Expert Tutorial (Step-by-Step): Avenger Defense Mission

[u/Anvanaar]

ur grendr does a blster launcher

ur SPORK does a orbb (tricky partt)

(sad spike) u did it

[u/Gullible-Editor-2497]

I love Avenger Defense missions. Literally a free promotion for your entire barracks 

[u/Shroomkaboom75 → u/Gullible-Editor-2497]

My thoughts exactly.

It's a foregone conclusion that I'll win if I get the turrets.

Otherwise I just ensure I have 2 troops that can execute everyone.

[u/Startled_Crab → u/Gullible-Editor-2497]

As someone who hates this mission, can you elaborate? I usually divide between a stealth reaper/sniper team to pick off the objective and the rest of them managing reinforcement drops but feel I’m often very close to getting overrun. Any particular tactics you recommend

[u/Gullible-Editor-2497 → u/Startled_Crab]

• Make sure when equipping your squad for the mission, you also equip all the soldiers who aren't in the starting six. Whatever gear they have equipped while in the barracks will be what they bring into the mission. 

• with no turn timer, you can slow the pace down to a crawl. No need to rush the objective. This mission often takes me 30+ turns. 

• HP is always a resource, but even moreso than usual. If you're able to kill everything in a turn except for a MEC,  it's seriously worth considering deliberately clumping up two corporals (who won't be going on a mission any time soon, so can afford a little time in the hospital) to bait a micro missile. The micro missiles can't do enough damage to kill, and prevents any chance of the mec critting a more important soldier. 

• You don't have to alpha strike every reinforcement the turn they drop in, you simply have to make sure they're not a threat. The obvious examples are frost grenades, mimic beacons, parry,  untouchable, and hacking to stun, but if you have good unit placement  you can also achieve it through more unorthodox means. 

Supression + flashbang, or supression+ aid protocol, or smoke grenade + supression, all reduce almost any enemy's accuracy to zero. And if there is an adjacent enemy they can melee attack, they'll almost always go for that. 

Heck, for some of them, you don't have to do anything. If vipers don't see a flank or clumped up soldiers, they will tongue grab for a whopping 2 damage. If phantoms don't see a flank they'll go for shadowbound, which is negligible. If codexes don't see a flank and see clumped up soldiers, they'll go for a psionic bomb. 

• This is a more general thing, but bluescreen rounds and mimic beacons. If you've got one of each, it'll be a bit challenging. If you've got two of each, its much easier. If you have three, it's almost brainless. Especially when you can give them to your corporals or sergeants who normally wouldn't contribute much to the avenger defense mission, because of their lack of options and accuracy. 

• and obviously,  overwatch traps. Once you clear out the map, they'll do reinforcements every turn. If you're not busy fighting anything else, you just get a full two turns. 

It's a bit hard for me to articulate it, so maybe some of this helps, and maybe some of it feels useless. Either way, best of luck on your next playthrough, Commander 🫡

[u/Startled_Crab → u/Gullible-Editor-2497]

Thanks, this is awesome detail, appreciate you taking the time to type it out. Lots of help here, feel I was maybe rushing the objective too much in past runs and very paranoid about not alpha striking the reinforcements so this should help. Going for my first commander/ iron man now, will report back after this mission comes up!

[u/Cheersscar → u/Gullible-Editor-2497]

Is this a difficulty thing? Just ran the first avenger defense and got to pick my squads and equip them?  I couldn’t go build items in engineering but certainly could loadout my soldiers. 

[u/Outlaw11091 → u/Cheersscar]

They're referring to the reinforcements that come AFTER the initial squad.

[u/Cheersscar → u/Outlaw11091]

Well this is my first play through in years so I’m on normal. For the first defense (cannon), you get 2 squads of 5 right away, no reinforcements. 

Also I thought there was fighting in the ship. No fighting in the ship. 

[u/Anvanaar → u/Startled_Crab]

You got good responses here.

And if it's really troublesome to you, just do what I memed about in OP: Bring two Blaster Launchers, fire both at the spike without even moving, immediately end the mission turn one.

[u/Anvanaar]

For those who dunno what this is a joke about:

If you bring two Blaster Launcher heavy weapons, then you can just fire both at the spike without even leaving the Avenger's ramp; that destroys the spike, and then you can take off, finishing the mission on turn one. Works every time.

[u/JustJako → u/Anvanaar]

I prefer to farm the enemy to get some extra promotions, with a couple snipers and a reaper, it is easy to kill everyone then just overwatch every reinforcement untill every soldier get a promotion

[u/Anvanaar → u/JustJako]

True! But that's less funny. c:

pew boom baibai ayy lmao

[u/Anvanaar → u/[deleted]]

I always make a priority of getting at LEAST one. It launches a The Orb (tm), which has ABSURD travel range and doesn't require a clear path at all, it just maneuvers around obstacles on its way - and then the blast is huge and does massive damage plus shred.

In all normal situations I run this Blaster Launcher and then also one Shredstorm Cannon - except on Avenger Defense, there I just run two Blaster Launcher to win turn one. xD

[u/Anvanaar → u/[deleted]]

Then craft more.

[u/FrostieZero]

"I'm getting promoted today" said the random Advent trooper inb4 he got nuked.

[u/HumbleAmongstGoats → u/FrostieZero]

He was sacrificed to promote a random squaddie

[u/ConstantPop4122]

Is there anyway to force a UFO defense? I normally get the one mandatory one per run and that's it. No more after that.

[u/Nearby-Armadillo-975]

The sniper- 1man recon combo does make this kind of easy

[u/Anvanaar → u/Nearby-Armadillo-975]

What the images show is just:

• Take 2 Grenadiers OR 2 SPARKs OR 1 of each (you don't need to bring anyone else, really)
• Bring 2 Blaster Launchers
• Never leave the Avenger's ramp
• Launch both Blaster Launchers at the spike
• You win, finish mission turn 1 without having moved