Return to Eden

NOTE: This article is about the singleplayer version of Return To Eden in Cold War Crisis. For its multiplayer counterpart, see Return To Eden (multiplayer, Everon).

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NATO forces return to Everon, Lt. David Armstrong's infantry squad is first to land. Mission Description

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Return to Eden
Time	06:00 AM
Date	20-06-1985 (timeline, canon) 21-06-1985 (in-game)
Location	Beaches north-east of Saint Phillipe, Everon
Previous	Guardian
Next	Hind Attack

Return to Eden is the twenty-fifth mission of ArmA: Cold War Assault's Cold War Crisis campaign.

Diary

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Jun 21, 1985 - At last, the invasion of Everon is underway. First of all we have to conquer the airport on the North side of the island - a job for a select few infantry troops. For my infantry troops. Intel reports that the Reds aren't expecting us to strike back this quickly. Hell, they'd better not be - or we're in big trouble out there. If we can get in quick, though, and wreck their anti-aircraft systems before any armored reinforcement arrive, then our air forces should finish things off easily enough. At least, that's what we're hoping.

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Overview

The player controls U.S. Army infantryman Lieutenant David Armstrong. Despite several setbacks along the way, Malden has finally been liberated from the Soviets. With the backing of freshly arrived reinforcements, NATO troops are poised to proceed with the long awaited counterinvasion of Everon.

Armstrong's role/class:

• Infantry / Officer

Default loadout:

• Primary weapon: M16A2 (4× magazines)
• Secondary weapon: None
• Equipment: Binoculars, Grenades (4×), Smoke Grenades (2×)

Loadout options:

• Weapons:
  • M16A2 (4×)
  • M16A2 GL (2×)
  • XM-177E2 (4×)
• Ammunition:
  • M16 Mag. (30×)
  • M203 HE (10×)
  • XM-177E2 Mag. (30×)
• Equipment:
  • Grenades (30×)
  • Smoke Grenade (10×)

Objectives

Primary

• (1) Cleanse the hill at grid Dj03 of enemy units and hold it
• (2) Put down the expected Soviet counter-attack
• (3) Destroy the defending Shilka
• (4) Begin the assault on the airport
• (5) Secure the Airport

Optional

N/A

Mandatory

• Armstrong must survive
• Avoid collateral damage/friendly fire (point score must not drop below 1,601)
• Remain within the combat area

Walkthrough

Primary 1: Cleanse the hill at grid Dj03 of enemy units and hold it

Move west up the hill with the small chapel alongside Bravo and Charlie squads. Toss a couple of frags to take out the Soviets at the top. You'll need to fight off a total of twelve enemy soldiers before the hill can be secured.

Primary 2: Put down the expected Soviet counter-attack

Shortly after you seize the hilltop, a T-72 and BMP will launch a counterattack.

You can either order your LAW-armed subordinates to fire their rockets or grab an RPG off the corpses of any Soviet AT soldiers nearby and blow them up yourself. Bravo will be supporting you so don't worry too much if you miss your shot or run out of rockets.

Primary 3: Destroy the defending Shilka

Now advance south-west towards the airfield. Save your game if you haven't already as this will be the main gauntlet of the mission.

The Shilka battery should be in a stationary spot at grid Dg06. Try to order your AI squad mates to attack it once you identify the vehicle. If that doesn't work or the AI misses, reload your save and tell your subordinate to drop his LAW. Pick it up and aim it yourself while staying well out of range of its autocannons.

Primary 4: Begin the assault on the airport

Press on with the attack against the airfield. Eleven soldiers in total will be defending it and waiting for you. Five will be near the buildings to the north-east and the remainder at the small forest in the north-west.

Fortunately, callsign November 1 and his flight of gunships should be arriving soon to assist. When the leader informs you that they're about to enter the AO, give the green-light for Bravo and Charlie to begin moving (Hotkeys: 0-0-1).

Take your time clearing the area. If you run low on ammunition for your primary weapon, don't hesitate to obtain fresh weapons from the Soviet ammo crates near the buildings on the north-eastern corner of the airfield.

Primary 5: Secure the Airport

While you're fighting the airfield's garrison, enemy reinforcements from the south will be making their way towards you. Your opposition consists of a rifle squad's worth of infantry, two T-72s, a BMP and one T-80.

November's gunships should be able to take out the armoured vehicles easily, leaving you with only the infantry to deal with. Dispatch them with whatever means at your disposal. Don't forget that Bravo and Charlie will be around to provide suppression from their positions at Dh07 and Dg07.

Once the last of the defenders and counterattackers have been wiped out the mission will end in victory.

Tips

• Ditch your smoke grenades for additional primary weapon magazines or frags. They're redundant and don't conceal you from the AI (vision obscuring smoke is not a gameplay feature in Cold War Assault).
• Given your limited selection of weapons available in the Briefing menu, it may be wise to swap your starting firearm, whether that be the M16A2 rifle or XM-177E2 carbine, with one of the Soviet SVD sniper rifles after you seize the hill. It's better suited for the ranges you'll be fighting at for the rest of the mission.

Trivia

• The intro cutscene's music theme ("Decide") was composed by the Australian band, "Seventh".
• November's gunships can potentially be shot down by the incoming tanks/IFVs if they fly too low.
• A stationary BMP-1 Ambulance can be found at Montignac for unknown reasons.
• The mission's title is a reference to the internal name ("Eden") used by Bohemia's developers for the Everon terrain.
  • It has subsequently been reused in later sequels such as the campaign for ArmA 2's Private Military Company DLC; one of the objectives in its final mission is outright called "Return to Eden".
• Amusingly, U.S. troops in the intro cutscene are shown departing from Malden via M113s and sailing directly towards Everon. This would be absurdly impractical given the significant distances between the two islands; Malden is located in the Atlantic near the Straits of Gibraltar, while Everon is located approximately 100 nautical miles north-west of the Heligoland Archipelago in the North Sea.
  • It would take several days of travel time (if not multiple weeks) for the M113s to ford across the Atlantic Ocean at their speed before going through the English Channel. This ignores the fact that the trip would be suicidal for the crew and passengers given the guaranteed risk of the vehicle sinking due to strong ocean currents.
  • Ironically, the LST would have been a more suitable "vehicle" to represent the counterinvasion force but it is oddly missing from the cutscene.
  • This cutscene's highly implausible setup would eventually be retconned by the events of ARMA Reforger, which "relocate" Everon and the rest of the Malden islands archipelago to the mid-Atlantic Ocean rather than the North Sea.
• Initially, Return to Eden was stated to have taken place on June 21st. This was later retconned by the official Armaverse Timeline, which states that its events actually take place on June 20th.