Homeworld walkthrough

005.0 - Great Wastelands Part 2 

Primary Objectives: 

- Investigate the asteroid belt

- Eradicate all enemy ships

Secondary Objectives: 

- Destroy enemy Resource Collectors   

- Research Defender Subsystems 

New Technology: 

- Plasma Bomb Launcher 

- Defender Subsystems

Overview: The Turanic Raiders have been wiped out, but the fleet that 

destroyed Kharak is still around. But now you've tracked them down, and it's 

time to make them suffer. 

Fleet Construction: With the spare resources from the previous level and the 

ones on your side of this map, add enough Heavy Corvettes for a group of 

twelve, fifteen Interceptors, and at least eight Salvage Corvettes. You 

should also have about ten ships in your Battle Group as well, which you'd 

have if you've been capturing enemy ships. Otherwise, build a few Ion Cannon 

Frigates. 

First of all, ignore Fleet Intelligence's advice of sending a Probe to 

investigate the dust clouds. Instead, send a Probe forty-nine kilometers away 

from your Mothership in between the V-shaped dust cloud. This will act as 

your marker for triggering the Taiidan attack. Before getting into that, 

however, send out your resource team to harvest the area on your side of the 

Probe. When they get too close, send them over to the other side of the "V" 

and let them work from there. While you're waiting for them to finish, begin 

researching Plasma Bomb Launcher technology. 

With the extra RUs, finish building up your fleet if you haven't already. The 

six to eight Ion Array Frigates and three Assault Frigates you've captured 

already will serve as enough firepower in your Battle Group, and a Strike 

Craft composed of a dozen Heavy Corvettes and twenty Interceptors will get 

the job done. 

When you're ready, send your Strike Craft and Battle Group out to the forty-

nine kilometer mark. Position your Salvage Corvettes about twenty kilometers 

behind your fleet and slightly off to the right. Have one Interceptor cross 

the line to trigger the battle, but wait for them there. 

The Taiidan fleet is formidable, and consists of two wings of ten 

Interceptors, two groups of four Assault Frigates, three Ion Cannon Frigates, 

and two Destroyers. On top of that, two Resource Collectors begin harvesting 

the right end of the "V". 

Because the Destroyers hang back initially, you might be thinking of 

capturing an Assault Frigate or two. Don't bother, keep your eyes on the big 

prize. 

The Taiidan Interceptors attack first, with the Assault Frigates lumbering 

behind. Your Strike Craft can deal with the weak Interceptors, and your 

Battle Group outnumbers the Frigates three-to-one; for the highest possible 

efficiency, have them attack a single Frigate at a time. When two of the 

three have been reduced to space junk, the other group makes its appearance. 

Repeat the same strategy until they're gone as well. 

Around the time the fifth Assault Frigate is destroyed, have four of your 

Salvage Corvettes sneak over to the Resource Collectors (they're the yellow 

blip on the sensors manager) and snag them. If you attempt this too early, 

the Frigates will try to protect their harvesters, and you'll probably lose a 

Corvette or two. 

The next wing of fighters is a new type of ship: the Defender. While you're 

scuffling with them, Fleet Intelligence reports that they can copy this 

technology, so begin researching Defender Subsystems. 

After the Defenders are gone, begin retreating back to your Mothership while 

your Battle Group attacks the Ion Cannon Frigates below you. When the 

Destroyers come into view, divide your Strike Craft into two groups, with the 

Heavy Corvettes focusing on any remaining fighters and the Interceptors 

harassing the Destroyers. At this point, order your remaining Salvage 

Corvettes to capture the Destroyers; they should be coming in from the side, 

so the Destroyers won't have time to turn around and defend themselves. Make 

sure to do this before the Carrier catches up or it'll knock your Salvage 

Corvettes off. If you have any spare Salvage Corvettes, consider stealing the 

Support Frigate as well; it doesn't have any weapons, so it's a joke to 

snatch and comes in handy a few missions down the road.

That leaves the Carrier, which is following the helpless Destroyers to the 

Mothership. This one doesn't try to escape and its weapons are limited, so 

you shouldn't have a problem taking it out. When it goes down and all of you 

new toys are under your control, Fleet Intelligence reports victory and 

prepares to hyperspace. As always, let your new and improved collection team 

suck the area dry of resources and begin building your fleet for the next 

level. 

You won't need any new ships for your Battle Group, but you will need a large 

Strike Craft. If the majority of your Interceptors are still intact (at least 

fifteen), build a dozen new Attack Bombers and the same number of Defenders - 

you should have a total of forty fighters and corvettes ready for the next 

level. 

Once your harvesters have finished, have everyone regroup back at the 

Mothership. Assign your entire Strike Craft to a single group, and everything 

else to a second one. This will make things a lot easier to manage, believe 

me. 

006.0 - Diamond Shoals 

Primary Objectives: 

- Protect the Mothership

New Technology: 

- Super-Capital Ship Drive 

- Drone Technology 

Overview: Fleet Intelligence has decrypted a message from the Assault Frigate 

you captured at Kharak that describe powerful Taiidan outposts that are 

capable of destroying your still relatively weak fleet. To avoid running into 

these, you have to take the road less traveled through an asteroid field and 

a nebula. 

Fleet Construction: Before hyperspacing from the Great Wastelands, you should 

have added a group of twelve Defenders and twelve Attack Bombers to your 

fleet of Interceptors. If you didn't, it might be too late now. Heavy 

Corvettes will manage fine, but expect to lose a few.

Immediately when the level begins, order your capital ships, frigates, and 

miscellaneous ships (Research Ship, Salvage Corvettes, et cetera) about fifty 

kilometers to the right of your Mothership. This will keep them out of harm's 

way while your Strike Craft destroys the asteroids coming at the Mothership. 

Despite being heavily armored, it can only take so many hunks of rock 

bombarding it before going up in flames. 

However, your Resource Collectors will manage through the asteroid field just 

fine, so don't pass up the chance to gain a few thousand more RUs. 

With your one large group of fighters and corvettes in Wall formation, begin 

attacking any asteroid that's on target to colloid with the Mothership. 

You'll notice that most of them fly right by, and if you position the camera 

directly behind or in front of it, you'll be able to see which ones are 

threats. 

In the midst of all of this, Fleet Intelligence reports that Super-Capital 

Ship Drive technology is available for research, so do so right away. 

The one problem you may face is when your Strike Crafts begin to run out of 

fuel. Obviously, you can't have your entire fleet dock all at once and leave 

the Mothership unprotected, so take ten to fifteen ships at a time and order 

them to dock. About halfway through the asteroid field is a break in the 

action, which is the perfect time to refuel the majority of your fleet. Don't 

worry if they aren't in dire need of it, the extra juice will hold them over 

for the rest of the level. 

Once you make it out in one piece, the Bentusi arrive and offer you Drone 

Technology. Accept it, of course. When Fleet Command asks the traders about 

the nebula, the Bentusi respond with "No one returns." 

Want to find out why? 

007.0 - The Gardens of Kadesh 

Primary Objectives: 

- Harvest the nebula 

- Defend the fleet  

Secondary Objectives: 

- Protect your resourcers

New Technology: 

- Fast-Tracking Turrets 

Overview: After coming out of hyperspace, Fleet Intelligence reports that the 

nebula is extremely rich in resources. But your attempts to harvest them gain 

the attention of the Kadeshi, the protectors of the Garden. And they aren't 

very happy about you defiling this sacred place...

Fleet Construction: The next two levels, like the one before it, are all 

about Strike Craft. As long as you have a few Ion Cannon or Array Frigates, 

forget about building any more, unless you want to build a Support Frigate. 

You'll want enough Heavy Corvettes that you can divide them up between your 

Resource Collectors and Controller in groups of six, as well as forty 

Defenders and fifteen to twenty Interceptors. Retire all of your Attack 

Bombers, as they'll only serve as target practice for the Kadeshi Swarmers. 

Before taking up Fleet Intelligence's advice on harvesting, assign your Heavy 

Corvettes to guard your Resource Collectors and Controller in sphere 

formation - six to each ship will work. As they begin collecting resources, 

put your Battle Group and Strike Craft in formations, it's a good idea to 

keep your Defenders and Interceptors in two individual groups. 

After about a half a minute of harvesting, an unidentified Mothership 

appears. They tell you that you've violated the Garden, and that the only 

punishment is death. 

The Kadeshi fleet is composed of three (for now) ships: Swarmers, Fuel Pods, 

and the needle-shaped Mothership. The Swarmers are the main threat, as 

they're extremely fast and attack in massive groups. However, because of 

their size they also have a limited amount of fuel, enough for about four 

passes; afterwards they have to return to a Fuel Pod. 

This makes the strategy pretty simple: destroy the Fuel Pods. While your 

Strike Craft are occupying the Swarmers, send your Battle Group over to a 

group of Fuel Pods and blast them. Without a source of fuel, the Swarmers 

become immobile, making them easy prey for your Strike Craft. Just be sure to 

keep your precious capital ships away from the Kadeshi Mothership; not only 

is it equipped with a pair of ion cannons, but it also has a tendency to ram 

any ship that gets in its way. 

It takes your Mothership ten minutes to recharge the hyperdrive module, so 

that's the amount of time you'll be spending fighting off these monsters. The 

Swarmers usually make a few general passes before targeting a single ship, 

whether its one of your frigates or a Resource Collector. Because of this, 

you'll want to keep an eye on where your resource team is at all times; if 

you see a wing of Swarmers headed their way, immediately send your Strike 

Craft after them. If you have a Support Frigate, have it repair the unlucky 

ship after, or even while, it's attacked. As long as you take out as many of 

them as possible before they reach their target, they should run out of fuel 

before they manage to destroy anything. 

Likewise, you don't want to run out of gas either. Most of your Strike Craft 

will survive, but after seven or eight minutes of flying some of your smaller 

ships like the Interceptors will be calling for a chance to dock. I find that 

when Fleet Command announces that there's only one minute of charging 

remaining, there's a slightly longer lull between the groups of Swarmers. It 

may not be the best time, but it's probably the only one you'll get to 

refuel.

Since there really aren't any breaks in the action, though, you might get 

caught up and forget about saving your progress. Don't. If you happen to miss 

a step and end up losing a ship or two, you're stuck with either restarting 

the level or going on without it. Otherwise, you can simply replay from a few 

minutes ago and prepare yourself better.

Two minutes into the battle, Fleet Intelligence reports that it can develop a 

ship to specifically combat these things, so start researching Fast-Tracking 

Turrets as soon as you get a break. If you begin researching immediately, 

you'll finish around the eight-minute mark, which gives you two minutes to 

build as many Multi-Gun Corvettes as you can and deploy them. In reality, you 

might not get the chance to use them this mission, but they come in handy in 

the next one as well. 

When the hyperspace module is charged, Fleet Intelligence advises you to make 

the jump. It sounds like a good idea, but don't. Unbeknownst to you, the 

Kadeshi Mothership also acts as a hyperspace inhibitor, which will keep you 

in the nebula while it's still in the area. The only thing that results from 

trying to hyperspace is that your Mothership and capital ships are left 

unguarded while your Strike Craft re-launch. 

Instead, continue fighting the Swarmers, but make your way over to the 

Mothership when it floats by. Hit it with your Battle Group and spare Strike 

Craft, and it'll eventually leave. 

Now, was that really so bad? 

As Fleet Intelligence reported in the beginning, the nebula is loaded with 

resources, and you'd be a fool not to harvest them. It might take a while, 

but this level and the following one are the last two missions that are so 

rich in resources. In fact, if you play your cards right, these resources 

might very well last you for the rest of the game. 

Before hyperspacing, make sure to rebuild any ships you've lost. You can 

retire all but ten of your Heavy Corvettes and replace them with Multi-Gun 

Corvettes. All in all, you should have twenty Interceptors, forty to forty-

five Defenders, and twenty to twenty-five Multi-Gun Corvettes, along with 

your Battle Group of ten Ion Cannon Frigates or the equivalent. You should 

also have sixteen to eighteen Salvage Corvettes. 

When you attempt to hyperspace, you'll get the message you were supposed to 

have gotten when the Kadeshi Mothership was still in the area. It only takes 

a few seconds for the game to catch up and realize that the hyperspace 

inhibitor is gone, and you can re-dock and hyperspace away.

008.0 - The Cathedral of Kadesh 

Primary Objectives: 

- Destroy the attackers

- Destroy the hyperspace inhibitors

Overview: It's a trap! Three Kadeshi Motherships surround the Mothership and 

send Swarmers at you from all directions, as well as the powerful new Multi-

Beam Frigates. Even one hyperspace inhibitor will keep you from leaving the 

nebula, so all of them have to be destroyed.

Fleet Construction: The Kadeshi attack you almost immediately after coming 

out of hyperspace, so if you didn't build anything before leaving the Garden 

you won't have the time to now. As mentioned above, you should have twenty 

Interceptors, forty to forty-five Defenders, twenty to twenty-five Multi-Gun 

Corvettes, sixteen to eighteen Salvage Corvettes, and ten ships in your 

Battle Group. 

The Kadeshi ambassador appears almost immediately and gives you one final 

chance to join them before attacking. You can still give commands while this 

dialogue is going on, though, so set up a strong defense before it ends. Move 

your Resource Controller and Salvage Corvettes closer to your Mothership and 

send your Multi-Gun Corvettes in their place. Then move your Defenders behind 

your Battle Group, and leave the Interceptors to guard the front. When they 

finally launch, have your remaining Heavy Corvettes to guard your resource 

team, but don't send them out to harvest. If you forget about them and they 

reach the other end of the map, they'll encounter a substantial group of 

Multi-Beam Frigates that the Heavy Corvettes won't be able to fend off. And 

besides, you should have more than enough RUs on hand to get you through this 

level. 

After defending your fleet from the initial attack, this level is pretty much 

the same as the one before it. Swarmers and their Fuel Pods will attack from 

every direction, but never at the same time. However, there are bound to be 

multiple Fuel Pods that you missed on a given run hanging around, which the 

Swarmers will eventually find if their main Pod is destroyed. Since it's 

difficult to move your entire Battle Group across the screen, send Salvage 

Corvettes with a small escort to capture a few Fuel Pods. You can't use them, 

but you score 300 RUs for each one you retire. 

However, you'll want to keep most of your salvage team free, because shortly 

after the first few waves are destroyed, small groups of Multi-Beam Frigates 

attempt to sneak in and catch you off guard, which is actually surprisingly 

easy. At first glance, they look a lot like Fuel Pods, but their four ion 

cannons pack an extremely powerful punch. Luckily, they're also pretty easy 

to steal, and you'll definitely want them in your fleet. The first group of 

three appears directly in front of the Mothership, so send three groups of 

two to capture them.

About a minute after the first group of Multi-Beam Frigates come into view, a 

wing of Swarmers attack you from the left. But they're only meant to be a 

distraction, because at the same time a pair of Multi-Beam Frigates drop down 

from the right. Don't be fooled, send four Salvage Corvettes to haul them in. 

With your salvage team holding down the fort, most of your attention will 

probably be on the group of Swarmers that your Strike Craft have been dealing 

with. But once again, another group of three Multi-Beam Frigates appear from 

the front. Capture them, and send any group of Strike Craft back to the 

Mothership. Occasionally a small wing of Swarmers will attack your Salvage 

Corvettes, Research Ship, and Collectors while you're occupied, but even a 

small wing will be able to hold them off until help arrives. 

In the mean time, hit the Kadeshi Mothership nearest you, and hit it hard. 

Send any of the Multi-Beam Frigates you've already captured to blast it away 

as well, it shouldn't take too much work to destroy it. Clean up any 

remaining Swarmers and return to your Mothership, another Kadeshi Mothership 

is taking up the fight and the final two Multi-Beam Frigates are coming in 

from the left - almost directly above your arriving Battle Group. Capture the 

Frigates and head over to the other Mothership. Repeat the same strategy 

until it's destroyed as well. 

When the second Needle Mothership goes down, the third and final one retreats 

to the far end of the map, near an unusual friendly beacon. Don't follow it 

just yet, it isn't going anywhere and no one else will attack you. Refuel and 

repair your ships and organize yourself, and don't forget to add your new 

Multi-Beam Frigates to your Battle Group. When you're ready, send your Battle 

Group, along with an escort of Multi-Gun Corvettes, Defenders, and at least 

fourteen Salvage Corvettes to the green beacon. 

About three-quarters of the way there you'll encounter two groups of Advanced 

Swarmers, followed by seven Multi-Beam Frigates. Pause your Battle Group's 

advance while your Strike Craft deal with the Swarmers and your salvage team 

captures the Frigates. After the coast is clear again, continue on to third 

Mothership, where Fleet Intelligence makes a remarkable discovery: it's one 

of the Khar-Toba's sister ships. So it's true that the Kushan are related to 

these people. It's a shame you have to annihilate them. 

With the last of the Swarmers and Frigates out of the way, the final Kadeshi 

Mothership doesn't have anything left to throw at you. Focus all of your 

ships on it, and it too will be destroyed. 

Send your ships back to your Mothership and begin harvesting. While that's 

going on, figure out how much damage was done - if any - to your fleet; the 

addition of over a dozen Multi-Beam Frigates should make up for any Ion 

Cannon Frigates you may have lost.

You won't need too many new ships for the next mission except for Strike 

Craft, which you should have more than enough of from the nebula missions. 

Twenty Defenders, twenty Interceptors, and twenty Attack Bombers is more than 

enough firepower; but consider adding a small group of fifteen or so Scouts 

to be used as bait, you should be able to afford the 525 RUs. 

So much for, "No one returns." 

009.0 - Deep Space - Sea of Lost Souls 

Primary Objectives: 

- Investigate the anomaly 

- Destroy the unknown vessel

- Salvage the unknown vessel 

New Technology: 

- Guided Missile 

- Gravity Generator 

- Super-Heavy Chassis

Overview: An unknown ship is detected, and Fleet Intelligence would like to 

know what it is and what it's doing. 

Fleet Construction: It's all about Strike Craft here. As long as you still 

have most of them from the nebula missions (at least fifty, not counting 

Heavy Corvettes) you'll be fine. Build about fifteen Scouts to use as a 

distraction, though.

First of all, send your resource team out to harvest. Resources aren't as 

plentiful and are much more spread out, but they're there. At the same time, 

send your Scouts (who should be set to evasive tactics) to the beacon, with 

the rest of your Strike Craft following well behind. When you get within 

range of the unknown vessel, you'll see a strange, black ship (labeled the 

"Ghost Ship") surrounded by an escort of two Taiidan Assault Frigates, a 

Turanic Ion Array Frigate, a pair of Kadeshi Multi-Beam Frigates, and a new 

ship - a Taiidan Missile Destroyer. Its homing missiles will wreck havoc 

against your Strike Craft, but don't bother sending any of your Capital Ships 

near the Ghost Ship. If any capital ships come within ten kilometers of the 

Ghost Ship, it takes control of it and uses it against you. 

Now, you can send your Battle Group just out of range and lure its escort 

away and then destroy it, but you'll miss out on multiple rewards. Not only 

do you gain control of any ships that survive when the Ghost Ship is 

disabled, but if the Missile Destroyer is included, you automatically gain 

Guided Missile technology, which comes in handy in the next mission. 

Otherwise, you'll have to wait until Level 12 before you get it. 

Anyway, send your Scouts to harass the Missile Destroyer when they come into 

range. As they make their first pass, the Destroyer pulls away to follow 

after them, leaving the rest of your Strike Craft to hammer the Ghost Ship. 

The rest of the escort won't cause you too much trouble, but your attacks 

don't seem to be affecting the Ghost Ship's armor. However, they are causing 

the control field around it to fluctuate, so keep at it. 

Eventually, Fleet Intelligence reports that the vessel has been neutralized. 

Send your Strike Craft and new capital ships back to the Mothership, and send 

a Salvage Corvette to explore the Ghost Ship. When it returns, you find out 

that the ship is over a million years old, but its purpose it still unknown. 

As a bonus, the ship's control field was used to develop Gravity Generator 

technology, which you should begin researching immediately. 

And if that wasn't enough, the Bentusi arrive and ask for the data you 

collected from the Ghost Ship. In exchange they'll trade you Super-Heavy 

Chassis technology - what a bargain!

Before hyperspacing, build a second Missile Destroyer and have at least three 

regular Destroyers. You should also have fifteen or more frigates of any 

type, but that shouldn't be a problem. 

010.0 - Super Nova Research Station 

Primary Objectives: 

- Destroy all enemy forces 

- Destroy the enemy Carrier 

- Destroy the research outpost

New Technology: 

- Minelaying Tech

- Proximity Sensor 

Overview: As your fleet pushes forward to the Inner Rim of the galaxy, 

Taiidan resistance is expected to become much heavier. But there are 

weak points in their defenses that you must exploit. As Fleet 

Intelligence puts it, "It is time to hunt the enemy as they have hunted 

us." The first example of these weaknesses appears in the form of a 

Research Station near an active supernova. However, getting close enough 

to attack will be difficult due to the intense radiation being emitted. 

Fleet Construction: Forget about your Strike Craft, they won't be able to 

withstand the radiation, even in the protected dust clouds. Ideally, you'll 

want two Missile Destroyers, three normal Destroyers, and at least fifteen 

frigates. If you can't meet those requirements - particularly the Missile 

Destroyer - go back and replay the previous levels. 

The first thing to do is put your Battle Group into wall formation and 

separate them into groups. To make things easier to manage, have one group 

composed of just your Missile Destroyers, one with the rest of your Battle 

Group, and then the two of them combined. 

Now go to your Sensors Manager and look at it from a 3D view. See those dust 

clouds that run above and below the Research Station? If you send your fleet 

through those clouds instead of straight to the ping you'll be protected from 

the radiation. Of course, you can be sure that the Taiidan know this as well, 

so expect to be some resistance along the way. 

The path that runs above the Research Station is more heavily protected, but 

it's more straightforward, whereas the lower path requires you to jump 

between dust veins but isn't as well-guarded. As long as you have a Missile 

Destroyer, though, you'll be able to get through the high route without too 

much trouble. 

But why are the Missile Destroyers so important, you ask? Well, as your 

preparing to leave, Fleet Intelligence reports that the Taiidan have set up 

minefields. The mines are too small to be targeted by your capital ships, but 

will still do some serious damage to your fleet. However, the Missile 

Destroyer's homing missiles will be able to clear a path for you. 

Before leaving, begin researching Proximity Sensor technology and Minelaying 

Tech when the other finishes. Send your Battle Group up to the first red dot, 

but aim about three or four kilometers higher than the dot to keep the lower 

half of your Battle Group from being fried. Likewise, if you see one of your 

ships taking damage, adjust the direction of your Battle Group accordingly (a 

frigate on the right is out of the dust cloud, so move your group more to the 

left, for example). 

The first red dot turns out to be two wings of Strike Craft: fifteen 

Interceptors and eight Heavy Corvettes to be more descriptive. Pause your 

Battle Group's ascent and order your Missile Destroyer to attack them; the 

fighters and corvettes should be wiped out pretty quickly to the Destroyers' 

devastating homing missiles.

When they've been eliminated, regroup and continue to the next red dot. But 

as you go, begin "sweeping" for mines. You can't target them normally, you 

need to use the Force Attack (Ctrl + Shift) when dragging a box to attack the 

mines; but be warned, you can attack your own ships this way as well. 

Once you find a minefield, stop your Battle Group and send the Missile 

Destroyers out to clear the area. Continue forward and destroy the other two 

walls of mines along with the Minelayer Corvette as well, and then have your 

Battle Group catch up. Eventually you'll stumble upon another Minelayer 

Corvette surrounded by a sphere of mines, but even with that many mines, your 

Missile Destroyers should make short work of them. 

The next red dot is more of the same: three walls of mines and a third 

Minelayer Corvette. When the last of the mines are cleared, regroup and save 

your game. The final red dot is a group of two Destroyers and your first 

Heavy Cruiser, so be prepared before heading into battle. 

Normally you'd want to target the Heavy Cruiser first, but it seems that the 

pair of Destroyers move forward to attack you while the Cruiser hangs back. 

Because of this, attack one of the Destroyers first, but keep an eye on the 

Heavy Cruiser; if it gets too close, focus all of your attention and 

firepower on it. Remember, the Cruiser has almost three times as much 

firepower as a Destroyer, so it poses a much greater threat. It's almost 

impossible to keep all of your ships intact here; whichever capital ship the 

Heavy Cruiser targets will most likely be destroyed, so try sending your 

Frigates out first as bait instead of the more-valuable Destroyers. 

When the Cruiser and its Destroyer escort are gone, continue heading straight 

through the dust veins. You'll begin to see flickers of the Research Station, 

but don't jump out at it just yet; the area between the dust veins and the 

Research Station are unprotected, and the last thing you need is a damaged 

fleet before attacking the Station's garrison, which includes a pair of 

Assault Frigates, four Ion Cannon Frigates, a Carrier that releases Multi-Gun 

Corvettes, and forty-five Defenders. 

When you're perpendicular with the Research Station, make the cut to the side 

and target an enemy to attack. Your Missile Destroyers should obviously 

target the Defenders and Multi-Gun Corvettes, and the rest of the Battle 

Group can focus on the other capital ships. You'll probably want to target 

the Assault Frigates on your left first just to avoid being surrounded. 

But wait, there's a problem with the enemy Carrier. Like the Great Wastelands 

level, the Carrier begins retreating, and you can't let it escape. But unlike 

your last encounter with an escaping Carrier, you have a little more 

firepower this time around. As it begins to fly away, it'll pass right next 

to your Battle Group, so hit it with everything you have. You should be able 

to destroy it before taking too much damage from the remaining Ion Cannon 

Frigates. 

When the Carrier and Ion Cannon Frigates are space junk, turn around to where 

the Assault Frigates were; five more appear, but they won't stand up to your 

Battle Group. Finish off any remaining Defenders or Multi-Gun Corvettes, and 

then finally hit the Research Station. It doesn't have any weapons and there 

aren't any more surprises, so destroying it is simple enough. 

Before hyperspacing away, you'll notice that there are two small clusters of 

resources on either side of your Mothership. You can send your Collectors and 

Controller out to harvest them, but make sure you keep a Support Frigate to 

repair them once they reach the safety of the resources. You'll score about 

six thousand RUs between the two patches, so it's definitely worth the 

effort. 

The next level won't give you any time to prepare, so make sure you build 

your fleet before making the jump. If most of your Battle Group is intact, 

you should be alright. A strong wing of fighters is a must, though; about 

twenty Interceptors and ten Scouts will do the trick. You'll also want a 

minimum of fourteen Salvage Corvettes, but the more you have the more ships 

you'll be able to capture. 

011.0 - Tenhauser Gate 

Primary Objectives: 

- Destroy the Taiidan fleet

Overview: In a coded Taiidan transmission, you find that the Emperor isn't 

very pleased about his fleet's inability to prevent you from returning. He 

also knows that the Bentusi are helping you, and demands that they be 

silenced before contacting the Galactic Council. You can't let that happen. 

Fleet Construction: There's no time to build anything once the level begins, 

so whatever you have at the moment will have to do. As long as you have a 

competent Battle Group, some Interceptors and Attack Bombers, and plenty of 

Salvage Corvettes, you won't have to worry about a thing. 

The Taiidan attack squad consists of an Assault Frigate, four Ion Cannon 

Frigates, three Destroyers, and another Heavy Cruiser. This is a golden 

opportunity to increase the size of your fleet, and at the very least you'll 

want to salvage the Destroyers and Cruiser. It takes five Corvettes to steal 

the Cruiser, and three for each Destroyer; which means the minimum number of 

Corvettes you'll need is fourteen. Add another two Salvage Corvettes for each 

Ion Cannon or Assault Frigate you'd like to have, and have a couple of spares 

just in case. 

When the mission begins, Fleet Command reports that the Bentusi are nearby 

and in distress. Immediately put your Battle Group in Wall and send them 

fifteen kilometers in front of the Mothership (there's no ping yet, but 

that's where the Bentusi are). A short cinematic will play in a few seconds 

that shows the defenseless traders being pummeled by the Taiidan forces.

The first thing you need to do is distract the Taiidan from attacking the 

already damaged Bentusi. However, this proves to be pretty simple, as any 

attack against them will draw their attention away from their target. Send a 

small group of Interceptors to harass the Destroyers and Frigates, but send a 

separate group of Scouts to pick at the Heavy Cruiser. At the same time, 

divide your Salvage Corvettes into two groups and send them to either side of 

the Bentusi Mothership, but don't order them to capture anything. 

Your Battle Group should be in range by now, so order them to attack anything 

you don't want, and have your wing of Attack Bombers target the lone Assault 

Frigate. As the level progresses, the enemy ships will slowly separate into 

smaller groups, and that's your signal to send the Salvage Corvettes in. Move 

them as close as possible before issuing the order, though, because as soon 

as you target something, the rest of the ships will go after your salvage 

team. However, the idea is that because you actually issue the order at the 

last minute, there won't be any time to defend against them. 

With the Taiidan fleet destroyed and captured, send your fleet back to 

the Mothership and wait for your new playthings to fall under your 

control. When they do, the Bentusi thank you for helping them and reward 

you with a gift greater than any technology: the gift of knowledge. In 

the "First Time" the Taiidan empire exiled your ancestors from Hiigara, 

with the Guidestone being the only link that survived the journey. The 

Bentusi's final words are, "Reach your Homeworld. Establish your claim." 

Now you know the whole story, and why the Taiidan are so intent on 

exterminating you. 

Before making the hyperspace jump, make sure you have at least two Missile 

Destroyers and six or seven Proximity Sensors in your fleet. Also, enter the 

Launch Manager and select the "Remain Docked" option. You'll be glad you did. 

012.0 - Galactic Core 

Primary Objectives: 

- Protect the fleet 

- Destroy the source of the gravity field 

- Protect the defector 

New Technology: 

- Cloaked Fighter 

Overview: Things are finally going your way; the Bentusi have told you the 

history of your people, and you're heading into the inner rim of the Hiigara 

system. But the Taiidan haven't given up just yet, and they have quite a few 

more traps ready for you.  

Fleet Construction: You'll be fighting a bunch of Taiidan capital ships in 

this level, but never more than three or four at a time. As long as most of 

your Battle Group is intact, you'll have more than enough firepower to defend 

the Mothership. You'll want about six Proximity Sensors to alert you of the 

cloaked ships that attack later on, too. And because of the Gravity Well 

Generators in the beginning you won't be able to launch your Strike Craft, so 

have a pair of Missile Destroyers on hand. After the Gravity Wells are 

destroyed, you can use a wing of Multi-Gun Corvettes to help clear away the 

enemy's Strike. 

When you drop out of hyperspace, you find yourself surrounded by three 

Gravity Well Generators with a pair of Support Frigates each. Divide your 

Battle Group into three groups and have them attack the Generators; your 

fleet should be strong enough to destroy them even with the Support Frigates 

healing them, but if not go after them first. Shortly after you attack the 

Generators, an Assault Frigate and a Missile Destroyer appear to wipe out any 

Strike Craft that are immobilized by the Gravity Wells. Since your Strike are 

safely docked in the Mothership, forget about the other Generators and take 

them out. 

When the Gravity Wells and the small attack group have been destroyed, 

regroup and begin launching your Strike Craft. The Support Frigates will 

retreat back to the other side of the map, and it might be tempting to 

destroy or capture them. Don't, the key to surviving this level is staying 

close to the Mothership; the Taiidan only attack in small groups, but if you 

go out and look for trouble there are plenty of minefields and capital ships 

ready for you. 

There's a fairly long lull between the initial attack and the next one, so 

you should have plenty of time to prepare your Strike Craft and Salvage 

Corvettes, you'll also want to assign your Proximity Sensors to your main 

Battle Group. Eventually, two formations of Interceptors and Scouts will 

appear, followed by an Assault Frigate. Capture the Frigate, and let your 

Missile Destroyers and Multi-Gun Corvettes take out the rest. 

The Interceptors and Scouts are succeeded by a wing of Attack Bombers and a 

half-dozen Heavy Corvettes. Around this time, your Proximity Sensors will 

begin alerting you of incoming enemy units, and three wire-frame Ion Cannon 

Frigates will appear. Destroy the Cloak Generator to make them fully visible, 

but don't attack them. Instead, put those idle Salvage Corvettes to use and 

steal them. 

Another weak attack follows the cloaked Ion Cannon Frigates in the form of 

Scouts and Interceptors. Destroy them, but try stealing the Support Frigates 

if you can. It may seem like a waste of time, but they come in handy during 

the final mission. 

Some Attack Bombers and Heavy Corvettes make one final attempt at an attack, 

but they're more of a diversion than anything. Below you, a Heavy Cruiser, 

six Ion Cannon Frigates, ten Heavy Corvettes, and about twenty Defenders are 

trying to catch you off-guard. Don't let them, let your Missile Destroyers 

finish cleaning up the Strike, and send your Multi-Gun Corvettes and Battle 

Group to fight the Heavy Cruiser's escorts. Have all of your Strike Craft go 

after the Defenders and other Strike, with your Battle Group focusing on the 

Frigates. At the same time, order your Salvage Corvettes to capture the 

Cruiser; by the time they get close, the Cruiser will already have picked one 

of your capital ships as a target, which makes stealing it much easier than 

it could be otherwise. 

With the Cruiser and its escort dead or captured, send your fleet back up to 

the Mothership and wait there for a moment. Take all of your Salvage 

Corvettes that aren't tied up, along with a small group of capital ships and 

Multi-Gun Corvettes, and send them about five kilometers to the northeast. 

Eventually, a cinematic will play that shows a Taiidan Destroyer hyperspacing 

in. The ship, known as the Kapella, is led by Captain Elson, a member of the 

Taiidan rebellions who support your cause. He's being followed by a pair of 

Ion Cannon Frigates and Assault Frigates, as well as two Support Frigates 

with docked Strike Craft. 

If you look at your Sensors Manager, Elson's Destroyer is speeding towards 

the Mothership from the northeast. Send your Strike and Battle Group to 

distract the ships attacking him, and use your Salvage Corvettes to capture 

them. Any spare Corvettes should be used to steal the Support Frigates. 

With the attackers destroyed, follow Elson back to the Mothership and finish 

salvaging any ships you still have. Small wings of Attack Bombers and Scouts 

may fly by occasionally, so keep your Missile Destroyers and Multi-Gun 

Corvettes on hand. If you wait around long enough, another three cloaked Ion 

Cannon Frigates may decide to attack as well. 

When Elson is aboard the Mothership, Fleet Intelligence tells you to 

hyperspace away. For once, doing so isn't a bad idea. There are plenty of 

resources being harvested by Taiidan Collectors, but the amount of work it'll 

take to fight for them isn't worth it. 

013.0 - The Karos Graveyard - The Shining Hinterlands 

Primary Objectives: 

- Dock Strike Craft with the Communications Relay

New Technology: 

- Heavy Guns

- Cloak Generator 

Overview: While you've mainly been on your own throughout the game (with a 

little help from the Bentusi), the Kushan aren't the only people fighting the 

Taiidan Empire. The destruction of Kharak has incited a rebellion against the 

corrupt empire, and they're waiting for Elson's signal to move into the next 

phase. Hidden in the Karos ship graveyard is a relay station that Elson can 

use to make contact with them; and in exchange, he can guide you through the 

Taiidan's defenses surrounding Hiigara. 

Fleet Construction: For Method One, you'll need a strong Battle Group that 

can quickly destroy the Junkyard Dog, but after that a small group of Missile 

Destroyers can clear a path through the graveyard. 

For Method Two, a group of twenty Multi-Gun Corvettes and five to ten 

Interceptors will be more than enough. 

013.1 - Method One - Destroying the Junkyard Dog 

The graveyard and relay station are relatively unguarded, in the sense that 

the only resistances you'll encounter are some Autoguns and a single ship: 

the Junkyard Dog, which can be described as basically the ultimate Salvage 

Corvette. The Junkyard Dog is small, fast, and can capture any ship by 

itself. 

However, it does have one weakness: it's vulnerable to Gravity Well 

Generators. So as soon as you drop out of hyperspace, set up your Battle 

Group and begin construction of a Gravity Well. Have it guard a ship in the 

middle of the group and send them about five to ten kilometers out in front. 

Now enter the Sensors Manager. You'll see a single red dot flying around the 

graveyard, that's the Dog. When it eventually comes to your end of the map, 

it goes after one of your capital ships. Don't let it get close enough, 

activate the Gravity Well Generator and order your entire Battle Group to 

attack it. The Dog's armor is tough, but without the ability to move it's as 

good as dead. 

Without having to worry about the Junkyard Dog, send your Missile Destroyers 

out to clear the graveyard of Autoguns. You might want to send a Support 

Frigate with them just in case they take some damage, but the Autoguns aren't 

terribly powerful. Use this time to check out the ships floating around the 

graveyard, you'll see some rejected ship designs for Heavy Cruisers and 

Support Frigates, among others. 

When the Destroyers reach the relay station, send a small group of 

Interceptors or Scouts (in case you missed an Autogun) in evasive tactics out 

to dock with it. After it does, Elson thanks you and transmits new hyperspace 

coordinates to your Mothership before hyperspacing away. 

013.2 - Method Two - You Take The High Road...

I actually prefer this strategy over the other one, simply because it doesn't 

take as long. You need about twenty-five Multi-Gun Corvettes and a handful of 

Interceptors. Send the two groups above or below the graveyard until they're 

over or under the relay station. Send the Multi-Gun Corvettes in first and 

have them target any Autoguns in the area. About fifteen seconds after the 

Corvettes reach the relay station, send your Interceptors in and have them 

enter the relay station. The Multi-Gun Corvettes will be able to knock out 

most of the graveyard's defenses, but remember to order your Interceptors to 

do something when one of them goes to dock - they just sit around otherwise. 

When one of your ships makes contact, immediately hyperspace away. After all, 

there's really nothing else to do here but sit around and take damage.  

014.0 - Bridge of Sighs 

Primary Objectives: 

- Destroy the field generator 

Secondary Objectives: 

- Destroy the hyperspace gates 

New Technology: 

- Sensors Array 

Overview: Captain Elson gives you some useful information about what's 

waiting for you around Hiigara. Most importantly, there are a series of 

hyperspace inhibitors that will prevent the Mothership from hyperspacing into 

the Homeworld system. Elson has given you the coordinates of the most 

vulnerable inhibitor; if you can destroy it, you'll create an access point 

for a hyperspace jump. 

Fleet Construction: Like the Karos Graveyard level, there are two different 

strategies that you can use. For Method One, you'll need fourteen to sixteen 

Salvage Corvettes, twenty Multi-Gun Corvettes, five Scouts, and a small 

Battle Group that has at least two Missile Destroyers in it.

For Method Two, you'll want six Cloak Generators, a pair of Heavy Cruisers, 

four or five Destroyers, twenty Multi-Gun Corvettes, and twenty Attack 

Bombers. 

Also, in both strategies, research Sensors Array technology. You may want to 

consider building one if you have the extra RUs.

014.1 - Method One - Thou Shalt Not Steal

Being the least protected field generator surrounding Hiigara, the only 

resistance you'll come up against is a very small fleet of over a hundred Ion 

Cannon Frigates and even more Strike Craft surrounding the inhibitor in a 

gigantic sphere. The plan here is to bait small groups of Frigates out and 

capture them with a team of Salvage Corvettes. 

Why use this method? Well, for one, the size of your fleet will at least 

double. In fact, you can begin the next level with anywhere from twenty to 

one hundred and twenty Ion Cannon Frigates, six Destroyers, and three Missile 

Destroyers, all for the price of a group of Salvage Corvettes. 

Second, this is actually pretty easy to do. Luring the Frigates away from the 

main sphere in groups of seven or eight isn't as difficult as it might seem, 

and they're just as easy to capture. 

The drawback: It's extremely time consuming. Having to go back and forth with 

the slow-moving Salvage Corvettes and waiting for the Mothership to receive 

the enemy ships becomes tedious and boring quickly. 

Anyway, before stealing anything, you'll want to prepare your fleet. Take any 

Ion Cannon and Assault Frigates (Ion Array and Multi-Beam Frigates will also 

work if you don't have at least ten of the others combined) and any Missile 

Destroyers you have and set them up in Wall formation. Position them about 

halfway in between the Mothership and the edge of the Ion Cannon sphere. 

Next, take the rest of your Battle Group and have them sit just in front of 

the Mothership. Finally, take a group of fourteen or more Salvage Corvettes 

and send them to where your Frigates are, except about twenty kilometers off 

to the left or right. 

Now send a small group of Scouts, set to evasive tactics, into the Ion Cannon 

sphere. Don't go too far or you'll attract too many at once; but as soon as 

an enemy ship comes into view, immediately send them back to the Mothership. 

Anywhere from seven to twelve Ion Cannon Frigates will follow after them, so 

be prepared to destroy anything you can't capture. Send your Frigate/Missile 

Destroyer Battle Group to intercept them on their way to the Mothership, and 

then slip your Salvage Corvettes in from the side. It's a good idea to steal 

the Frigates that are closest together and near the back, since the remaining 

Frigates may try to knock off any Salvage Corvettes that are latched onto one 

of their comrades. If you steal a Frigate up front or leave one next to 

another being salvaged, it might have enough time to catch up or turn and 

attack. 

With your Salvage Corvettes tied up, target any remaining Ion Cannon Frigates 

with the Battle Group you have waiting. Occasionally, a wing of Strike Craft 

will tag along, which is why you have a few Missile Destroyers on hand. You 

should have the Frigates outnumbered, but if a few manage to slip by while 

you're dealing with another one, the rest of your Battle Group is waiting by 

the Mothership to defend her and your Salvage Corvettes. 

Now repeat about a dozen times. You can pick away at the sphere by sending 

your Scouts to different sides of the map, and you don't have to worry about 

eliminating the Frigates behind the field generator. Just remember to save 

after every successful capture, because there's nothing more annoying then 

having to replay something that's already unbelievably repetitive. 

When you get too close to the field generator, Fleet Intelligence reports 

that there are several (three) hyperspace gates in the area, and they should 

be destroyed to prevent reinforcements from aiding their defenses. At each 

hyperspace gate, you'll encounter a pair of Support Frigates with a swarm of 

Attack Bombers, Heavy Corvettes, and Interceptors, followed by two Destroyers 

and a Missile Destroyer. 

However, if you ignore the Strike Craft and focus solely on the hyperspace 

gate, you can destroy it before the three Destroyers appear (since they 

arrive after the Strike Craft are eliminated). On the other hand, these are 

the only Destroyer-class ship you'll come across this mission, and it'd be a 

waste not to capture them. Likewise, it's a good idea to steal the Support 

Frigates, since you'll max out your Frigates and won't be able to build any 

of your own for the final mission.

If you want them, send your Frigate and Missile Destroyer Battle Group to a 

hyperspace gate, along with at least nine Salvage Corvettes (thirteen if you 

want the Support Frigates) and a strong wing of Strike Craft that includes a 

small group of Scouts. Keep your Salvage Corvettes well away from the gate, 

since the enemy Strike will target them. When the Support Frigates appear, 

have your Strike and Missile Destroyers attack them, but leave the Support 

Frigates alone. When they realize what's going on, they'll move about twenty 

kilometers away, but won't actually try to escape. 

With most of the first wave dead, the three Destroyers appear. Send your 

Scouts to harass the Missile Destroyer, and the rest of the Strike Craft to 

attack the entire group. The two Destroyers will more than likely target one 

of your capital ships, so order them to retreat and send your salvage team in 

at the same time. The Destroyers will be preoccupied with attacking your 

Battle Group that they won't have time to defend themselves, and the Missile 

Destroyer shouldn't be too much trouble either with your Strike Craft keeping 

them busy. When the threat is gone, send the rest of your Salvage Corvettes 

to capture the two remaining Support Frigates, and return to the Mothership 

for refueling and repairs. Afterwards, head over to another hyperspace gate.

Eventually, the majority of the sphere will be eliminated. You'll want at 

least the front half gone, but getting rid of any more wouldn't be a bad 

idea. When you think you're ready, send everything you have at the field 

generator: both Battle Groups, a strong wing of Multi-Gun Corvettes, Attack 

Bombers, and Heavy Corvettes, and at least six Proximity Sensors. Order all 

of your ships to guard the slower group of Destroyers and Heavy Cruisers to 

make sure you'll all arrive there at the same time, and then evenly spread 

your Proximity Sensors around. 

As you inch closer to the generator, a proximity warning will go off and 

three cloaked Destroyers will attack. Order the majority of your fleet to 

attack the Destroyers, and set aside a small group to knock out the Cloak 

Generators. Soon after, another cloaked Destroyer will appear from above, so 

repeat the same strategy you used before. The generator's last major defense 

is a cloaked Heavy Cruiser, but the combined force of your Battle Group will 

be able to overpower it without a problem. 

From here, hit the generator, and hit it hard. There's a Carrier hanging 

around, but it doesn't attack too aggressively. Send your Multi-Gun Corvettes 

and Heavy Corvettes to wipe out any Strike Craft it decides to launch. A few 

Ion Cannon Frigates may also wander over, but there shouldn't be too many if 

you did a good job of clearing away the sphere. Allocate a small group of Ion 

Cannon Frigates (ten is more than enough) and your Attack Bombers to deal 

with these nuisances. 

The field generator itself has no defenses whatsoever, but you do have to 

worry about one of your ships being destroyed by one of the individual 

sections as it rotates. It's not a major problem, but definitely set your 

fleet to evasive tactics and keep an eye on where they are. 

Once all eight sections are destroyed, Fleet Intelligence reports that the 

hyperspace inhibitor field surrounding Hiigara has been shut down. There's 

really nothing left for you here, so hyperspace away (unless you plan on 

salvaging the Carrier and Resource Collectors). 

014.2 - Method Two - Can't Hit What You Can't See 

This method is just as simple as the other one, but it also leaves you with a 

relatively small fleet (relative to what it could be using the strategy 

described above). But the positive here is that it won't take as long to 

complete. Instead of getting rid of the sphere of Frigates, you'll be 

bypassing it entirely. Using Cloak Generators, a small but extremely powerful 

fleet will sneak past all of the Ion Cannon Frigates and destroy the field 

generator before the Taiidan can close in and retaliate. 

To prepare for this, put your Heavy Cruisers and Destroyers into Wall 

formation. Order your Attack Bombers into Broad formation and have them guard 

the top of the Battle Group, while the Multi-Gun Corvettes do the same but 

with the bottom of it. 

Now put your Cloak Generators into five groups. Group 1 will be any three 

Generators, and Group 2 will be the other three. Now choose one Cloak 

Generator from each group and assign them to Group 3. Groups 4 and 5 will be 

identical to Group 3, but with the other Cloak Generators. 

It may sound confusing, but it's really not. The idea behind this is that you 

can quickly activate any Cloak Generator from each group, so while one is 

cloaking, the others can be recharging. And when the active one is about to 

run out, you can easily switch to another Generator. With Groups 1 and 2 on 

either side of the main Battle Group, you'll be able to keep your ships 

cloaked indefinitely. 

Before heading over to the field generator, run a few tests. Make sure all of 

your ships are cloaked, but while moving and standing still. If anything is 

visible and you aren't able to squeeze them into the Cloak Generator's field, 

get rid of them (this applies to Strike Craft, not your capital ships). 

When everything's working and you're sure the cloaking field will hold up, 

send your Battle Group to the field generator. When you get close to the 

sphere of Frigates, activate one pair of Cloak Generators (remember to do 

this before the ships will spot you). When the first pair's power is running 

low, switch to the next two and let the others recharge. 

Once you reach the field generator, order your Battle Group and Attack 

Bombers to destroy it. If the cloaked Destroyers and Heavy Cruiser figure out 

what's going on and lumber over to attack you, ignore them; you should be 

just about done destroying the last few sections of the generator anyway. Use 

your Multi-Gun Corvettes to attack any Strike Craft that get in your way. 

When the hyperspace inhibitor field is gone, immediately hyperspace away - 

there's no reason to stick around and you have quite a few angry Taiidan 

ships surrounding you. 

014.3 - Method Three - The Best of Both Worlds 

This isn't really a separate strategy per se, but it's still worth 

mentioning. If you have a weak fleet but don't have the patience to knock out 

the entire sphere of Ion Cannon Frigates, steal as many as you want and then 

send your cloaked ships in to destroy the field generator. 

015.0 - Chapel Perilous 

Primary Objectives: 

- Destroy the object 

Overview: The Taiidan are becoming desperate, they've strapped an engine to a 

very large asteroid and set it on a collision course with the Mothership. But 

as they say, necessity is the mother of invention, and this is a surprisingly 

effective strategy considering how bizarre it is. 

Fleet Construction: There's no time to build anything new, so you're going to 

have to deal with whatever you have on hand. 

Send your entire Battle Group and all of your Strike Craft out to intercept 

the asteroid; like with the field generator, use evasive tactics to avoid 

colliding into it and losing one of your ships. As you get closer and closer, 

the asteroids escorts will begin attacking you; first with a group of twenty 

Interceptors, followed by twenty Heavy Corvettes, thirty-six Defenders, and 

twenty Multi-Gun Corvettes. Order all of your Strike (minus the Attack 

Bombers) and Missile Destroyers to go after them. 

As for the meat of the asteroids escort, you're going to go up against two 

groups of sixteen Assault Frigates and four Destroyers. You might want to 

consider sending your Salvage Corvettes in to capture the Destroyers - or at 

the very least hold them at bay while you attack the asteroid. 

If you have a strong group of Ion Cannon Frigates (at least forty or more), 

order them to attack the asteroid, along with your Heavy Cruisers and 

Destroyers; any Ion Array or Multi-Beam Frigates you have should distract the 

asteroids escorts. If you have a weak alternate Battle Group, ignore the 

escorts and just attack the asteroid. 

When the asteroid is destroyed, finish off (or capture) any remaining Taiidan 

ships and harvest the area. At the same time, prepare your fleet for the 

final level by maxing out all of your capital ships. If you've been using 

Salvage Corvettes a lot, you probably won't even be able to build very many 

ships, which is a good thing. If your Battle Group is maxed out and you still 

have some spare RUs, build about twenty-five Multi-Gun Corvettes, twenty 

Attack Bombers, and fifteen Interceptors. If you need RUs, retire any non-

combat ships you don't need: Research Ships, Proximity Sensors, and Sensors 

Arrays. Don't get rid of your Collectors and Controllers, though.

Also - and this is important - build as many Support Frigates as you can. The 

final mission throws a very large fleet at your Mothership, and without at 

least one Support Frigate to repair her there's a slim chance you'll be able 

to get through in one piece. Four is a good number, but more is better.  

016.0 - Hiigara  

Primary Objectives: 

- Eradicate enemy forces

Overview: The asteroid, while not destroying you, served its purpose as a 

delay tactic. When you arrive at Hiigara, a very large Taiidan fleet is 

waiting for you, including the Emperor's flagship. This level is divided into 

five fairly large battles, and you're going to have to fight some of them 

simultaneously in different areas. If you really want your Homeworld back, 

you're going to have to earn it. 

Fleet Construction: Like the previous mission, there's almost no time to 

build anything before being attacked; any fleet building should've been done 

before hyperspacing. But feel free to build any new ships to replace the ones 

you lose throughout the course of the level. 

Quickly put all of your Capital Ships in front of your Mothership. You'll 

want to have two relatively-equal Battle Groups for later, but at the moment 

you're attacking one target. Move your Support Frigates behind the 

Mothership, but close enough that they won't have to shift around to heal 

her. Third, send your Missile Destroyers and any Strike Craft that do well 

against other Strike Craft (Multi-Gun Corvettes, Heavy Corvettes, 

Interceptors, et cetera) about twenty kilometers directly above the 

Mothership. Finally, send your Collectors out to harvest and have your 

Controller guard them; they'll be well away from the action, and they'll drop 

off plenty of valuable resources. 

After letting you wait around for a minute, the first wave of Taiidan appears 

from all directions. Above you, a Carrier launches a few waves of Strike 

Craft; none of which should really be too much trouble for your own Strike 

and Missile Destroyers. Below you is a small group of seven Ion Cannon 

Frigates that should be ignored for the most part, because the main threat is 

much more destructive: six Ion Cannon Frigates, two Destroyers, two Missile 

Destroyers, six Assault Frigates, and a Heavy Cruiser. 

Luckily, most of these ships only go after your Mothership, which should keep 

your losses at a minimum. Of course, this also means that the Mothership's 

hit points are going to dramatically drop unless you have Support Frigates 

repairing her and enough firepower to take out the wave of Taiidan ships. 

With your Strike Craft dealing with the Carrier's escorts and your Attack 

Bombers picking away at the Ion Cannon Frigates below you, focus all of your 

attention on the main Battle Group. Destroy the Heavy Cruiser first, followed 

by the Destroyers, Ion Cannon Frigates, Assault Frigates, and finally the 

Missile Destroyers. As soon as your Mothership takes damage, order your 

Support Frigates to begin repairing it. As long as you get Cruiser and 

Destroyers out of the way quickly, you should be able to get through without 

the Mothership going down in flames. 

If you survive, save and prepare for the next battle. Your Support Frigates 

should have enough time to repair your Mothership and any capital ships that 

took damage. Don't forget about your Strike Craft hanging around out of sight 

above you; the Carrier doesn't do anything afterwards, so don't bother 

attacking it. 

Now, divide your Battle Group into two parts. Order one to remain in front of 

your Mothership (which will henceforth be called Battle Group 2), and send 

the other one (Battle Group 1) twenty kilometers up and twenty kilometers 

behind the Mothership. Eventually, Fleet Intelligence reports that 

reinforcements are coming out of hyperspace behind and above you. Battle 

Group 1 should already be heading in that direction, but adjust their 

positions to intercept them. 

The second battle puts you against a fleet similar to the main Taiidan threat 

from the first battle: six Assault Frigates, six Ion Cannon Frigates, three 

Destroyers, and another Heavy Cruiser. Attack them the same way you did 

previously - concentrate fire on the bigger ships first. This is a little 

more difficult because you only have half of your Battle Group, but you 

should still be able to win if you get rid of the deadly Heavy Cruiser as 

soon as possible. 

With only a few enemy ships remaining, Fleet Intelligence announces that yet 

another wave of Taiidan capital ships are coming out of hyperspace. This 

time, they're below your Mothership and off to the right. Immediately after 

Battle Group 1 takes care of the last of the second battle, send them down to 

meet them. You have to do this quickly to prevent them from reaching the 

Mothership, so forget about putting your ships into formations - it'll only 

waste time. 

While your first Battle Group is en route to the third battle, the rest of 

your ships will be waiting by your Mothership. Don't send them down to help 

the others, a fourth group of ships are coming at your Mothership. 

Battle Group 1 will meet up with their target before the other Taiidan ships 

reach the Mothership, so pay more attention to them at the moment. This wave 

of Taiidan destruction is composed of a third Heavy Cruiser with an escort of 

ten Ion Cannon Frigates and ten Assault Frigates. Despite their numbers, the 

lack of any Destroyers makes this battle a bit easier than the others. After 

the Cruiser is out of the picture, begin hunting the Frigates, but begin 

switching back and forth between the two Battle Groups. 

The final attack against your Mothership is similar to the first one: six 

Assault Frigates, six Ion Cannon Frigates, two Missile Destroyers, a pair of 

Destroyers, and a Heavy Cruiser. Like before, take them out in order of 

firepower and have the Support Frigates repair the Mothership as it takes 

damage. This time around, though, the Taiidan ships attack both the 

Mothership and your Battle Group, which makes surviving a bit easier. 

But right in the middle of this frenzy, Fleet Intelligence reports of another 

fleet emerging from hyperspace. The usually calm voice is showing signs of 

fear as he announces, "We're being overwhelmed!" 

Thankfully, it's Captain Elson, and he's brought reinforcements for you 

- certainly a change from the norm. He gives you command of six Assault 

Frigates and a pair of Missile Destroyers, which you should throw into 

the battle to finish off the rest of the Taiidan. 

With both of your Battle Groups victorious, Elson and his Ion Cannon 

Frigates head across the map to attack the Emperor's Mothership. If 

Battle Group 2 is still intact for the most part, follow after him. 

Otherwise, wait for Battle Group 1 to make it back and then send your 

entire fleet after Elson. Remember, there aren't any more attacks 

against your Mothership, so don't worry about leaving it defenseless. 

Before attacking the Taiidan Mothership, Elson and his fleet stop at a 

lone Carrier, which launches twelve Multi-Gun Corvettes and twelve 

Attack Bombers. Your Battle Groups probably won't be able to catch up, 

but your Strike Craft can. Order them to fight the Carrier's escort 

while Elson destroys the Carrier itself. When your Battle Group finally 

arrives, have it attack the Carrier as well. 

Once the Carrier is space junk, follow Elson to the Taiidan Mothership. 

The Emperor is guarded by three Heavy Cruisers, each with a pair of 

Support Frigates. Elson ignores them, but you shouldn't; make sure to 

get rid of the Support Frigates first, and then destroy the Cruisers. 

When you reach the Mothership, you'll see the Emperor launching Strike 

Craft that immediately kamikaze into Elson and his Frigates, along with 

a pair of Missile Destroyers and a Gravity Well Generator. The Missile 

Destroyers really won't put up much of a fight, so focus exclusively on 

the Mothership. Elson's fleet has probably done most of the work for 

you, so you probably won't have to wait very long before the Emperor's 

flagship goes down. When it does, the Bentusi arrive with the Council 

and declare and end to the war between your species and the Taiidan. 

It's been a difficult journey, but you're finally home. Congratulations. 

Sit back, watch the credits, and enjoy the song "Homeworld" by Yes.</p>

CATEGORIES
Leon Hurley
Managing editor for guides

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides, which means I run GamesRadar's guides and tips content. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.