« | The survivors launch a last-ditch effort to drive the remaining AAF units into the sea. Mission Description
|
» |
Tipping Point is the eighth mission of ArmA 3's The East Wind campaign.
Quotation[]
« | When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal. Napoleon Hill, Think & Grow Rich (1937)
|
» |
Overview[]
The player controls U.S. Army infantryman Corporal Ben Kerry. The survivors of Task Force Aegis have decided to mount an all-out attack against the town of Agia Marina. If they succeed, NATO reinforcements will have a secure landing site to use.
Kerry's role/class:
- Infantry / Grenadier
Default loadout:*
- Primary weapon: MXM (5× magazines)
- Secondary weapon: P07 (2× magazines)
- No attachments fitted
- Equipment: NV Goggles (Sand), RGO (2×), Smoke Shell (White) (2×)
- Backpack: None
Loadout options:**
- Pool of weapons and equipment stockpiled at Maxwell's Armoury
(*) This is the default loadout assuming that the player has not customised or collected different items from the previous mission and/or has chosen the Armoury's recommendation.
(**) Any weapons, ammo, gear and/or backpacks salvaged from previous missions will carry on to this mission and can be equipped through the briefing equipment menu.
Objectives[]
Primary[]
- (1) Rendezvous with Bravo
- (2) Capture the Military Range
- (3) Clear Agia Marina
- (4) Retreat
- (5) Board the Speedboat
- (6) Rendezvous with the Guerrillas
Optional[]
N/A
Mandatory[]
- Kerry must survive
- Follow your squad leader's orders
- Avoid collateral damage/friendly fire
- Remain within the combat area
Walkthrough[]
NOTE:
- This is the final mission of the campaign's first episode. Do not be conservative with the Armoury; equip yourself with the "best" weapons and equipment that you've stockpiled up until this point as anything leftover will be lost upon the mission's completion.
- Until you complete Common Enemy in the second episode, Scouting missions will be disabled from this point onward once you initiate Tipping Point. If you have not finished all optional objectives around Maxwell, this will be your last opportunity to do so.
Primary 1: Rendezvous with Bravo[]
Move down the slopes with your squad leader once the helicopter flies away to chase after Charlie. You'll meet up with Sergeant Lacey and the rest of Bravo squad at the base of the valley.
Note that if you provoke the AAF before you link up with Bravo, this objective will be marked as having failed. You won't fail the mission but assaulting the military range becomes slightly harder since the AAF will be alerted to your presence immediately.
Primary 2: Capture the Military Range[]
The squads will be combined and your first target is the AAF military range south-west of the town. You can follow them through the ditch or skirt around to the northern/western flanks. Either way, get set to engage as the military range has a squad's worth of AAF troopers protecting it. Once there's three or less enemies left alive, this objective will be completed.
If you brought a marksman rifle, pick off the ones at the back and let your allies burst down the troopers at the front. Try to focus on getting rid of the autoriflemen as they'll suppress your allies and slow down their progress.
However if you're using a grenade launcher, lob some grenade rounds at the front instead before turning your attention to the ones at the back. You'll need anywhere from 4-5 rounds to clear out the entire base.
Primary 3: Clear Agia Marina[]
Move up and begin fighting your way through the town. There are several troopers scattered throughout the streets, but you don't have to actually fight them. Shortly after the rest of your squad moves up a fleet of CSAT helicopters will begin to fly overhead.
Primary 4: Retreat[]
Ignore the rest of your squad and run north up the hill in the direction of grid coordinates 032-068 (do not waste time fighting the CSAT squads being dropped off).
You'll now have to go through a gauntlet of mortar strikes that'll keep pummelling your position until you reach Captain Miller's extraction point. The "targeting" mechanic works as follows:
- There is a circle-shaped marker that will continuously track your movements once you enter the zone. The mortars will always be dropped in a random location within this radius.
- The marker expands or contracts depending on whether you are taking cover or exposed out in the open:
- Out of cover but moving: 75 metres
- Out of cover, not moving: 40-75 metres
- In cover but moving: 75-110 metres
- In cover, not moving: 75-110 metres
- The mortar "gunner" will randomly cycle between attacking you and your allies, but will always focus specifically on you if you are not moving and are not in cover.
- Mortars are dropped once every 10 in-game seconds if you are not taking cover. If you are taking cover, then a mortar will be dropped after 20 in-game seconds.
Upon triggering the escape sequence, the first mortar will always land in a random spot 15 metres away from your squad. It is only after that hits that the mortars will start "targeting" you. Once you are outside the range of the artillery, the mortars will cease targeting you and focus on your allies instead if they're still inside the zone.
Unfortunately there's not much advice that can be given with regards to manoeuvring through the valley. You just need to move as swiftly as possible until you reach the trees just beyond the valley. Sticking to the coast can help a little as the mortars may land into the water instead, which can nullify the effects of their explosion.
Since you're not going to be in combat for this sequence, it might be a good idea to simply drop your primary weapon and take off your plate carrier/helmet/backpack. As counterproductive as this might sound, it'll greatly increase your stamina reserves and allow you to sprint the entire way to the extraction point.
Primary 5: Board the Speedboat[]
Once you crest over the last hill, go down the slope and hop into the boat with Lieutenant James manning the Gatling gun and Capt. Miller standing in the centre. Do not engage the paratroopers who drop down on the opposite end of the valley.
If any of your squad members survived, you may need to wait for them to catch up if they fell behind during the escape sequence.
Primary 6: Rendezvous with the Guerrillas[]
Not an actual objective in the conventional sense. Wait until the cutscene finishes and the AAF jets strafe both vessels. The mission will end after the boat is capsized and Kerry is knocked overboard.
Tips[]
- Don't waste time following your allies for the escape sequence. You won't fail the mission if you run ahead of them either, so prioritise Kerry's safety over theirs (they'll be fish food soon anyway).
Achievements[]
- Tactical Withdrawal
- Obtained after completing the mission successfully.
Trivia[]
- If they weren't killed by the player's squad, leftover AAF troopers in Agia Marina will automatically die by script once the player triggers the arrival of the CSAT reinforcements.
- The mortar strikes in the escape sequence are handled entirely by script and are not fired by actual mortars. The script simply spawns "mortar shells" that continuously drop around the player's location until they reach Miller's boat.
- In yet another example of CTRG's deceit, Capt. Miller had not contacted NATO MEDCOM and merely fooled the survivors into diving headlong to their deaths.
- It's unclear if Miller knew about the CSAT response or the incoming jets, but the all-out offensive ensured that every last witness from TF Aegis would be killed off by their hands either way.
- Prior to Game Update 2.14, it was possible for the mission to soft lock itself if the player's squad leader (whether it was SGT Conway or a random NATO soldier) died before the arrival of CSAT reinforcements.[1]
References[]
- ↑ van 't Land, J.J. 2023, SPOTREP #00111, Arma 3, viewed 5 September 2023, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00111>.