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Coup d'Etat is the first mission of the Cartel-focused Beyond the Mirror campaign in Act of Aggression. This mission is unlocked after completing When the Wolves Howl.[1]

Background[]

A year and a half ago, Cartel's Olympus Cell are discussing their plot for Raul Escobedo's takeover on a secure connection. Poseidon asks Piet Vermaak to introduce himself. Vermaak identifies as a former South African Special Forces Brigade member and Damocles contractor who faked his death for two months. Then, Poseidon reveals they needed Vermaak to create an opportunity for Escobedo to exploit. When Vermaak inquires, Poseidon informs him they will have to kill Salomon Alonso, governor of Baja California, and he appears concerned only with external interference as long as he has the appropriate units. He is assured the operation would easily conceal its true intents as a mere revolution that he would instigate before Escobedo enters play, and Zhang Yao will provide assistance.

Preparations[]

Yao mentions several points of interest. Cartel forces will have to seize the Communication Tower and the Governor's Palace while expecting experienced and US-equipped resistance. A direct assault over the bridge would therefore be rather difficult. Though helicopters can be used, the Cartel base lacks any aluminum for now, and existing Mexican forces also dominate the airspace.

With a small existing force and some infrastructure, Cartel forces advance and begin their buildup, prioritizing the enemy Air Control Center to prevent F-22 Raptors from harassing their aerial units. They encounter moderate resistance of armored vehicles and helicopters, but managed to fight through and neutralize them, as well as the air control center itself. Meanwhile, they begin pumping out troops as the Governor Guard occasionally assaults their position on land. Cartel manages to repel them, while capturing the refineries and appropriating enemy resources for their own use. Taking over the Bank, refineries are also established and the few remaining enemy infantry are forcibly removed as Cartel gradually gains the upper hand.

Palace Siege[]

Enduring the Governor Guard's relentless onslaught, Cartel forces begin to advance using what they own and what they have seized, pushing into enemy territory filled with hostile presence. Both sides suffer varying losses, though as the battles draw on, the Governor Guard's numbers dwindle despite their superior equipment overall. At times, the Governor Guard strikes back with additional forces, and Cartel is forced to deal with them before continuing with the plan. Eventually, they clear out all enemy positions and reach their targets, presumably killing Alonso and also sparking dissidence through misinformation.

Coverup[]

Yao announces their victory and Poseidon, satisfied with the result, advises Vermaak to pull out his forces, adding Yao will oversee Escobedo's arrival. Units that are involved in the assault then board Cartel transports and make a hasty retreat from the immediate vicinity.

Walkthrough[]

The absolute worst of the mission could be very well at the beginning. Enemy F-22 Raptors are summoned every minute or so to destroy your Skycrane and K-MAX while Abrams and Stryker MGS arrive occasionally. Get a Refinery to start exploiting the oil fields first, then build another Barracks as you need anti-armor and anti-air reinforcements. It's impossible to secure any aluminum here without a fight, so exploiting these resources should not be of top priority, and make sure not to capture any POWs by using other units to keep them in place instead. Send three Vipers and Grinches to secure the nearest Bank, as well as three more near the base.

The Scorpios are unlikely to be helpful due to the presence of Guardian that's spawned frequently, unless used to snipe ground vehicles. Contractors should take the burden of the fire while Vipers and Grinches hang back. Remember Viper and Grinch cannot fire on the move, so stop them if they're under attack, while keeping your production queue. There will be at least one Abrams and Stryker ICV, so let your anti-armor units do their work. Grinches will make short work of any Guardian as they do not have countermeasures by default. Don't worry about the Air Control Center yet, deal with the Helipad first by shooting down the Little Bird there and any future Guardians. Though destroying it is the fastest option, it would be wise to capture it instead. The Air Control Center is relatively unguarded and maintained by a nearby Power Plant, but can't be captured. Simply fire away with Vipers and Scorpios.

With these out of the picture, begin training more infantry units and research the necessary upgrades. Contractors should be used to capture enemy Refineries and LEMs for extra storage and income while Vipers defend. Keep producing Contractors and more Barracks, getting their Prison Modules along the way to ensure the POWs can continue generating income. Research Force Projection and Medical Subcontractors in the HQ. There will be another aluminum field on the left for exploitation, but be sure to also guard it with infantry as well. Enemy infantry near the closest bank can be taken out easily by using Contractors to storm the buildings, as they consist of only Marines and Javelins in small numbers. If there's a Sniper, use a Contractor to bait an attack then send a helicopter over there, be it the Superhind or Osprey, as stealth units break stealth when firing and autocannon fire should be able to take one down easily as unlike the SAS, they can't do much against vehicles.

The other side has a Heavy Vehicles Bay, Light Vehicles Bay, 2 fully upgraded MG Nests, some Field Generators and LEMs. For the main assault, your best option is the Artillery Turret. They are cheap, can hit over the river with their range extension and can be built near any Barracks, which in turn is deployable anywhere by now. There's a chance for enemy vehicles to intervene, so try to guard the location with additional infantry. If you've captured the Helipad, using the Little Bird can extend their vision range enough for them to perform direct fire, otherwise you'll have to send a Superhind/Contractor over and get your sights on those targets before it gets destroyed. The combined force of numerous Artillery Turrets should be enough to pummel any number of Abrams, Blazers or Stryker MGS rushing at them, but to deprive the enemy of reinforcements is a simple matter of destroying their Field Generators or by wrecking the buildings themselves. With the coast clear, start sending more reinforcements by building Barracks further. The Governor's Palace is unoccupied, whereas the Communications Tower is filled with Stingers. Both buildings have a whopping 5000 health to prevent them from being easily destroyed in the crossfire and softlocking the mission, which by extension means Artillery Turrets can't be used to get rid of the Stingers as they will only take miniscule damage. Use Vipers to clear the way, then send Contractors to take the building.

Related achievements[]

References[]

  1. Eugen Systems, Act of Aggression. Beyond the Mirror mission 1: "Coup d'Etat".
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