The Stage of Apocalypse

This article is about an in-game mission. For the in-universe event, see Operation Ravage.

The Stage of Apocalypse
Campaign Mission 12 Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
Other Names	Critical Point (臨界点)
Mission Order
Previous	The Inferno
Next	Lying in Deceit
Mission Details
Focus	Rendezvous
Objectives	Arrive at the rendezvous point.
Time Limit	20 minutes
Character	Cipher
Focus	Air-to-Air
Objectives	Destroy all TGTs.
Time Limit	20 minutes
Character	Cipher

"A Belkan bomber squadron equipped with nuclear weapons has taken off for Ustio."

― AWACS Eagle Eye

The Stage of Apocalypse is the 12th campaign mission in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. Galm Team and Crow Team are tasked with supporting Allied Forces ground troops during a skirmish in Sudentor. They are redirected when a squadron of bombers carrying nuclear weapons crosses their path.

This is the final mission to feature Pixy as the player's wingman. Crow Team's PJ replaces him in the next mission.

Briefing

There are still pockets of resistance holed up in the industrial city of Sudentor. Although fleeing, the Belkan army continues to fight back and are using the Waldreich Mountains as a final line of defence in an attempt to prevent our army from reaching northern Belka. For this mission, we would like you to assist the Allied ground troops by clearing the skies of enemy fighters. The South Belka Munitions Factory is located in Sudentor, which means the remaining troops, although few in number, are well outfitted. Head to the designated operations rendezvous location, at Point 203.

Objectives

Initial

The player will spawn at the southern part of the map. Their objective is to fly to the northeast to reach the designated rendezvous point in Sudentor.

Mission Update

After at least 44 seconds have elapsed, and after the player leaves the southwest corner of the map, the mission border will shift northward or eastward, depending on the player aircraft's position. AWACS Eagle Eye will inform the player that bombers carrying nuclear weapons have taken off for Ustio; the player's new objective is to shoot them down. These bombers are the same Bm-335 Lindwurms from Glacial Skies so the player must be wary of their rear-mounted machine guns. They are also escorted by flights of F-15E Strike Eagles. After the player approaches the bombers, a neutral squadron of Belkan separatists flying MiG-31 Foxhounds will enter the airspace and intercept the bombers, but they will not cause any damage to them.

The mission will advance when at least one bomber reaches the southern part of the combat zone or the player shoots all of them down, whichever happens first. At this point, the player's screen will fade to white, then fade back in with a blue-green tint, while the game changes to slow motion. After seven seconds have passed since the screen fade: the slow motion will end; the player's aircraft will shift several meters away from its original position; a loud explosion can be heard; and the HUD will display a false missile warning and a false off-course warning at the same time for five seconds. Elements on the HUD will shake and a blinding light will be present to the southwest for the rest of the mission. If any enemy units remained before the detonation, they will change to neutral units and attempt to leave the airspace.

After a few moments, Joshua Bristow will appear northwest, outside of the combat zone. After he exchanges words with Pixy, the latter will open fire on the player. The player must avoid Pixy's fire for 30 seconds, after which Pixy will leave the area.

A squadron of reinforcement Su-27 Flankers will enter the airspace. The player must shoot them all down to complete the mission.

Enemy Lists

The following enemy lists are taken from the Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Perfect Guide Book.

Standard Units

	Unit	Points	Count	Notes
	Bm-335	1000	9
	F-15E	600	8
	F-15E	600	2
	F-15E	600	2
	MiG-31	440	4
	Su-27	480	2
	Su-27	360	4	Very Easy & Easy
		480	1	Normal & Hard
		600	3
		600	4	Expert & Ace
	F/A-18C "Wizard"	–	1

Special Units

Main article: Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War/Aces

	AR #	Unit	Points	Campaign Completed	Minimum Difficulty	Ace Style	Notes
	107	F-35C "Spatz"	1430	✔	Normal	Mercenary
	108	Su-27 "Lynx 1"	1100	✔	Normal	Soldier
	109	Su-27 "Lynx 2"	1100	✔	Normal	Soldier
	110	EA-18G "Nebelbank"	1300	✔	Normal	Knight
	111	Su-37 "Trombe"	1640		Ace

S Rank

Earning an S rank in this mission requires earning 16,500 points. This is impossible on Very Easy and Easy difficulties if the player doesn't shoot down any MiG-31s because of the Su-27 point values. On those two difficulties, the player must shoot down all F-15Es, at least one MiG-31, and all Bm-335s in addition to the Su-27s.

On Normal or higher, if the player shoots down all Bm-335s and all F-15Es, they will earn the S rank without having to shoot down any aces or neutral MiG-31s.

In all scenarios, multi-lock missiles are highly recommended. The player must shoot down all of the F-15Es and Bm-335s (and, if aiming for them, the MiG-31s) in the first part of the mission as fast as possible. This is especially the case if the player is on a Knight Ace Style run; the F-15Es become neutral in the final part of the mission, so the player must shoot them down early to prevent that.

Debriefing

We were unable to confirm if the enemy squadron you engaged was equipped with nuclear weapons. We don't know all the details yet, but multiple nuclear detonations have been verified within the Belkan border. It is also unclear whether or not Galm 2, who disappeared during the mission, is still alive. We will continue our search efforts, but at this point there's not much hope. Our communications network is still down due to the nuclear explosions. Remain on standby until conditions improve.

Trivia

• Mission Update 2 does not feature the "Mission Update" indicator, despite the background music and the player's objective changing. The previous mission to do this was Breaking Arrows in Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.

Enemy units marked as TGT usually must be destroyed to advance the mission. The TGT text is always in red, except if the player changes this in Ace Combat 7.