StarCraft
Prima Fast Track Guide
Introduction
StarCraft's complexity inspires almost as many different strategies as it
has players, so it's safe to assume you'll find ways to defeat a scenario
that differ from these. That's OK. If you follow the basic Fast Track Guide
walkthrough you'll win, but this guidance isn't the be-all and end-all. Rather,
it's distilled from tried-and-true methods of defeating each and every mission.
I recommend you attempt to defeat each scenario by yourself first-give it
at least a couple of tries. Then, if you have trouble completing the mission,
use the help found in this Fast Track Guide, or purchase Prima's strategy
guide for more detailed mission strategies and additional reference material.
Terran Mission 1: Wasteland
Your Marines and SCVs start in the upper-left corner. The Command Center
and Supply Depot lie some distance away in the lower-central map area. Divide
your troops into Marines and SCVs, and move the Marines toward the Command
Center. After passing the bridge you'll run into Jim Raynor and one or two
isolated Zergling groups. Terminate the zerglings, then move down to provide
support for the base. Once the base is secure, move your SCVs down and start
mining minerals.
After retrieving sufficient minerals, build a Barracks and manufacture the
10 Marines you need to complete this mission. Jim Raynor and a couple of
Marines can continue moving around the map mopping up Zerglings, but it's
not necessary for victory. Remember, if you lose any Marines, you must replace
them to hit the production target (10).
Terran Mission 2: Backwater Station
Your forces are grouped in the lower-left corner of the map, which gives
you some measure of protection against the Zerg in the early going. After
you've set up your SCVs to collect resources, set your Barracks to produce
Marines until you have a squad of 12 ready to kick some Zergling butt. Take
advantage of Jim Raynor's awesome power when you hunt Zerglings, and if he
gets damaged, simply order an SCV to repair Jim's Vulture.
After you have 12 Marines, group them into one attack force and move northeast
taking out the Zerglings waiting there. Move north up the ramp revealing
a Zerg structure guarded by a half-dozen Zerglings. Your 12 Marines will
shred the Zerglings, leaving you free to annihilate the Zerg structure.
Now move your group of Marines north until they capture the Backwater Station
Command Center. When you get a unit close enough to the Center, all the other
structures and units fall under your control, including two SCVs and five
Firebats. Order the two Barracks to produce three or four Firebats each.
Then park your Marines on the east (right) side of the station.
Once you've created the Firebats, form another group made up entirely of
these units. Now you have two groups-eight to 12 Marines (depending on how
many have survived) and at least ten Firebats. Move your Marines southeast
and have them take out any Hydralisks and Zerglings they encounter while
the Firebat group follows up to destroy structures. This one-two punch is
an effective tactic in these early missions, so keep moving throughout Zerg
territory this way.
The scenario ends when you destroy the infested Command Center in the upper-right
corner of the map.
Terran Mission 3: Desperate Alliance
Your objective in this scenario is to survive for 30 minutes, and there are
a couple of ways to go about it. You can either build your defenses and sit
tight, waiting for Zerg attackers to strike your position, or you can take
an offensive stance and attempt to deal a blow to the Zerg before they come
looking for trouble. The latter approach is more fun, and will give you some
valuable experience managing an attack force.
First, you'll need to repair the burning Bunker on the lower road with an
SCV. After that's done, throw the full complement of four Marines into each
of your two Bunkers; this provides your base with a more than adequate defense
as you build up your attack force.
Your attack force should consist of two (preferably three) groups of 12 Marines
each, and one group of 12 Firebats. Upgrade Marine weapon range and armor
strength before you set out. If all goes well, everything for your attack
should be in place by minute 15. (You'll need extra Barracks to mobilize
your army this quickly.)
Bunkers are incredibly powerful structures: They take the damage instead
of your units, allowing you to defend an area against a large attack with
only a few Marines. If you can, it's a good idea to keep an SCV around to
repair Bunker damage. A Bunker with four Marines and a repair SCV can hold
out a long time against seemingly insurmountable odds.
Group your units into groups of 12; then move then out en masse (Marines
first, then Firebats) up the lower road. Begin a sweeping motion that
systematically wipes out the heart of the Zerg Hive. Generally, Marines are
your best weapons against Hydralisks and Mutalisks because they have greater
range and their weapons penetrate Zerg armor better than Firebat weaponry.
Continue creating Marines at your base; you can use them as reinforcements
if you need to. Remember, your objective is only to survive, not to obliterate
the Zerg. If you launch this massive attack on Zerg positions, they'll have
little chance to launch a counterattack. Now you can just let the clock tick
toward victory if you want, but you should still stock your Bunkers with
Marines. Just to be safe, keep a few extra emergency units (probably Marines)
hanging around your base in case Mutalisks fly over. The key to this strategy
is speed; if you are too slow the Zerg will have enough time to build a vast
army.
Terran Mission 4: The Jacobs Installation
Because this is an "installation" mission, the map is like a maze, and offers
a number of superfluous pathways. At several locations in this mission you'll
encounter hidden floor and wall-mounted guns and Missile Turrets. Don't panic
if the floor opens fire on you; simply target the spot and have your Marines
destroy the turret.
As you move northwest you reach a room with a raised area serviced by three
stairways. Several Marines and one Goliath defend this area, so don't head
in there until you've grouped your attack force tightly. When you fight the
Marines above you, remember they have a height advantage. You have only a
70 percent chance of hitting them when you're lower, while they have a 100
percent chance of hitting you. Therefore, always attack when your numbers
are at least three times theirs.
Be sure to activate any Beacons you come across as you wind through the
installation. The first two Beacons you'll run across disable floor-mounted
guns and release a number of friendly (and not-so-friendly) prisoners. The
Third teleports your men so they can proceed along the optimal path and collect
the disks. Once you grab the disks and return them to the starting Beacon,
the mission will end in victory for you.
Terran Mission 5: Revolution
This mission begins with your troops in the upper-left corner of the map.
Group them and proceed south until you run into Kerrigan. After Kerrigan
and Raynor engage in a brief verbal fencing match, proceed south until you
reach the three Missile Turrets on the roadway. Destroy them. Continue along
the road (now leading northeast) and take out the waiting Vulture.
The Confederate Wraith that stands in your way affords an excellent opportunity
to use Kerrigan's Lockdown ability. Next, turn north and head to a clearing
just left of some Confederate Bunkers. Your Marines must take out a Confederate
Wraith guarding this area, but otherwise you'll be safe there for a while.
Separate Kerrigan from your group; then move your troops in to take out the
Bunker directly to your right, and then the Missile Turret beside it. Missile
Turrets are detectors and can see cloaked Ghosts, so you must take it out
before you can sneak Kerrigan past.
Once the turret is gone, move your troops back; then cloak Kerrigan and move
her up to the Beacon. With the turret destroyed, enemy units can't spot her
when she's cloaked, so getting to the Beacons will be easy. After the Antigan
base is liberated, the Antigan Bunkers will destroy most Confederate Forces
near the base. You can move Raynor and the Marines in to mop up the last
few Confederate Marines after the Confederate Bunkers succumb.
After you liberate the Antigan base, your objective becomes destroying the
Confederate base (that sprawls along the bottom of the map). You must get
the Antigan base up and moving forward to generate the military oomph it
will take to crush Alpha Squadron. Fortunately, the Antiga Prime base is
substantial, and you needn't build a lot of infrastructure to win.
First, repair any buildings (or Jim Raynor's Vulture) that have taken damage;
then set your Command Center to produce as many new SCVs as you can afford.
After setting up your resource gathering, start producing Marines and Wraiths,
as well as Missile Turrets, along the base's southern border. The Confederate
base lies along the lower quarter of the map, so the best staging area for
your attacks lies to the south.
Build up a strike force of 12 Wraiths (with cloaking ability and Apollo
Reactors), and 12 or so Marines with upgraded weapons and armor (if possible).
Cloak your Wraiths and head to the lower-right portion of the map, where
a Confederate Refinery and plenty of SCVs rush resources back to the Command
Center. As your cloaked Wraiths fire on the SCVs and Refinery, many Confederate
Wraiths will fly in to stop the carnage; because your ships are cloaked,
you can lay waste to them quickly.
After clearing the lower-right map corner of the Confederate menace, load
the Dropship with Marines and transport them to the secured area. Move as
many as you can; then collect them into one or two groups. Now you'll move
from east to west across the bottom of the map with your Wraiths and Marines.
There may be Spider Mines in this area; send lone Marines ahead of your main
attack force to detonate them. Use your cloaked Wraiths to take out air and
ground units while your Marines move forward to knock out Missile Turrets
that would give your Wraiths' position away. Using this method, you'll quickly
sweep the Confederate base off the.
Terran Mission 6: Norad II
Your base is in disarray following a Zerg attack, and several of your buildings
will need repair. Your first priority is to mobilize Raynor (in his Vulture)
and the Marines and Firebats around him to secure the base. While you're
moving your Marines into the existing bunkers, use your SCVs to fix up any
buildings that are terminally damaged (in the red zone). If a building that
is in the red zone is not repaired, it will eventually explode and be lost.
When the Norad II comes online, you'll notice that you have a pair of SCVs
and some other units (Goliaths, Marines and Firebats). This position will
undergo fairly heavy Zerg attacks in the early part of this mission, so repair
any Bunker damage you may have taken. Then, put your units (including the
SCVs) into the Bunkers. As the enemy swarms attack, your Bunkers will take
a beating, but, whenever they need to be repaired you can simply pop one
of your SCVs out of the Bunker to fix it, and then pop it back in.
During quiet periods (when the Norad II isn't under attack), use your SCVs
to repair the ship. However, always keep a look out for enemy attacks; your
SCVs are too valuable to lose them. Whatever you do, don't attempt to build
any units near Norad II, and don't attempt to launch any attacks from this
position. If you do, you'll bring the wrath of the Zerg down upon you, and
the mission will be over.
After thwarting the initial Zerg attack, there's only a short period of time
before the next onslaught. Continue repairing damaged structures while you
put Marines (and/or Firebats) into the existing Bunkers.
Once you have a defense perimeter of Marine-filled Bunkers, you'll have a
shield Zerg ground attacks can't penetrate. Your next priority is to build
up a fleet of Wraiths and a large contingent (20) of Vultures, Goliaths,
and Marines to mount an assault on the Spore Colonies guarding the airways
between the base and the Norad II.
Once your troops are ready to go, move the Dropships to the edge of the ridge
east of your base where the Spore Colonies can't hit your ships. Once your
troops are up on the ledge, move systematically from one Spore Colony to
the next, clearing an area for a Dropship to come through. At this point,
expect the Zerg to throw plenty of Mutalisks and some ground units at you;
you should have your Wraiths ready for backup.
Send one Dropship back for reinforcements and to pick up Jim Raynor. When
you're fairly sure you can sneak a Dropship to the Norad II, fly it in and
drop Raynor onto the Beacon. That's it. You win.
Terran Mission 4: The Trump Card
As soon as this mission starts you must pull back some of your units and
buildings. The area in the lower-middle part of the map probably will be
destroyed before you can help it, and the area at the top of the map (where
Kerrigan and the Psi Emitter are) also come under attack quickly. Let the
lower area fall, but try to hang onto the northern camp to use as a staging
area for your attacks. Launch the Science Facility and the Spaceport, and
move them south (out of range of the enemy Bunkers). Immediately send up
reinforcements from your main base for defense.
To reach the Beacon (where you must drop the Psi Emitter), you must punch
a hole in Confederate defenses. You can use two routes for this-the central
path and the northern path leading from your northern staging area. Either
way, a fair bit of fighting must occur, but because fewer Missile Turrets
guard the northern route it allows for better use of Wraith fighters for
attack.
Build up a force of about 10 Siege Tanks, 12 Wraiths, 10 Goliaths, and 12
Marines. Then move systematically along the northern corridor. It's a good
idea to send your Science Vessel ahead of your other troops to warn you of
waiting Siege Tanks. Creep forward using a systematic pattern of Goliaths
and Marines followed closely by Siege Tanks, with the Wraiths nearby for
backup. Bring a couple of SCVs to repair damage to your units along the way.
Remember to use ground units, such as Goliaths and Marines, to take out Turrets,
Wraiths, and Siege Tanks. When you come to the mineral field at the top of
the Confederate base, take out all the SCVs and the Command Center to cripple
the Confederate ability to create more units.
Then move your Siege Tanks into the center of town. Once these tanks enter
"siege mode" the carnage really begins, and enemy structures fall very quickly.
At this point, get the Psi Emitter into a Dropship to fly it up to the Beacon.
Fly the Dropship along the pathway your ground forces cleared; otherwise,
Missile Turrets may shoot it down.
Drop the Psi Emitter (transported by an SCV) near the Beacon; then move it
in. The mission ends with Kerrigan wishing that she is never forced to contribute
to human death again by luring Zerg to attack.
Terran Mission 8: The Big Push
Load your SCVs and Marines into Dropships. Then group the Wraiths with Duke
and move them left to the deserted base. Once there, have your air force
take out the Confederate Marines and Firebats dotting the area. It shouldn't
take much to clean them up.
Move your structures to the new base, placing your Command Centers between
mineral fields and Vespene Geysers. You can drop your buildings beside add-on
buildings such as Machine Shops and Nuclear Missile Silos for instant upgrades.
Immediately get your SCVs gathering minerals while you create Siege Tanks
and Marines.
After you've sorted out what buildings go where, move your air units to the
raised area above your base. You can also add a few Bunkers and any Siege
Tanks you create, so they'll be in place for your slow, grinding assault
across the central portion of the map.
Build up your forces as you did in the last mission-three large groups of
Siege Tanks, Goliaths/Marines, and Wraiths. Move these groups up the central
and left portions of the map where you can capture vast mineral and Vespene
deposits. If you build Command Centers near these new deposits, you can speed
up your defeat of the Confederates.
This is the first mission where you get to use Nukes, and if you build plenty
of Command Centers around the extra mineral deposits, you can have extra
silos (and therefore extra Nukes). Several Confederate installations on this
map have closely grouped buildings-perfect targets for the awesome power
of a nuclear device. Use a cloaked Ghost to get in close to a target; then
let the Nuke go.
Terran Mission 9: New Gettysberg
A large force of Zerg lies just north of your position; however, you can't
attack the Zerg actively because destroying even one Zerg building will result
in mission failure. Instead, you must place Bunkers (filled with Marines)
near the ramps leading up to Zerg positions. As resources allow, also place
a few Missile Turrets and some spider mines in the area to protect against
Mutalisk attack.
Send your Dropship with some SCVs to claim the mineral deposits in the
left-center and bottom-center portions of the map. Then build an Armory,
a Starport, a Refinery (if you haven't yet), and a Science Station. As this
is going on, build a pair of Bunkers on the path behind the mineral field
at your base.
After setting up your two new Command Centers and protecting the main base
sufficiently, build an extra Starport and a Control Tower. Build eight or
ten Battlecruisers.
Once you have the fleet of Battlecruisers, fly them down to your lower Control.
Before you begin your attack, group four to six SCVs as a repair team that
can repair badly damaged Battlecruisers quickly. Use your Comsat Stations
to locate enemy Photon Cannons; then move your fleet of Battlecruisers in
for the kill.
Before you move a large fleet of Battlecruisers into battle, remember to
prioritize the units you'll attack. Photon Cannons, Dragoons, and Scouts,
which fire back, take priority over shuttles or other buildings.
As you work your way through the Protoss base, don't be afraid to use your
Yamato Guns to take out larger structures. Most structures will succumb after
two Yamato shots; use this weapon together with the other Battlecruisers'
lasers to go through the base like a hot knife through butter. The remaining
Protoss structures lie in the upper-right corner of the map.
Terran Mission Ten: The Hammer Falls
There are two main groups of enemy Terrans in this mission-the Sons of Korhal
(red) and the Alpha Corps (white). The red force, which has troops stationed
on and behind the raised area directly north of your starting position, poses
the immediate threat to you. Providing a proper defensive barrier should
be your first priority, so build Bunkers and Missile Turrets in the area
at the top of the ramps. Take care not to wander too far or the Siege Tanks
just out of your range will smoke you.
After securing the area, build a pack of 12 Marines and group them together;
then grab your two Siege Tanks and head down the road to the right. At the
intersection you'll encounter a group of red Goliaths and Marines, but they
should be no problem for your Marines. After you've secured this area, quickly
move north to the next intersection and build a pair of Bunkers blocking
the road to the left. The red forces will attack along this route from both
the air and the ground, so it would behoove you to put a couple Missile Turrets
here to spot cloaked Wraiths.
What you're doing is essentially blocking off key attack access points for
the red force. Defending these two areas well will prevent any red attacks
from breaking through. You now have access to a pair of large resource deposits
directly above you to the left and right. These will give you the resources
you need to take out the Ion Cannon.
The enemy won't take lightly your setting up Command Centers near these newly
discovered mineral fields, and will likely launch waves of Wraiths (capable
of cloaking) at them. To prevent your excursions from becoming disasters,
build Missile Turrets around each Command Center. These will serve both to
shoot down enemy airborne units and to spot cloaked Wraiths. If you fail
to block off all enemy paths of attack, you can still win. Just make sure
you establish a strong presence somewhere near the central resources and
start packing the area with Bunkers, Missile Turrets, Goliaths, and Siege
Tanks in Siege Mode.
If victory seems impossible, start over and this time try to spread into
the central resource area faster. Once you've gotten there, don't stop building
defenses until the area is completely blanketed. This is the hardest part
of the mission; once you've established yourself in that central area, started
harvesting resources, and started cranking out Battlecruisers, you've practically
won. Turn down game speed if things get too hectic.
After securing these areas, begin to build a strong strike force of
Battlecruisers, Wraiths, Science Vessels, Dropships, and, of course, the
entire gamut of ground units. To take out the Ion Cannon, you must move your
Battlecruisers in first to destroy the Missile Turrets at the edge of the
platform. Once these have been neutralized, you can either land Dropships
in the clear spot or proceed with your fleet of Battlecruisers and slowly
annihilate all resistance.
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