Previous Return to Kharak Next Great Wastelands, Part II Campaign Homeworld Great Wastelands Player Mothership Fleet Depicts First Battle of the Great Wastelands Date 1216 KDS Location Great Wastelands Primary objective(s) Act One Begin collection of resources Act Two Protect the fleet Act Three Destroy the retreating Turanic Raider Carrier Secondary objective(s) Build and deploy a Resource Controller Allies Bentusi Exchange (non-combatant) Enemies Rancor attack fleet

In Mission 4, the Mothership Fleet arrives in the Great Wastelands to gather resources and prepare for an assault on the fleet that destroyed Kharak.

OverviewEdit

The Mothership Hyperspaces in to gather resources. If a Resource Controller is in the fleet it is advised that it is moved closer to the asteroid pocket to speed up resourcing. Otherwise, it advised that one is constructed. After a time (Approx one shipment of RUs) the sensors detect a large vessel approaching at a high speed. The Mothership launches the Ambassador to establish a peaceful first contact. The aliens introduce themselves as the Bentusi, a trader race, and offers to trade with the Mothership Fleet Ion Cannon technology in exchange for the resources being collected. Once the trade is made, or if sufficient time elapses, the Bentusi announces that the Turanic Raiders are approaching, and being in the employ of the Taiidan Empire, must not know of their contact and departs, promising to 'listen' for them.

Soon after the fleet is assaulted by the same Lord-class Attack Carrier encountered at Kharak. After some fighting against fighters and corvettes a number of Ion Array Frigates hyperspace in around the Mothership and open fire. Once all the Ion Arrays are destroyed or captured the Turanic carrier moves in to assault the Mothership directly. Once sufficiently damaged it begins to retreat. The carrier must be destroyed to complete the mission.

ResearchEdit

• Ion Cannons (by trade with Bentusi) - Leads to Ion Cannon Frigates

StrategyEdit

Have you been following the The Ultra-EZ Stratagem since mission 2? Good, because now, it's gonna let us walk away with eight free Ion Array Frigates. You heard right, eight free frigates. You should be starting this mission with: 12 Salvage corvettes, 2 Repair corvettes and 2 Support frigates. Also, you shoud have the stolen Assault frigates from the previous mission, and possibly one extra.What you want to do right away is place two salvage corvettes (supported by a single repair corvette) ten KM on each side of your mothership. Place the other eight (supported by two support frigates, or two or three repair corvettes) ten KM behind your mothership. Later on, those Ion Array Frigates will hyperspace right into the waiting arms of your salvage team, and they'll do it without cover from strike craft! They're begging to be taken!

Anyways, build a Resource Controller if you haven't already, put your assualt frigates into "sphere" formation hand have them guard it, then go resourcing. Once you get your first load of resources in, the Bentusi show up and offer a trade for Ion Cannon technology. Whatever the cost, it's a steal. If you don't have enough, no worries, just harvest more. The game won't progress until you trade with the Bentusi. Shorty after completing your deal, the Bentusi run off with assurances that they'll meet you again.

Soon enough, some Turanic Raider strike craft will show up and start harassing your harvesting operation. No worries though, those frigates have more than enough firepower and armor to take care of things. Keep them fighting out there for as long as you dare, preferably until after the Turanic Ion Array frigates jump in.

Once they do jump in, you'll have to act fast. Quickly give salvage orders to your corvettes. Once the frigates on either side of your mothership is in the paws of your salvage corvettes, have the repair corvettes from those sides go and support the force behind your mothership. If you do it right, you should be able to snatch all of the Ion Array Frigates without losing any salvage corvettes. You can still take some losses and capture all of them though, or you might want to try building a few spare corvettes and having them help out. Whatever happens though, odds are that you'll be walking out of that fight with six more Ion frigates than you started with!

Once those frigates fall, the Turanic Raider Carrier shows up to make your life hell. But fails miserably. Just turn it's former allies against it, and that puppy won't last long. As an added bonus, it shows up with two more Ion Array Frigates! Have your salvage corvettes bum-rush those last two Ion Array frigates and haul them away. If you did everything perfectly, the Ultra-EZ Stratagem will have netted you eleven free frigates! Let's see the Bentusi beat that deal!

From here on in, don't expect any strategy to work as well or as beautify as the Ultra-EZ Stratagem. After this mission, Homeworld really starts to ratchet up the difficulty.

Mop up the rest of the Turanic Raider attack force, suck the place clean and move on.