experience Points

As you carry on along the course of battle, you will gain Experience Points (EXP) for each victory with your current CO.
The more battles you partake and come out victorious in, the more experience your CO will gain, and become a better
leader in war games.

Rank and Points

After you have completed a mission, you will receive several points to adjunction your rank. You will gain bonus points
for defeating certain enemy units or destroying certain objects, although these bonus points do not count towards your
final rank. See the Rank Skills for more info about the skills you can obtain at different ranks. Here are the ranks

S Rank = 280-300 Points

A Rank = 250-279

B Rank = 200-249

C Rank = 0-199

COs and Their Powers

"What's a CO," you ask? Commanding Officers are the
characters behind the orders, and universally known as your
playable characters and the villains you face-despite never
going head-to-head with them, per se, they are the ones
dishing out the orders to destroy your fleet. Different COs has
different powers, and you can use your CO Power once the
Star Meter in the upper right-hand corner has filled up. The
longer you fill it up, the more likely you are to pull off a nasty
Super Power to wipe out the units near you, or improve your
stats.

Design to Design
You'll likely notice how each army has different looking units as
you go along the Campaign. Pay no attention to detail when
fighting your enemy; just pay close attention to blowing them
away! There's no difference outside of looks in each of the
armies' respective units. They all have the same offense and
defense as the next team's units.

Climate Control
The climate of your atmosphere comes into play in Dual Strike,
as you will deal with all sorts of weather and such. Make sure
that you pay close attention to the scenery before heading into
battle to check on what type of weather you'll be playing in.
This ranges from fog, rain, sandstorms, snowstorms, and just
plain old sunny day.
Atmosphere
Throughout the game, you will encounter several different terrain types, all of which provide a new level of frustration or
strategy, depending on your movements. There are some other things that come into play, however.

Terrain

Roads
The scattered roads throughout the game provide excellent range and flow for your land-based units. This terrain is
perfect for basic combat.

Bridges
Bridges are a lot like roads as far as the feel of the battle goes, but they work well as defensive standpoints. Set up your
camp near bridges for best results.

Plains
The plains are nasty for combat, plain and simple. It's entirely too
tough to outrun your enemy while playing the field, as your
vehicles move much slower on them compared to roads.

Forests
The woodland forests are absolute perfection for the fog of war, as
you can hide under the trees are your enemies will not notice you.
They work a lot like the plains as far as movement goes, however.

Mountains
Not just any unit in your arsenal can travel throughout the
mountainside; in fact, only Infantry Units and Mechs can go along
the rocky plains of the mountains. The upside? They offer
extremely excellent protection from enemy fire, and they're
wonderful for a defensive stand.

Shoals
Ahhh, the beach! Of course, the beaches of the world provide some intense war scenes, and this is no exception. Any
ground unit can travel along the shoals.

Seas
The sea is a beautiful thing, although it's practically useless for ground units since they cannot travel through it without,
yanno... drowning. They are perfect for naval and airborne bombers during travel, despite the horrible defense.

Reefs
If you ever want the ultimate in naval stealth transportation, the reefs will come to you in dire straights during the fog of
war, allowing you to travel through the sea unseen.

Rivers
Only Mechs and Infantry Units can cross over the nastiness of the river. Everything else will need to use the bridge in
order to pass.

Special Locations

Airports
The location station for all things that fly! Obviously, the airports are one of the more heavily influential stations in the
game of war, as they can single-handedly change the end result.

Seaport
Obviously by the name alone, you can guess that the seaports work exactly like your airport only for sea-based crafts.
They will also be vitally important to the success of your war.

Headquarters
Your Headquarters are all that you know. If your Headquarters are captured by the enemy, you will automatically lose
the war. Do not allow the enemy to tackle your HQ, and go for theirs in the process.
Bases
The bases under your command will allow you to create new
ground units for battle. They are a key to your success on the
ground, as without them you'd be left completely unarmed on the
ground-level.

Com Towers
These bad boys work wonders when paired with the bases, as
they will increase the attack power of all of your ground units. The
more of them you have under your control, the more powerful your
ground game will be.

Missile Silos
Think of these things as your gateway to missile-launching fun!
When you have a missile silo under your control, you can allow
your Mechs and ground infantry units to spew missiles into the
enemy.

Research Labs
The research labs contain critical information regarding the weapon plans of the Black Hole. Conquer them to retrieve
those dastardly blueprints.

Pipelines and Pipeline Joints

You will come across plenty of pipelines in your adventures. You can manage to get through them by crashing through
the joint areas within the pipeline.

Cities
The city will provide everything you need for war: defensive strongholds, fuel for all of your ground units, and a source of
funds. Having a city is very important to your success.
Units

Ground Units

Infantry
The Infantry units are the less costly of all on your funds, and they're useful in several situations. They can cross through
rivers and such, and take over enemy ground.

Mech
Think of the Mechs much like the Infantry units, only much stronger. They can launch missiles and such, as well as do
everything that the Infantry units can.

Tank
Tanks are small and can move very quickly, making them essential for group assaults. Using the Tanks will allow you to
get up close and personal in your ground game.

Medium Tank
These big boys are very useful on your ground assault. They work a lot like your average tanks; only they have much
stronger offensive and defensive capabilities. They do cost more, however, and you're on a budget.

Mega Tank
These gigantic babies are the most powerful unit that you can possibly purchase, but you will quickly notice that these
units are the slowest of every tank available.

Recon
The Recon units are the easiest to disarm the opposing Infantry
and Mech units with. With a precise gunner at the helm, you can
blast away with moving quickly.

Artillery
Artillery units are excellent for when you're on a tight budget, as
they deal a decent amount of damage against enemies from afar,
and they won't burst your piggy bank in the process.

Rocket Launcher
Talk about some bad boys against the common distanced-enemy,
the Rocket Launcher squad will beat the snot out of naval
attackers, as well as standard and advanced ground units.
Consider them to be a beefed up Artillery unit.

Missile Launcher
The masters of fog of war are the Missile Launcher units, and they will easily dispatch any air units getting too close for
comfort.

Anti-Air
These units are professional when dealing with anything in the sky, or simple Mechs or Infantry units, but they will easily
fall against the mighty ground units.

Piperunners
A project from the Black Hole army, the Piperunners will travel along the pipes within a war zone to dish out some
deadly damage.

Neo Tank
Neo Tanks were developed by the enemy, the Black Hole army, and will deal more damage than that of the Medium
Tank.

APC
The APC units cannot fire whatsoever, considering they have nothing to fire with. They can, however, deliver fuel and
ammunition to your big guns when they are in dire straights.
Air Units

Bomber
The Bombers work as overhead droppers onto ground-based
and naval-based units. Just get near them and smack them
with some major bombage!

Battle Copter
The Battle Copters are just plain ol' all-around useful units in
the battle from the skies. They have the coconuts to deal
damage to any type of unit they see, giving them the upper-
hand in your wage of war.

Fighter
Fighters will only deal damage to other air-based units, so bring
them out to attack enemy Bombers before they can damage
your ground or sea game.

Stealth Fighter
The hardest of all air units to detect, the Stealth Fighter will be
by practically every single unit known to man undetected,
unless the enemy is right by your Stealth Fighter.

Black Bomb
Another deadly weapon developed by the genius minds of the
Black Hole army, the Black Bombs will deal serious damage
(enough to make you rethink your strategy, at least) upon
exploding.

Transport Copter
These things work only as a transport service for your Infantry
and Mech units. They have no way of defending themselves,
so drop off your units and scram before getting taken out.

Naval Units

Cruiser
A Cruiser comes in mighty handy when transporting units, as you can carry two choppers per unit and they will dish out
severe punishment to Submarines and anything in the sky.

Submarine
The Submarines can be quite stealthy, specifically in the fog of war. The only unit types to defeat the Submarine whilst
underwater are Cruisers and, of course, other Submarines.

Carrier
The Carrier battleships will defeat air units with the bat of an eyelash, as well as give housing to two aircrafts and supply
them with whatever they need along the way.

Battleship
The strongest of all naval-based firing units, the Battleship has the broadest range and excellent strength in arms
against other naval units. Consider this your offensive powerhouse when waging war at sea.

Black Boat
More geniuses at the Black Hole army developed this dastardly fixer-upper. This thing can carry multiple Infantry and
Mech units, as well as recharge health points and offering ammunition, to boot.

Lander
The Landers only have two purposes: transporting and distracting. They carry no weaponry on board, giving them no
advantage to any sort of combat, although they don't bruise easily, either.
Rank Skills
As you move up along the ranks (see the Basics), you will acquire new skills to use throughout your wars. You will have
to equip them for them to work, and you can only hold four per Commanding Officer. Here's the complete list...

Rank 1

Sharpshooter
Indirect attack +5%

Bruiser
Direct attack +5%

Slam Guard
Direct fire defense +8%

Snipe Guard
Indirect fire defense +8%

Luck
Higher damage caused at random

Combat Pay
Earn money for dealing damage to enemies.

Rank 2

APC Guard
APC defense +10%

Sneaky
Dive/Hide fuel -1 in cost

Tower Power
Com Tower effect +5%

Rank 3

Teamwork
Tag CO's attack +5%

Scout
Vision skill +1

Mechanic
Base repair skill +1

Sale Price
Production cost -5%

Invader
Capture skill +1
Rank 4

Road Rage
Road attack +10%

Ranger
Woods attack +10%

Mountaineer
Mountain attack +10%

Urban Fighter
City attack +1-%

Seamanship
Sea attack +10%

Backstab
Dive/Hide attack +15%

Rank 5

APC Boost
APC movement +1

Star Power
Power Meter fills up faster.

Missile Guard
Damage from missiles -1

Cannon Guard
Damage from cannons -2

Rank 6

Gold Rush
Income at bases +100

Bodyguard
Tag CO's defense +10%

Pathfinder
Movement in the Woods +1

Prairie Dog
Movement in the Plains +1

Stealthy
Dive/Hide -1 in cost
Rank 7

High & Dry

Attack while raining +20%

Sand Scorpion
Attack within a sandstorm +20%

Icebreaker
Attack in a snowstorm +20%

Rank 8

Brawler
Direct attack +8%

Sniper
Indirect attack +8%

Slam Shield
Direct fire defense +12%

Snipe Shield
Indirect fire defense +12%

Rank 9

Synergy
Tag CO's attack +8%

Fire Sale
Production cost -8%

Rank Star

Mistwalker
Hides units throughout Super COs

Soul of Hachi
Deploy within cities during Super CO

Eagle Eye
Vision skill +2

Gear Head
Base repair skill +2

Conquerer
Capture skill +2
Campaign Walkthrough

Mission 1: Jake's Trial

After starting the mission, select the Infantry unit behind the lines and make him capture the first grey building. Use the
Mech to blow the Tank down to half health and finish it off with your own Tank on the next turn. End Day 1 and blow
away the nearest group with your Mech and the capturing group with your Tank. Finish them off on Day 3.

Mission 2: The New Black

Start off by using your Artillery unit to bomb the enemy tank from
afar. This will take it down to 50% health, and with no way to
counterattack. Excellent! Now grab the Infantry unit and hop into
the APC to the south. Move the APC as far to the southeast as
possible. Move your Tank over and end Day 1. Repeat the
process yet again, only this time move your Tank towards the
battle more.

On Day 3, the injured tanks will join forces. This is pretty much like
eliminating a unit, anyway, considering their forces went down
from 3 units to 2. Use both Artillery units to bash the individual
Tanks. Place the Infantry within your base to heal up, and move
your Tank north. The Tanks combine into a singular unit on Day 4,
so finish them off with your Artillery units to complete the mission.

Mission 3: Max Attacks

You have the option of killing every enemy unit or simply taking their Headquarters. The HQ is the little building to the
southwest. Move the Transport Copter to the east and use the Mech to get inside of it. Move your Battle Copters
towards the enemy except one of them, which should head north to protect your base, and end Day 1. The Black Bomb
will go off, so combine each of your Battle Copters. Shoot the troops down to really low HP with your Battle Copter
defending the base, and finish off their Infantry on the next day.

Take out one of the bigger Medium Tanks using your two overseas Battle Copters, and finish it off in the next round.
Move your troop overseas with the Transport Copter and drop him off at enemy HQ to conquer it. Use your Battle
Copters to take out the next Medium Tank over this turn and the next. On Day 5, finish the Medium Tanks for good and
chase down/destroy the Tanks with your Battle Copters during Day 5 and 6. You will easily capture the enemy base on
Day 7, if you have not already killed the enemy on Day 6.

Mission 4: Reclaim the Skies

You must defeat the enemy within the time limit (30 minutes even).
Start out by moving your first Anti-Air unit to the Fighters in the sky.
Fighters cannot attack anything on the ground, so defeat them with
your Anti-Air units. Use the Rocket Launcher to devastate the
Tank. Use the Missile Launcher to take out the Battle Copter over
the sea. Finish off the Bomber and lone Fighter over the course of
the next two days, if that.

Mission 5: Never-ending War

Scout your area and begin the mission. Create a Tank and hide your Mechs in the mountains. End the day and create
an Artillery unit on Day 2. Hide your Mechs on the outskirts of town to deal defensive damage in the mountains upon
being hit. Use your Tank to crush the opposing Tank up north and seal the deal with the Mech counterattack, and create
another Tank to deal with the southern approaches on the next day.
Use the tank on the Anti-Air unit after it finishes off your Mech, and use the southern Mech to capture the base, if you
haven't already. Create a second Artillery unit to back up your dual tanks, and take out the Mech units with this strategy
until the heavier units come along for some fun. Destroy the Mech to the south with your Mech/Artillery combo, and keep
create Tank/Artillery combos up north until you finally nail that damn Medium Tank. Only fight other Tanks with your
Tanks, since the Medium Tanks deal too much counterattack damage to your Tanks.

Use an extra Tank to chase down the smaller tanks while you play cat and mouse games with the Medium Tank. Use
your CO Super Power to level the playing field. Defeat the Artillery unit to win the war.

Mission 6: The Ocean Blue

Blue Moon handles this mission, so watch the introductions and get ready to rumble! Load your Battle Copter atop your
Cruiser, and send the Cruiser towards the Submarine to blast away at it. Take care of the enemy Cruiser with your
Battleship. Load the Tank and Infantry into the Lander, and sail off towards the high seas. End Day 1, and use the
Submarine to destroy the other sub. Use the Submarine on the Battleship on the next day, and destroy the Cruiser with
your own Battleship, or use your Artillery to destroy it, if close enough.

Unload the Infantry unit onto the island. On Day 4, defeat the Battleship with your Submarine, and capture a building
using that Infantry unit. Use your Super Power to defeat the Lander carrying the troops, and only the Rocket Launcher
will remain. Take it out using the Battleship to win the war. If this fails, try pushing the Artillery in the Lander to the HQ of
the enemy and taking care of theirs.

Mission 7: Fog Rolls In

Read the fog of war tutorial, and start the battle of wits by parking
your Recon next to the woods to the upper-left. You'll find a nasty
Artillery unit within them, so blast away with your Battle Copter.
Use your Battle Copter and Recon units to blow up the Tank on
Day 2, and use thec Rocket Launcher to finish off that Artillery unit
in the woods. Use the Infantry unit to help on the mountain, if need
be.

On Day 3, use the Rocket Launcher to destroy the next Tank, and
load a Mech unit into the APC. Park it next to some of your other
units to supply them. Move the Battle Copter near the sea to spot
a naval craft in the reef. Shoot the Lander with it, and use your
Mech/Tank to take out some Infantry units. Keep on the Lander
and use your indirect combat units to take care of everything else.

By the time Day 6 rolls around, use a combination of your remaining units to defeat the Mech. Use your Super Power
when it becomes available. One of your indirect units will fall prey to a tank, so use an indirect unit and the Battle Copter
to destroy it. Defeat the final Artillery unit hiding at a building to complete the mission.

Mission 8: Tag Battle

Browse the scenery and check out the Piperunner unit, and make an Infantry unit and a Mech to take nearby land. Skip
a day and create an Artillery unit. Watch the Tag Battle cut-scene, and create more Infantry units to get the gist of the
attack. Pull your Artillery unit up and blast away at the Piperunner. Create several Tanks along the way as you capture
more and more buildings, allowing you to spend more money.

Take care of the Piperunner and begin working on infiltrating their enemy line after taking all of the unpopulated
buildings. With these in tact, you can create tons of direct and indirect forces to fight with. Tanks work wonders on this
stage, as you can quickly move around the field and go toe-to-toe with practically anything. Make one APC to help out
all of your units, and watch out for the Dual Strike that occurs eventually. This will easily damage your chances of
winning, as well capturing the Airport on the east.

Pull out the big guns by creating some Rocket or Missile Launchers and a Medium Tank. Use the Medium Tank in
defensive mode to cover for your other machinery until you can afford another. Use the dual Medium Tanks to kill
everything in sight from here on out. On the east side, use basic Infantry and Mech units to destroy everything. Use
another Super Power and go for the gusto. Just remember: the more Medium Tanks you own, the more likely you'll
succeed.
Mission 9: Victory or Death!

Start out the mission by dedicating your attention to taking over the second front as quickly as humanly possible. Use
the Send command on your Fighters to send them to the second front. Winning here first is vital for that S rank, and vital
to your victory, as well. Use the Infantry and Mech units to take over and capture the Airport/Factory/Buildings as soon
as possible. End Day 1 and read the text from the Black Hole Army to figure out why that crystal is so damn special. You
also learn how harmful the sandstorms can be to your indirect attack units.

On Day 2, use your Tank against theirs and capture those buildings. Send a Bomber into the second front, and capture
more properties. On Day 3, create a Medium Tank on the west and take care of that nearby Anti-Air unit with your Tank
once and for all. You will take out two of the nasty cannons on the second front between days, so eliminate the Infantry
and Mech units on ground level on Day 4, as well as nail the Artillery unit with your Tank. Kill another Tank with your
Medium Tank, and go to Day 5 after creating a Battle Copter and another Infantry unit to capture properties for funding.

Day 5 arrives with a bang, as you go head-to-head against their Battle Copter with your own. Seize any nearby
properties with your Infantry/Mechs, and advance to Day 6. Create some heavy anti-air unit(s) and the guys up top will
win the war on the second front. Hurray! Now this gets a lot easier. Use your Tag CO Power whenever you'd like.
Change your CO afterwards, and inflict even more damage on them. Create an APC and transport an Infantry unit with
it, supplying your units along the way.

Set up a massive field strike by creating tons of Medium Tanks, as well as a few Battle Copters. As you draw closer to
the center and take back your factory, you will notice some heavy resistance in the air and on the ground. This is why
you need about 4 Medium Tanks to plow right through the line. Take a Bomber out of your Airport and eventually, you
will take out the Black Crystal. Just crowd around it after dispatching their units and destroy it with Battle Copters and
Medium Tanks. Once the crystal has been shattered, the mission ends.

Mission 10: Black Boats Ahoy!

If your Lander gets taken out, forget it, it's over. So no matter what, the first rule to this mission is to protect the Lander!
Load some Infantry units and a heavy unit of your choice into the Lander, and use the Sub to go towards the damaged
Battleship. Inch towards the Battleship and take care of a few of their other units on your land. Invade their side of the
city with your troops and take over their properties to gain some momentum out of boredom.

Drop off your troops onto the island (we took a Mech and a Tank
unit) and attack that lone Artillery unit with them and begin taking
over the HQ. Of course, the Black Boats won't allow that to happen
so easily, so quickly dock your Lander somewhere safe. Use your
Submarine to swiftly sink the two Black Boats in the process. Once
you take over the building to the left, you'll receive a Research
Map. You can steal the design documents to the Black Boat now.

With both Black Boats destroyed, they have no way of returning to

their island resort. So keep smashing their heads in and unleash
your Tag CO Power for the near victory. Pull it off from here by
capturing their HQ while defending your own. If you're very fierce
about it, take both of your Tanks to the other side and use the
Lander to come back and grab an Infantry unit to bruise them.

Mission 11: The Long March

You'll gain this mission after obtaining the Research Lab in Mission 10. Your first place of business is to march ahead
and look around to find the enemies with your Recon units. Kill them upon discovering them throughout the first few
days. Capture as many properties as you can with your on-foot units. Use your indirect combat units to take care of the
Submarines in sight, and watch out for the Artillery units that are hiding. On Day 3 or Day 4, you will need to get as
many serious troops as you can on your side.

You will want to focus on defeating the strongest enemies on the field first once you have a real army to back up your
commands. Use your naval forces to pound away at all tank types from afar, as they quickly weaken the numbers of
your enemy. Keep your Submarine safe at this time, and use the fog of war to your advantage by hiding away within it.
Use your Tag CO Power and blow away the competition right before your huge ambush, weakening them greater than
they think. Get rid of every naval unit sans the Black Boats first, and slowly whittle away at their health once they have
nothing to protect them. Artillery units are hiding well in the fog of war, so be careful as you inch towards the lab to steal
the plans.
Mission 12: Lightning Strikes

The second front is another key to success in the twelfth mission, Lightning Strikes. Obtaining control over the second
front makes everything a lot easier in the long run, so watch out and play your cards right. Take Jake in to help Rachael
and move that Anti-Air unit to the second front by placing it in the HQ and sending'er up! Create an Infantry unit and an
APC at your bases and march them towards the Silos. Capture the building on the right and create another Infantry unit
to counterattack the Infantry unit attacking the foot-based unit you're capturing the building nearby with.

Create a Missile Launcher and send it up for battle on the secondary front. Create a Tank on the next turn to help you
out down below on the main front. Take control of the Silo to launch at the nearby cluttered groups of enemy units. Do
not let them take the Airport so easily! Use the Silo to damage their unit and get a fast moving unit over to destroy them.
Meanwhile, take over your airport. Take the factory on the island to secure a victory. Obtain as many properties as
possible in this mission. That's the number one way to win.

Mission 13: Frozen Fortress

You will learn about the Com Towers upon entering the
mission. Capturing them will definitely give you some extra
"oomph" to your guns. You will need a lot of cash to prepare
the best assault available, so create a Mech and Infantry unit
on both sides. Those plans they're speaking of are located
within the farthest northeast building, so definitely capture it
before clearing the mission.

Over the next few days, capture as many properties (especially

the Com Towers and factories) as you can. Grab the Airport
near the Blue Moon team, and be sure to tag out after each
attack to get those Tag CO Powers boiling in the dead of
winter! These guys build one hell of an army rather quickly, so
be sure to build an even greater army even faster. Once you
have the Airport you can kill the ground game with your Battle
Copters.

Cross the water on the far west and far north after saving up a
lot of dough to purchase four Medium Tanks. Use those Tanks
to ambush the enemy on the left side. With the Blue Moon
team, use your air forces to terminate the opposition. You'll be
unstoppable.

Mission 14: Lash's Test

The key to this one, if you want the Black Bomb technology, is to capture the Black Hole HQ before you destroy all of
the enemy units. Otherwise, feel free to, although we recommend capturing the HQ over destroying everything in your
path of war.

Start out by blasting away at the joints within the pipes to release the nearby bombs. Use your Battle Copter to penetrate
the joints. It's also a wise idea to go southwest and capture the Com Towers, as you will do a lot more damage this way.
Lash has one heck of an army backing her up, so use their own Black Bombs on the gist of it. Use indirect fire with your
Rocket Launcher to tackle the Medium Tanks from afar.

Make sure to hit the Neotanks on the enemy side when exploding those Black Bombs. They will make things a lot
easier. Once the heavy firepower is complete, have an escort protect an APC with Infantry inside as you go to the HQ.
Conquer their building to obtain the Black Bombs. The Neotank makes for the best escort, so try to preserve it and only
attack with it when the enemy's units are weakened.
Mission 15: Verdant Hills

The first appearance of the Mega Tank resides in this mission, as you take on Green Earth's forces to once again
"prove" yourself. You must defeat all of Green Earth's troops (including that gigantic Mega Tank) within 15 days to
secure the next mission. Shove some units inside of the thick forest areas to ambush the enemy once they come near
you, and be sure to send some Infantry units to nab those Com Towers ASAP.

The main way to defeat the opposition within the time frame is to use indirect attacks to the maximum. Set up all of your
indirect attack units alongside of the mountains, within the forest to avoid detection, and let'em rip! Taking that Mega
Tank out will be the tough part. Definitely use indirect combat for starters, and watch out for their CO Tag Power. You
can help your cause by grabbing the Airport and creating some Battle Copters to help your cause. If you're looking for an
easier way to victory, simply capture the enemy's HQ after weakening their defenses-and protect your own, to boot!
This is where those Battle Copters come in great handy. Once you close in on their HQ, bust out your tag move to
eliminate it in two swift turns.

Mission 16: Snow Hunters

You will quickly notice that you're in one heck of a pickle. You will notice three Mini Cannon units off to the left, and a
couple of Piperunners off to the right. Place your Rockets on the cities that you own, and move your Mech unit into the
APC to go towards the Silo to the southwest. Attempt to take out the joints in the pipe on the left side as soon as
possible. You can hit the said joints with the Rocket Launcher on the west side, as well. If you take out the Mini
Cannons, you will automatically win the match.

Fend off the forces with your indirect combat units (including destroying those Battle Copters from afar or with your Anti-
Air unit), and take over the Silo down southwest. They will have a strong formation in the northwest corner, so you could
always aim for that or at the Piperunners. Take out the Piperunners with your awesome Rocket Launchers once they get
close enough, and use your Missiles to take out the annoying Bomber.

Take over the naval base to the southwest to get a nice grip on the sea, as the Black Boat is likely down from your
indirect combat units. Capture that building on the lower southeast island to grab some Research Lab locations. Use
Battleships to take care of your enemies with more indirect fire, but do not allow them to steal your base! Crack the joint
to the east after the Piperunners are defeated to reveal a nice factory to take over. After this, crank out many Medium
Tanks to use against the enemy.
Mission 17: Spiral Garden

This course is a gigantic spiral with joints within the pipes that you can blow out to reveal shortcuts, which will certainly
save you gas money. You can win this bout by capturing the enemy HQ, defeating all enemies units or simply capturing
15 properties. Defeating the near-endless amount of enemy units is the tough option, so try for the enemy HQ or the 15
properties, for something different.

Plow through those pesky joints in the pipes, and scurry around to find properties to take with your Infantry units. Use
your Artillery units to really damage the joints. Capture all nearby properties, and create an Anti-Air unit to kill the Battle
Copter. Remember to switch characters frequently to build up that Tag CO Power. Purchase a few Medium Tanks along
the way to clear the path for your Infantry units. You will have this one under wraps in no time flat.

Mission 18: Omens and Signs

You will be introduced to two new units in this stage. Send

those four Fighters up top to the secondary front immediately,
and make sure that they're out of the Mini Cannon's vision. The
Carriers are being blocked off by the enemy Cruiser units, and
the blocked between them and the pipes. Start out by using
your Infantry/Mech units to capture the nearby buildings, and
move your Battle Copter and Bomber to the rocks so that the
indirect units cannot reach you.

Begin moving your Submarine out, but don't submerge it just

yet as you will need to save your fuel for the upcoming Black
Boats and such. Create an Infantry unit and end the day after
moving your indirect fire units down south, yet out of the
enemy's range. The secondary front will eliminate two of those
Mini Cannons, and Day 2 will begin. Complete your capturing
of other buildings, and advance your forces. Dive underwater
with your submarine and carry on.

Use your indirect combat units to sink the ships defeating your
new Carrier units, and launch the Stealth Fighters from their
cargo. Use the Stealth Fighters to hide in the clouds and attack
the cannons surrounding the large fortress. The great thing
about this mission is that the enemy can't really do much to
defeat you beyond the initial assault, as they're running short
on factories and Infantry units. Just keep a Medium Tank to
patrol the ground and kill any Infantry units that pop in to say
hello.

If everything else fails, save up for a Mega Tank and blast

away to free the final four Stealth Fighters and blast away at
the Mini Cannons. As long as their Infantry units have been
destroyed and you own a good portion of land, it's hard to lose.
Once the Mini Cannons have been destroyed, you win!

Mission 19: Into the Woods

The fog of war seriously obstructs the view in this mission, so get prepared for a long and winding road to victory. Start
out by inching your way towards the east, but do not travel into the woods. It can be a gruesome sight. It's best to form
straight lines and "shuffle your deck," so to speak, by moving your units onward in the straight lines you've created. This
will allow you to travel without straying far from your group, giving you the benefit.

Attack the oncoming units with full force, but stay with your team! This is vital to victory, and this way you can gang up
on them rather than chasing them down and losing a unit in the process. You will soon discover the Oozium 238, a
deadly direct-fire unit that can scorch your backside more than anything we've encountered thus far. It moves slower
than any other unit, going only one space per turn, but it hits so incredibly hard that you'll be sent home crying.
Penetrate it with big Tanks, Anti-Air units and, if you really have to, Recon units.

Take care of those two Battle Copters up at the top of the screen ASAP, if it's at all possible. The upcoming Tag CO
Power will really burn you otherwise. Unload your own dual Tag CO Powers, and REALLY burn them up with your
indirect attack charge. As you inch towards their base, keep your Infantry/Mech units secured. Take control of the Airport
in the south to really eat up the ground game. Kill the second Oozium before capturing the enemy HQ. Hurray!
Mission 20: Muck Amok!

This mission can get a little messy, so beware. You've got a ton of Ooziums scattered all over the place, and you must
save the two Black Hole COs before they get devoured. This mission isn't too tough when you think that the Ooziums
can only move one space at a time, so plan accordingly by making the Ooziums walk into a trap. Gang up on each one
to defeat it, and take over the four Com Towers as soon as you clear some space. Use your APCs to supply your units
with fuel, ammunition and transport your Infantry/Mechs to the Com Towers.

Use your Tag CO Power to eliminate two to three of those nasty little Ooziums. Have a Mech hop into the Transporter
prior to your Tag CO Power and fly him up to the enemy HQ during this trip to easily capture the enemy HQ and win the
mission.

Mission 21: Healing Touch

From the looks of things, you'd think this mission would be a walk
in the park, since every unit only has 1 HP. Sadly, any units within
the radius of the Black Crystals will be completely healed within
five days, making this one nasty battle. Start out by using your first
group to eliminate the Black Crystal to the southwest. Send your
on-foot units down south to reach the Missile Silos.

With the Blue Moon group, go and destroy the opposite Black
Crystal from the last one, and send more troops down south to go
activate the Missile Silos. Take over the factory down south in the
process, and continue plowing through the Black Crystals,
targeting the enemy units only when you cannot reach the Crystals
themselves. Use those dual Tag CO Powers and finish the mission
off by defeating all of the Black Crystals.

Mission 22: Crystal Calamity

The Black Obelisk and the Black Onyx are both on command in this mission, so get ready for a pain in the neck that not
even the best chiropractor in the country can fix. You aren't given much to start out with between your three teams, so
don't expect too much of a force to be reckoned with from the get-go. Start out on Day 1 by using your Orange Star team
to produce Infantry units to capture as many properties as possible. Remember, the more money you make, the higher
your chances of survival.

With Blue Moon, capture more properties and the factory to create some Tanks and other nifty units to crush the
oncoming Medium Tank. With Green Earth, head south to shoot down everything from the skies and produce even more
units. You've only got 50:00 to complete this task, so you'll need as many units as possible to win. Activate the Missile
Silos with each team, as there are nine that must be destroyed in that time limit. You cannot defeat all of their forces
within that amount of time with the amount of units you have from the start. You must get to those Silos!

Stay out of the large cannon's sight on the east side as you take out those Battle Copters, and do not allow the enemy to
board any of the Missile Silos, or else the mission will automatically end. Getting the silos are your top priority due to
this, followed by knocking out the Blasck Cannon to the north. Just keep pumping out units that are cheap yet do lots of
damage. Capture as many factories as possible once you knock out the Silos. APCs work well in transporting your
ground game. After the initial Tag CO Power from the opposition, you should survive anything. You can also bombard
the east via Landers with the Blue Moon team, and cover up the factories and airports down south with Green Earth.
This is a very long battle; get ready for about 30 days for an average player.

Mission 23: Dark Ambition

This mission starts out with a little bit of a problem: there's a

weather effect that is obscuring your vision. Load up the Infantry
unit into the APC and roll south to find a device to destroy the
weather drama. Blue Moon is fully equipped with aircrafts and
indirect fire units. Move them east, and get ready to fight them to
the death as they attempt to burst through the joints in the pipes.
Shoot as many of the cannons as you possibly can to get them out
of the way before things get nasty.

Ambush from both sides as the joints break open, that way you're
ready for action right as they burst through. Capture the Missile
Silos and take action to seriously weaken the enemy offense.
Never open the joints yourselves, as it wastes the ammunition of the opposition. Their Tag CO Power will likely bring
you to the brink of death, so beware of this. Hopefully you will be able to retaliate with a couple of Tag CO Powers.

Mission 24: Pincer Strike

Pincer Strike can be ended by either capturing the enemy HQ or eliminating all of the enemy units before they get to
you. Create an Infantry unit and begin capturing every building that you can. With Blue Moon, move your Medium Tank
down south and keep moving your units, keeping a close eye on the units surrounding you and their range (specifically
the indirect units).

Move your sea units to the east, and sink your Sub after the second turn. The Drake clone uses Tsunami, a devastating
attack that drains all of your units' fuel. After a while, it will begin raining. You must navigate through the fog of war and
shoot the Silos into the darkness. Judge accordingly by the movement of enemy units. Towards the end of the line,
create tons of Mega Tanks and Neotanks and slowly inch towards the enemy HQ to avoid falling into traps.

Mission 25: Ring of Fire

This is another mission with yet another secondary front, and both of them contain torturous volcanoes that will certainly
sting your defenses. The catch, you ask? You must complete the capture within 18 days or else you will instantly lose.
Start out by throwing a few Anti-Air units up there as well as the Missile unit, as you have no purpose for such things
down here. You might want to throw some additional Mech units up there, as well. Capture the Com Towers and use
your Rockets to damage nearby tough units. Capture the factory to the northwest, to boot.

Begin pumping out units as quickly as possible via your two new outlets of terror. As long as you have the skies, create
a ton of Bombers and avoid their Anti-Air units. This will instantly cut them down to size. Eliminate the rest of the fleet,
regardless of the outcome on the second front.

Mission 26: Surrounded!

Surrounded indeed, as you will have a mere 24 days to put a stop to this nonsense and capture the four Com Towers
before the gigantic Black Armageddons launch, destroying the homelands of every CO in your fleet. You have two
armies to work with, so send the units to the southeast to eliminate all of the enemy units with swift force and quickly
capture the Com Tower over the next few days. Move the Orange Star unit Northwest after capturing their factory down
here, and produce Infantry units to steal the nearby properties.

With Blue Moon, send your units to the southwest to completely take over the south. Steal their Com Tower and their
factory down here, setting your Copters to take the blow for your Anti-Air units to sweep up the mess. Don't create an
Infantry unit to take over the Airport to the north just yet, as it will get eaten alive without any back-up. After completely
owning the south, you can concentrate on creating a ton of heavy units to fend off the horde of enemies above. Create
some cheap "distraction" units to keep the focus off of your big guns as you march to the north.

Have Orange Star take over the plant to the northwest, while Blue Moon should focus on the compound to the northeast.
If you're having trouble with any of these takeovers, just remember that you should always march in groups, as you can
kill the fresh unit to come from the factory and sit on the factory to cease production until an Infantry/Mech reaches it to
take it over.
Mission 27: For the Future!

The second-to-last mission is up next, and featuring some

nastiness of Von Bolt, the leader of the pack, and certainly the
most fearsome of the Black Hole Army. Your armies are placed
in a well line, with focus going on the outside to Blue Moon and
Green Earth, respectively, while Orange Star tackles the center
aisle. You have to destroy the Black Obelisk way up north in
the center of the stage, but getting there is the hard part. You
will have to crawl through the dreadful center, which is
corroded with Infantry units, three factories, Tanks, Anti-Air
units, Artillery units, Medium Tanks and the lovely Neotank.
Yikes.

The outer-rim is very dangerous, as well, sporting all sorts of

deadly air units and sea units along the two sides. Start out by
taking over the Com Towers and throwing your Tanks up front
but out of the view of the Mini-Cannons. Afterwards, create
some indirect fire units each turn, like Rockets (or Artillery units
if you cannot afford the Rockets). Rockets give you the end
since they have great range, and the enemy will definitely go
down in large groups. Using Blue Moon, create a Lander and
an Infantry unit to take over the properties up north.

Be sure to take those bastards out using Blue Moon, as well,

showing them no mercy as you make your trek up north. Take
out the Mini-Cannons along the way with your Battleship. With
Green Earth, you should repeat the same process as you did
with Blue Moon. Repeat the process again with these two
teams as you whittle the center enemy units away with Orange
Star. Take out those three crystals as you progress, and be
sure to protect your HQ along the way. Create an Anti-Air unit
on the right, and create a Rocket Launcher to the left. This will
significantly helps your odds of crushing the threats on the
sides. Close in on the Black Obelisk after creating an
indestructible army of Neotanks and Mega Tanks to blow it up.

Mission 28: Means to an End

This is it, the final battle! This mission is a doozy, as you could've expected. Take Rachel or Jake into the main front and
Hawke into the secondary front. Allow Hawke to deal with the fight on the secondary front, as you'll have your hands full
down below. This is the biggest fight ever, so get prepared with the essentials. Create the biggest army imaginable and
send your Infantry/Mech units to capture more properties for a source of funding.

Piperunners are a pesky, albeit dastardly, ploy to use when building your army. The reason they can be a pain is the fact
that you can quickly lose them to easy firepower and/or a hole along the pipe joints. Hawke should be just fine on his
own; besides, you'll need all of the help that you can get on the main front while he destroys the Black Crystals. Send
some Battle Copters to the south to defeat the Infantry units that are claiming property as you claim your own. Once
you've built the ultimate army, it is time to consume the nasty Ooziums before they consume you!

You only have 24 days to complete this mission, so building up the ultimate army may seem like a waste of time-rest
assured, it is not. With such a gigantic army, you can devour the Ooziums with ease and sneak your way into the fold to
deliver deadly blows. Send some Infantry units south to take the southern properties from the hands of the Black Hole
Army, and by now Hawke should be nearly done destroying those Black Crystals up top on the secondary front.

The Grand Bolt, which is the gigantic black ooze thing to the north, releases three Ooziums every six days, so get ready
for some extreme measures to be taken when dealing with eliminating it. You must send your heaviest firepower up
north to send bullets straight into the red hearts of the Grand Bolt. It has three of them, so be on the lookout for the last
line of Ooziums to pump out before pumping bullets into it. The key to success is to take over every property of the
Black Hole Army's, as without funding, they cannot provide defense.

Congratulations! You're won the Advance Wars Dual Strike battle! Now drink some lemonade and celebrate. Unless
you're 21... Then you should make it a hard lemonade, with an umbrella in it. It's better that way.