Total Annihilation/Barathrum! (Core)

Mission Briefing

Intell-tap Barathrum is a hostile world. Its metals are necessary for Core success. Establishment of a base essential. Placement of Metal Extractors on metal deposits will increase metal extraction rate.

Destroy all Arm units.

DO SO NOW

Details

Map for Core Campaign, mission 5: Barathrum!

Starting units: Commander

NOTE: Place a metal extractor anywhere will give you +0.5 metal/s. It's no longer like Core Prime. But it's still 10 times energe efficient than a metal maker. It's harder to get +40 metal/s like on Core Prime in 15 minutes, but +20 metal/s is still doable if you carefully balance your energy and metal.

You'll start the mission with a lone Commander perched on the hill next to the Gate, just south and west of the center of the map. Run due south with your Commander to get into a better position for starting your base. You'll want to setup in the southwestern corner of the map. You'll find rocks you can reclaim and a metal deposit that'll help you get a good start.

Build your KBot Lab first, in order to get started on a defensive force. Follow this with a Metal Extractor on the deposit and a Solar Collector. Then move your Commander east along the southern edge of the map to find another metal deposit and more rocks you can reclaim. You'll need to keep on top of your metal collection throughout this mission, as the resource is a bit scarce.

Build a series of Crashers, Storms, and Thuds at your base. Build a Construction KBot as soon as you have enough defenders. If things get a little hairy, build some LLTs and Punishers to help out. Keep a strong group of Crashers in the western portion of your base to defend against airstrikes, and reclaim the wreckage as soon as possible to maintain your metal reserves. Build Vehicle and Aircraft Plants as soon as you can afford the metal. Slashers and Avengers will help with the defenses, and you can build a few Infiltrators to take care of long-range Arm KBots that might start harrassing your defenders.

Once your air force is solidified, you can patrol the front lines and contain most of the enemy attacks. At this point, you should build up a solid attack force of KBots and vehicles to move on the Arm base. If you'd like, build a Level 2 KBot Lab and Vehicle Plant, turn out some Diplomats and Level 2 KBots to support them, and then fill out the ranks with some of the units you built to drive back the Arm attacking your base.

Wait for the next Arm attack force, take them out, and then bring your forces forward to push the counterattack back to their base. Their base is spread out in the northeastern corner of the map, defended by LLTs and Sentinels. If you're nervous about carrying through into the base, hold back and build Radar Towers to give your Diplomats good targets, and take the defenses out at range.

Everything from here on out is cleanup, just watch out for friendly fire if you push into the base while the Diplomats are assaulting the base.