Descent: FreeSpace - The Great War/Act 1

Eve of Destruction
Advancement conditions:
 * Protect the GTC Orff (Delta wing arrives)

Objectives:
 * Protect the GTC Orff (Delta wing arrives)
 * Ensure no hostiles escape (Virgo, Cancer, Aries, Pisces, and Leo)

This is a simple mission, where you engage enemy waves. To get you used to the combat, these ships are damaged when the arrive, due to them being remnants of a previous combat. By default, they will try to engage the Orff, but the presence of you and your wingman may cause them to attack you instead. Of these fighters, only Aries 3 or Pisces 3 will try targeting you if you are relatively unscathed.

There are five waves of enemies:
 * Virgo wing (2 PVF Anubis) at 40% hull. Appears around 30 seconds into the mission.
 * Cancer wing (2 PVF Anubis) at 30% hull. Appears 10 seconds after Virgo 1 or Virgo 2 are destroyed.
 * Aries (3 PVF Anubis) at 35% hull. Appears 15 seconds after Cancer 1 is destroyed, or 8 seconds after Cancer 2 is destroyed.
 * Pisces (3 PVF Anubis) at 50% hull. Appears 13 seconds after Aries wing is destroyed
 * Leo (3 PVF Anubis). Appears in hard difficulty or higher, 12 seconds after Aries 1 is destroyed.

These enemies are easy to easy to destroy due to their limited health. As they will try focusing on the Orff, they will be in range of the Orff's guns and will be destroyed easily. On medium difficulty or lower, you need to destroy four wings. On Hard, five wings. After all wings are destroyed, Delta will arrive and you can return to base.

You should keep the Orff's hull above 70%. If not, the Vasudan Ace in the next mission will not appear.

The Field of Battle
Objectives:
 * Destroy All Vasudan Wings (Aries, Cancer, Pisces, Virgo)
 * Destroy Vasudan Ace (Reward: Distinguished Flying Cross)

There are four wings to destroy. To find them, you will need to approach one of the "blips" on the radar. If you don't reach a ship in 50 seconds, Alpha 2 will automatically head towards Cancer wing.

You will fight against four wings of enemies: Aries, Cancer, Pisces, and Virgo. Each wing consists of 3 PVF Anubis.

There is also a Vasudan Ace in the area, flying a PVF Seth. It will arrive after you defeat three waves in the area, but it won't appear if you took 50% damage on normal or easier, or if the Orff got reduced to 70% health in the previous mission. Destroying the ace rewards the Distinguished Flying Cross.

If you have trouble with this mission, you can warp out at any time. However, doing so will add a turret to a freighter in the next mission.

Small Deadly Space
Advancement condition:
 * Destroy Vasudan freighters, or destroy reinforcement ships

Objectives:
 * Secure area until Orff arrives (Destroy Aries, Virgo, Cancer, wait for Orff)
 * Destroy reinforcement ships (Pisces)
 * Protect the cargo containers.
 * Eliminate all Vasudan freighters.
 * Find Weapon Prototype (Cargo 2)

If needed, you can call Delta for reinforcements.

In this mission, you need to secure a cargo depot. It is initially protected by two fighter wings, Aries (3 PVF Anubis), and Cancer (2 PVF Anubis). If the freighters take enough damage, or if Aries 1 or 2 gets destroyed, Virgo reinforces (2 PVF Anubis) and attacks.

There are two Freighters in the area. One will pick up a cargo and leave, while the other will simply patrol. Both will attempt to flee the instant they're attacked. As such, you can focus on the fighters first, and focus the attacks on the freighters. When they start to flee, their departure appears to be linked to travelling to a specific point in the area.

If you fail to destroy the freighters, Pieces wing (2 PVF) will arrive and attack.

When Omega docks with the cargo, Scorpio (3 PVF Anubis, max 4 waves) will arrive and attack. Once Orff arrives, Scorpio will stop reinforcing and you can depart. Although you can depart earlier, doing so causes a wave of fighters to arrive early on the next mission, and prevents you from capturing the Rasputin.

Avenging Angels
Advancement condition:
 * Omega captured

Objectives:
 * Disable and capture the Omega.
 * Destroy all enemy fighters (Cancer, Aries, Traitors Alpha, Traitors Beta)
 * Disable and capture the Rasputin

Delta will also arrive if 60% of Alpha/Beta get destroyed. Also, if certain ships in Alpha and Beta wings are destroyed, you can call Epsilon wing as reinforcements.

Your mission is to disable Omega to recapture the Avenger prototype. In this case, Omega will follow a waypoint, and depart should it reach the end of the path. When you disabled Omega and GTT Comet docks to capture it, Traitors Beta will try destroying Omega.

Traitors Alpha (2 GTF Apollo) and Traitors Beta (2 GTF Apollo) are likely the first enemies you will fight against.

Aries (2 PVF Horus, 1 PVB Osiris) will guard Rasputin if present.

Cancer (3 PVF Anubis) arrives if Rasputin is reduced to 70% health, if Rasputin departs, so does Cancer.

Rasputin is an Isis transport, which will try to flee if there's a problem. Capturing Rasputin rewards you with the Commendation Medal.

Virgo (3 PVF Anubis) arrives when the Comet does. They will attack Omega.

If you missed a freighter from the previous mission, you can find them here.

Out of the Dark, Into the Night
Advancement Condition:
 * Escort Plato (escape pod)

Objectives:
 * Escort Plato (Plato)
 * Visually identify the unknown ships (get within 300 units of an unknown)
 * Kill the Unknown Fighter (One of Unknown 5, 6, 7 or 8)

Before you start the mission, you will want to change your loadout. Replace one of the ML-15s with a disruptor (for extra shield damage per second), and ensure your secondary weapon is the Fury Missile. In addition, you may want to switch to the GTF Valkerie as that gives a slightly tighter missile spread.

Aries will attack the Plato within 40 seconds. They are easy defeated, but in case they cause trouble (e.g. two of your wingmen are downed), Delta will arrive to help. This assistance won't be available once the Taurus arrives.

Virgo and Taurus arrives around the 2 minute mark. They are soon followed by four unknowns, who will start attacking your enemy. Although you are instructed to get a visual on the unknown, you can simply continue with the escort (as said objective activated on the next wave appearing near the Plato.)

25 seconds after the Taurus is destroyed, the Unknowns will attack Plato. When the Plato is destroyed, all but one depart. Although you can engage them, it's best to have them try finishing off Plato as soon as possible, as the vessel is scripted to never depart. When Plato is down to 20% hull, it will release the escape pod.

When the Plato Escape pod leaves, you have 100 seconds to destroy the straggling unknown. Your ML-15 laser is ineffective against the shields, but peppering it with the Fury missile can break down the shield and cause damage.