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Mission Description
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Cultural Property is a playable showcase mission in ArmA 3. It was added with the release of the Art of War DLC.

Overview[]

The player controls U.S. Army infantryman Sergeant Taylor, callsign Echo 1-1 Bravo. The hardline regime of Georgious Akhanteros has officially capitulated to NATO forces. However, diehard loyalists have refused to lay down their arms and are ignoring their former commander's announcement.

It is suspected that many of these rogue troopers, holed up at the town of Sofia, are attempting to steal cultural artwork. Taylor's squad must act quickly to intercept them, and protect these priceless works of art from being wantonly looted.

Role/class:

  • Infantry / Engineer

Default loadout:

There are no alternate pieces of equipment to choose from.

Objectives[]

Primary[]

  • (1) Move to Point Charlie
  • (2) Secure Sofia
  • (3) Neutralize Sniper
  • (4) Destroy UGV
  • (5) Investigate
  • (6) Board Helicopter
  • (7) Ambush Convoy
  • (8) Recover Cultural Property
  • (9) Rescue Hostage
  • (10) Move to Beach

Optional[]

  • (11) Lost and Found

Mandatory[]

  • Taylor must survive
  • Hepworth must survive
  • Your squad must not be annihilated
  • The FIA guerillas must not be killed
  • Avoid collateral damage/friendly fire
  • The looters must not be allowed to escape
  • Do not harm the vehicle with artwork inside
  • Do not kill the art dealer

Walkthrough[]

Primary 1: Move to Point Charlie[]

You'll begin on a helicopter. Once the pilot lands near LZ Echo, follow Lieutenant Castell and proceed towards the reeds at Point Charlie just a brief walk away from your landing point. You should see two FIA guerillas taking cover behind the wrecked van.

Primary 2: Secure Sofia[]

NOTE: This objective runs concurrently with the third, fourth and fifth Primary objectives below.

You now need to capture the town from the AAF remnant forces while escorting Captain Hepworth to secure stolen cultural pieces. Watch out for scattered AAF troopers around and inside the town:

  • A chapel at grid 257-210 (with a disabled MRAP parked next to it) has two officers inside along with an enemy engineer. Get rid of him quickly but be careful when approaching the chapel as there are several pressure-sensitive mines outside it.
    • After you get rid of the engineer, you can proceed to move inside the chapel. The two officers will commit suicide before you can capture them, however, but you can read the letter they leave behind to unlock an achievement.
  • The double storey house (with an empty IFV outside at the barricades) at grid 257-212 has an automatic rifleman hiding on the second floor. He will usually attack if you inspect the medical truck and/or the tractor.
  • As you get closer to the centre of the town, there's a partially disassembled car placed in the middle of the street. Be wary as a firefight will soon take place here between enemy troopers and bandits (five targets in total).
    • One of the bandits carries a shotgun that can instantly kill you in one volley, so prioritise taking him out first.
    • Do not shoot any of the looters who surrender.
  • Another automatic rifleman behind the corner of a wall in the alleyway at grid 257-213. He may ambush you if you pursue any of the looters that manage to escape from their initial firefight.
    • It may be better to wait for them to run past him first and then kill the trooper as he walks into the alleyway.

Note that in order to fully complete this chunk of the showcase, you must clear the town of enemy forces and finish the Neutralize Sniper and Destroy UGV primary objectives first (see Primary objectives below).

Primary 3: Neutralize Sniper[]

NOTE: This objective runs concurrently with the second Primary objective above.

Arma3-mission-culturalproperty-00

The sniper's location.

An AAF sniper has pinned down your FIA allies but it's unclear as to where he's hiding.

You can either lure him out by baiting a shot or spot him manually and call in his position. The former is extremely risky as the sniper wields a .408 sniper rifle that can one-shot Taylor. Therefore, it's safer to simply switch to your binoculars and zoom in to identify his hiding spot.

Refer to your compass and look towards bearing 340. You should see a damaged house with its roof partially missing and flora growing over it.

Once you've detected his presence, relay his location via the Radio Menu (Hotkeys: 8-1) and your fireteam's marksman will dispatch the sniper with a headshot.

Primary 4: Destroy UGV[]

NOTE: This objective runs concurrently with the second Primary objective above.

Upon reaching the town centre (or the previous firefight ends), LT Castell will alert you to the presence of a rogue UGCV that has begun to randomly open fire upon civilians. The drone is immobilised near the petrol station at grid 257-213.

You'll need to sneak up behind it and plant your satchel to blow it up. Try to peek around corners and look at what direction its "gunner" AI is currently aiming towards. Sprint up around its blind spot, plant the satchel, then take cover quickly.

Arma3-mission-culturalproperty-01

The house with the drone terminal.

Alternatively, there is a drone terminal which you can use to disable it remotely without having to risk getting shot at. The terminal is located to the south-west of the drone's position, on the second floor of the partially destroyed corner house. Move through the church grounds instead of going through the side alleys.

You will then need to wait for the drone to aim in a different direction before sprinting across the street and into the house. Once you're inside, approach the terminal and hold spacebar to disable the drone's AI remotely. Do it quickly before the drone swivels its turret in your direction.

If you don't want to risk exposing Taylor to the drone's guns, you can also choose to hop into the heavy machine gun turret positioned on the north-western side of the station. Prioritise aiming at the turret first to disable it, then deactivate it manually via the drone terminal or blow it up using the satchel.

No matter which method you pick, the objective will be marked as complete when the UGCV has been knocked offline.

Primary 5: Investigate[]

NOTE: This objective runs concurrently with the second Primary objective above.

You now need to discover the cause of the drone's AI going rogue. Examine the corpses of the civilians and the AAF drone operator (on the second floor next to the terminal) and report your findings back to LT Castell.

In addition, you'll need to check the dead guerilla wielding an EMSPEC tool to the north of the drone's location (in the courtyard). Finally, inspect the corpse of the AAF officer who's slumped up against the wall of another house south of the drone.

Primary 6: Board Helicopter[]

Hop into the helicopter at Emergency Landing Zone Appaloosa and wait for Capt. Hepworth to also get in.

Primary 7: Ambush Convoy[]

You need to intercept the looter convoy before they can reach the coast. Once the helicopter lands, make a dash for the marked position on the road and go prone immediately. Ignore LT Castell's suggestion about rescuing the art dealer for now - you need to focus on preparing the ambush first.

Order your fireteam to transition to COMBAT mode and ENGAGE AT WILL. Stabilise your bipod and aim south-west in the convoy's direction. Once you acquire a visual of the bandit convoy, shoot the driver of the lead pickup truck. Do the same for the van's driver and kill the remaining bandits on the third car. Avoid using explosives or grenades as you might accidentally destroy the van.

When all of the bandits have been killed, this objective will be marked complete.

Primary 8: Recover Cultural Property[]

Inspect the van and verify its contents when the spacebar prompt appears.

Primary 9: Rescue Hostage[]

The smuggler's camp is located north-east of the ambush point. The hostage has been tied up next to the wooden shack while seven bandits and AAF troopers guard him.

Move up slowly and try to pick off as many as you can from a distance first. Watch your fire around the two hostiles standing next to the hostage. Focus down the sharpshooter and the shotgunner first. When all of the bandits are dead and the hostage secured, this objective will be completed.

You will fail the objective if the art dealer gets executed so be sure to kill the hostiles standing next to him quickly. The mission won't end in failure, however.

Primary 10: Move to Beach[]

Sprint towards the beach where the pier is. You'll see the remaining bandits attempt to flee on a boat but they'll get stopped by allied vessels. The showcase will then end shortly afterwards.

Optional 11: Lost and Found[]

NOTE: This is not considered to be an actual objective and serves only as a "bonus" which can be completed at the player's discretion.

Arma3-mission-culturalproperty-02

The locations of the missing artworks (labelled accordingly).

To obtain the Lost and Found achievement, you must locate all five of the missing artworks scattered at set locations throughout Sofia. In order for an artwork's discovery to register, it must be manually "discovered" by Taylor (a violet-coloured flag must be raised next to the artwork):

  • A: The small house at grid 256-210.
    • The painting will be resting against the back wall behind some crates. You can obtain this one shortly after you land at LZ Echo and/or have eliminated the AAF sniper.
  • B: Inside a plywood shed behind the house at grid 256-213.
    • Specifically in the courtyard behind the house where the AAF drone operator has set up stations. You should see an abandoned IFV parked next to the wall.
    • The paintings will be underneath the stacked crates.
  • C: Inside the single-storey house at grid 257-212.
    • You should see the wreckage of a transport helicopter outside of it. The painting will be lying on the floor next to some sculptures.
  • D: Next to a mound of rocks at grid 245-236.
    • When moving to free the hostage, divert east off the dirt trail and look for some unusually placed rocks with a shovel and pit nearby. You'll see the painting resting next to one of the rocks.
  • E: Within the shipping container at grid 255-214.
    • Look for a blue container. The painting will be next to the palleted box inside.
    • You can recover it on the way to ELZ Appaloosa once Sofia has been secured.

Once you get close enough, select the spacebar action prompt that appears. A purple flag will be raised to signify that a piece of artwork has been recovered.

Tips[]

  • Prioritise Taylor's safety at all times. Hepworth will be fine on his own and can even single-handedly kill off most threats without your assistance.
    • Don't worry about him walking into UXO fragments either if you attempt to enter the chapel where the two AAF officers are. Hepworth's AI is scripted to not enter the minefield and will simply wait for you to return.
    • This similarly applies to the sequence with the drone and in the final stages of the showcase where you need to intercept the bandit convoy. Focus on members of your own fireteam as Hepworth will always attempt to stick close to you (and will constantly seek for nearby cover if possible).
  • You may want to ditch your starting Kitbag if you have no intention of using explosives to blow up the UGCV. Doing so will free up a fair amount of your stamina bar and allow you to sprint for longer.

Achievements[]

  • Arma3-achievement-deadletter
    Dead Letter
    • Read the letter left behind by one of the two AAF officers who commit suicide in the chapel.
  • Arma3-achievement-lostandfound
    Lost and Found
    • You need to locate all five of the paintings hidden inside caches/houses scattered around Sofia (see Optional objective above).
  • Arma3-achievement-pictureperfect
    Picture Perfect
    • Complete the showcase without letting the hostage get killed or taking any casualties once Taylor assumes command.

Trivia[]

  • Despite the briefing and in-game dialogue both explicitly stating that the showcase takes place after the events of Paradise Found, Cultural Property unusually has its date set to the June 24th.
  • Capt. Hepworth is shown wearing a unique version of the basic NATO Combat Fatigues but with a black/dark grey shirt instead of the standard green/white combo.
    • However, his specific t-shirt colour combo doesn't actually exist as a wearable "uniform" outside of the showcase, and therefore cannot be equipped even with the use of scripting commands.
    • Upon killing Capt. Hepworth, the Tee variant of Tropic MTP-camouflaged NATO Combat Fatigues can be found on his body. This is because the texture combo is achieved by the mission's usage of the setObjectTexture scripting command, which is applied onto the Tropic MTP outfit.
  • According to Bohemia Interactive developer, Scott Alsworth, Hepworth belonging to the British Cultural Rescue Initiative is a reference to the 2014 film "The Monuments Men".[1][2] The film itself is a loose adaptation of an earlier 2007 non-fiction book about a specialist unit established by the Allies in the Second World War to preserve cultural works of art.[3]
  • Arma3-mission-culturalproperty-03

    The oddly placed T-140 wreckage.

    During the intro, the burnt-out wreckage of a T-140 Angara tank can momentarily be glimpsed on the flight towards the village of Ioannina at grid coordinates 223-192.
    • No T-140s should be present in the north-east region. Neither the main campaign's penultimate mission nor the events of Altis Requiem make any mention of elite tanker crews from the AAF's 1st Mechanized Regiment participating in the Battle of Ioannina.
    • Only reconnaissance and anti-air teams from the 1st Platoon and 6th Platoon, who exclusively utilised Nyx light tanks, were left behind in the area to support the 5th Platoon. None of those three platoons had access to T-140 tanks as the only other tank operated by the AAF were MBT-52 Kumas.
    • Similarly, armoured CSAT platoons/companies were not present in the area either as only a select few special operations teams were left behind to secure an important object.
  • A Liberty-class destroyer is shown moving in the ending sequence when the last of the bandits are intercepted. This is completely scripted however, as it is not actually possible to "drive" the ship in normal gameplay.[4]
  • While investigating the cause of the drone's malfunction, Taylor will humorously ask if the robot's AI had become self-aware and that this was the beginning of a "robogeddon".
  • Although not listed on the official Armaverse Timeline, Cultural Property offers strong implications for one significant event from ArmA 3's main campaign.
SPOILER ALERT

NOTE: This section contains spoilers from ArmA 3's 'The East Wind' campaign.

  • Arma3-mission-culturalproperty-04

    The officer's letter.

    A letter, authored by one of the dead Altian officers, suggests that the AAF may not have been the side that fired the first shots against the peacekeepers of Task Force Aegis on Stratis.
    • Addressed specifically to his "enemy" (in this case, the player's character SGT Taylor), the officer refutes claims that the AAF were the ones who initiated the Stratis Incident.
      • Furthermore, he outright states that NATO forces were the ones who committed a "terrorist attack" against his countrymen, thereby forcing the garrison on Stratis to retaliate with lethal force.
      • However, he is also dubious that TF Aegis' peacekeepers were the ones directly responsible. He claims that had it not been for the "attack", both sides would have no reason to fight with one another.
      • If his claims are to be believed, it would explicitly confirm that both sides were indeed being played against the other by an unknown third party.
    • Ultimately, he asks for forgiveness on behalf of his countrymen for the state that his homeland was in post-civil war, as they were desperate for help and could only obtain it from malignant foreign partners.

References[]

  1. Flash-Ranger, Syhrus 2021, EP #39 - Art Of War DLC, Spotify [Podcast], viewed 21 April 2023, <https://open.spotify.com/episode/555XbcB4ZpRdv2y96iCaG1>.
  2. Spotify 2021 [Podcast], Alsworth, S, EP #39 - Art Of War DLC, 48:12, "Scott Alsworth: I think Hollywood even alighted upon it with that film, Monuments Men."
  3. IMDb, The Monuments Men (2014) - IMDb, IMDb, viewed 21 April 2023, <https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2177771/>.
  4. van 't Land, J.J. 2021, Indeed and I wouldn't recommend using this approach outside a linear SP scenario. For example, you may find the original destroyer also at its original init position out at sea hehe. Basically the script that glues the destroyer parts together and key frame animation are fighting each other, Discord [Social Media], viewed 21 April 2023, <https://discord.com/channels/105462288051380224/713050696152252487/819608653434322974>.

See also[]

Playable showcases in ArmA 3

Infantry

Armed AssaultCombined ArmsCommandingCultural PropertyDronesEnd GameFiring From VehiclesInfantryMarksmenNightSCUBASupports

Ground vehicles

TanksTank DestroyersVehicles

Aircraft

Fighter JetsFixed-WingsGunshipsHelicoptersSling LoadingVTOL
NOTE: Showcases which do not involve combat are deliberately excluded.
Helicopters DLC | Marksmen DLC | Apex DLC | Jets DLC | Tanks DLC
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