Next to the nydus worms are easy-to-miss cliffs that put reapers above the nydus worms, allowing them to attack free of retaliation. Only reapers can reach them, but only a few should be needed. Halfway through the mission, bonus objectives to defend research facilities will appear on the map. Nova should alternate to where she is most needed, as she alone can almost take on entire waves if used correctly.
Grenade or snipe them before they hit the bulk of the terran forces. Place reapers on the cliffs, but be aware that ravagers will kill them in two corrosive bile shots.ĭefilers are a priority target, as dark swarm will prevent your units from being able to hit any zerg under them. More marauders should be added to bunkers closer toward the base, as the units that will survive spider mines and the initial bunker waves should be the heavier, armored units. All bunkers should have at least one marauder, as their concussive shells have an area-of-effect slow. Some of these are on harder to spot cliffs, so be sure to scout the entire perimeter for these plates, as all should have a fully manned bunker on them.
On the map are metal plates, that signify optimal places to build bunkers. Flash grenades can be helpful if timed correctly, as they will stun units in range of bunkers, but pulse grenades can serve as a powerful wave clear, especially if the sniper rifle is being used. Nova's sniper rifle on the other hand allows for a large amount of damage against some of the priority targets such as the defilers and ultralisks, but leaves a potential weakness to banelings. In regards Nova's loadout, the hellfire shotgun is useful for taking out large numbers of units, but has a slow rate of fire and is not very effective against the larger armored units that come later in the mission. Due to the limited resources on the map, building a command center next to Horner's command center and mining from his mineral patches will greatly boost the player's economy in the late game, especially if aiming for the "no buildings lost" achievement. Use Nova to clear the first two waves while the majority of the resources are spent building up an economy and initial defenses. Early saturation is necessary, as the starting mineral patches are low. Reapers with spider mines are a useful defense, but take care not to overdo them, as they are fragile and will quickly be taken out by ravagers. The objective is to soften the zerg up enough to where they will not be a threat to the Dominion base at the end of the canyon. This mission involves four lanes that zerg will come from. Horner's forces slipped out in the chaos, while the Defenders of Man engaged the zerg. They demanded the surrender of Nova and the evacuation of all Dominion forces. However, they were not Dominion, but rather Defenders of Man ships. The zerg were repelled for a time, and battlecruisers arrived and engaged the zerg. As time went on, the zerg attacks became more intense, eventually even sending ultralisks and a brutalisk against the Dominion position. During the battle, Chief Engineer Rory Swann's Military Research Center and Experimental Weapons Lab came under attack by the swarm, and Swann requested aid from Nova's forces. Nova and her crew weakened the zerg as they moved through the passages in increased number. Nova was given a jump jet to aid her in traversing the cliffs.
Nova was given a special operations team, which held a base between these passages, which included reapers wielding spider mines. The zerg began assaulting Horner's base, but to do so had to cross through narrow passages.