People used to think the large would eat the small; instead, it is the swift who are eating the slow.
Curtis E. Sahaian, The Delphi Method (1997)
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Overview[]
The player controls FIA squad leader Ben Kerry. Thanks to Kerry's efforts, Nikos has been brought back to the safety of friendly lines.
At the same time, the battle has been joined with NATO'scounterinvasion of Altis beginning at long last. Better yet, Captain Miller has informed Stavrou that he is helping to coordinate the invasion, and that NATO is ready to lend their hand to the guerillas.
To that end, Stavrou has rallied his men to ready a major offensive of their own against the towns of Poliakko, Therisa, and the AAC airfield. If they are successful, the FIA can cripple a significant part of the AAF's airpower and hopefully lure some CSAT defenders away from the main airport.
You may want to consider lowering your profile's difficulty settings if the CSAT AI prove to be too much to handle.
This is the final mission of the Adapt episode. Any equipment salvaged from prior missions and Scouting will be lost upon the completion of Beyond Recognition.
As such, make sure you equip Kerry and his subordinates with the best weapons and gear that you have obtained up until this point. They will not be carried over into the start of the next episode.
You may want to have Kerry carry a Titan SAM rather than an anti-tank launcher. Additionally, have at least one member of the squad haul a spare missile so that Kerry will have enough stamina remaining to sprint for more than a few seconds.
Primary 1: Destroy the Artillery[]
NOTE:This objective runs concurrently with the second Primary objective below (Clear the Command Complex).
Shortly after the mission commences, a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) truck carrying AAF reinforcements will be passing by your starting location. The truck has a squad of eight AAF troopers inside, but they are unaware of Omega's presence and will only drive towards Therisa before coming to a stop at grid 105-123.
You can either fight them or choose to let them pass unprovoked. Since you don't have much time to set up a proper ambush, it may be preferable to simply let them pass by. Make sure your guerillas are prone, remain in STEALTH mode, and are set to Hold Fire until the truck has left the area. Once they're gone, you can return them back to normal and continue moving towards Poliakko.
The CSATartillery battery (at grid 111-133) is protected by six recon operatives and engineers. On the other hand, the joint CSAT-AAF command post at grid 110-134 is defended by a total of nine soldiers, two of whom are officers. Two of the command post's AAF troopers will instantly move to reinforce the artillery battery once it gets attacked, so keep that in mind after you mop up the battery's defenders.
How you assault either location is up to your playstyle. However, you should focus on the CSAT artillery battery initially as it is (relatively) "easier" to tackle first compared to the command post. That being said, either targets will be a lot more difficult than they initially appear due to the terrain around Poliakko; the surrounding areas are completely flat, and offer no good vantage points for you to set up a firing position on.
For instance, the eastern approach towards the battery has no cover save for a few ruined houses, while the ridgeline along hills 70 and 59 are not sufficiently elevated enough for you to snipe the defenders from (not to mention being dangerously close to the mission boundary and Poliakko's structures blocking your vision). Worse yet, the southern approach is concealed by a grove of trees that block your line-of-sight completely.
With your allies drawing fire to the east, Kerry can flank the distracted defenders from the south.
Because of these circumstances, you may need to split up with your squad and have them attack from the east while Kerry solos from the south-west through the streets. Though your AI subordinates will not have much cover to hide behind, they may stand a better chance of surviving while fighting out in the open as opposed to navigating through the town's structures (AI do not handle CQB well compared to human players).
Alternately, if you kitted your guerillas with plenty of RPG rounds (specifically TBG-42V HE grenades), you can bombard the defenders from a distance and mop up the survivors with UGL grenades.
No matter your decision, order your team to switch to COMBAT mode and Open Fire once ready to begin. Take your time moving in and clearing out the battery and do not rush. Remember to watch out for reinforcements from the command post as they can easily catch you by surprise if you aren't anticipating their arrival. Once the battery has been blown up, this objective will be marked complete.
Primary 2: Clear the Command Complex[]
NOTE:This objective runs concurrently with the first Primary objective above (Destroy the Artillery).
Continuing on after the battery's destruction, you must now clear the command post just to the north. You will be facing against nine threats in total. Since the entire area will be alerted by now, they will have most likely begun to move from their initial locations and will have scattered in different directions. Remember to keep in mind that two AAF troopers will be heading towards the battery's location, so try to hunt them down first before assaulting the command post.
Leave your AI allies somewhere safe for now (and defensible for the upcoming objective) as they will be more of a hindrance than help for this objective. As for Kerry, your firefights will be taking place exclusively at distances of under 200 metres so switch to unmagnified optics or weapons that are better suited to CQB. If you had brought it earlier, you can leave your SAM launcher behind with the AI to free up some stamina though don't forget to retrieve it later.
Once all enemies in the command post are killed or you enter the location, this objective will be marked complete. If the latter happens, any enemies that you didn't kill will automatically flee and don't have to be eliminated for the objective to progress. In the mean time, hurry back to your AI allies and get set for the hardest part of the mission.
Primary 3: Defend Poliakko[]
Save your game if the autosave hasn't already triggered.
This next gauntlet will involve Omega fighting off two four-man CSAT recon teams, one of whom will be arriving via helicopter while a second will be moving in on foot from the town's north.
Gamma will be sending reinforcements your way in the form of four extra guerillas (they will drive towards your location in a pickup truck). However, keep in mind that Gamma's men lack customised loadouts, so you may want to have them grab Katiba rifles from the corpses of nearby CSAT defenders.
The CSAT gunship will soon approach Poliakko so be ready with your SAM launcher. If you had brought one as suggested initially, you can thin out the numbers quickly by shooting down the helicopter before it gets a chance to deploy its passengers.
Your first missile should do the job but if you miss, have your fellow squad member's backup missile(s) ready to reload with. Once shot down, you will only have to deal with the second ground team. Wait for them to come to you and thin out their numbers one by one.
One suitable location to bunker down is next to the former artillery battery. The rock walls make for good cover and the position has a decent sightline of the town's streets.
If you didn't bring one along or don't have spare missiles for whatever reason, you will need to carefully wait for the recon teams to come to you. Do not attempt to hunt them down. Set up an ambush point nearby, preferably behind solid cover, and wait for them to come to you. If you run low on ammo at this point, you can grab a Katiba rifle off one of the dead CSAT defenders to replace your primary.
Regardless, this gauntlet may take more than one try so bunker down as best you can. Don't forget that 40 mm UGL rounds are still effective against the operatives' armoured fatigues, so lobbing a few explosive grenades towards them remains a viable option. Once both teams are wiped out or there are only three remaining (both teams combined), the remainder will flee/be killed off by script and this objective will be completed.
Primary 4: Retreat to the Airfield[]
You don't have to do anything for this objective as it will be cancelled shortly after it begins. Don't bother running towards the airfield as suggested and head south-east towards grid 117-127 instead. There's a fair bit of trekking to do so ditch any heavy equipment like the SAM launcher (if you're still carrying it).
Primary 5: Secure the Crash Site[]
One of the NATOgunships has lost its tail rotor and has been forced to autorotate nearby, though they are also being hunted by a five-man AAF motorised patrol. Two will be approaching from the north-east while the remaining three will attack from the south-west.
You will need to rescue the surviving pilot before he gets overrun. However, you're not actually required to "save" the pilot in the conventional sense as he's not killable unless Kerry is the one who shoots him. You only have to kill the AAF troopers that are assaulting his position to complete this objective.
Once they've been killed off, approach the pilot (he should emerge from the house ruins) and this objective will be marked complete. A cutscene will commence before the mission ends in victory.
Tips[]
Save regularly! As it is the episode's final mission, it befittingly poses quite a challenge so do not be surprised if you are killed at some point during your first attempt.
Night vision-enabled optics are immensely useful for this mission as it takes place exclusively in darkness.
However, if you were not able to obtain an NVS or Nightstalker scope, you can still use optical sights with non-2D reticles as they remain compatible with NVGs (e.g. RCO, MRCO, ARCO).
Do not forget that NVGs will affect the vision of your AI subordinates. Not possessing a pair sharply reduces their detection range until the enemy fires their weapons.
The 2S9's commander is scripted to not utilise his RCWS turret against you. You can safely walk up to the vehicle without getting shot to pieces by its 12.7 mm heavy machine gun.
When you move to rescue the NATO pilot, keep in mind that he is scripted to be invulnerable to all forms of damage (aside from "friendly fire" from Kerry's squad). Take your time assaulting the position and try to snipe the AAF troopers from afar before getting closer.
Achievements[]
Guerilla Warfare
Obtained after completing the mission successfully.
Trivia[]
Even if you take no casualties in the initial stages of the mission or the defence of Poliakko, Kerry will still report back to Stavrou that Omega incurred losses.
Until the release of Game Update 1.14, Colonel Armstrong's dialogue lines in the ending cutscene were voiced differently and were higher pitched.[2]
He also wore a regular NATO beret as opposed to one with the 111th ID's unique flash and had a completely different appearance (Armstrong's "face" was only included after the third episode's release).[2]
Because Beyond Recognition predates the Jets DLC or the introduction of fixed-wing assets for the NATO faction, no jets can actually be seen dropping ordnance on Neochori at the start of the mission.
However, the opening cutscene in the second mission of the Tanks DLC'smini-campaign would eventually reveal that the airstrikes at the start of the NATO invasion were carried out by Black Wasp fighters deploying from Carrier Strike Group 14's aircraft carrier.
In yet another prime example of CTRG's duplicitous actions, the FIA guerillas - not least Stavrou himself, were fooled into thinking that Capt. Miller was coordinating the invasion with COL Armstrong.
To date, it remains unclear if Miller had gone through NATO high command to issue (by proxy) the order to destroy Stavrou's forces at the AAC airfield. Regardless, this act of deceit would effectively serve as a prelude of things to come later in the campaign.
