Let’s continue this quick flight through some of the most annoying missions in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. We’re moving on to Mission 13: Bunker Buster — in this mission, your special weapons are taken away from you, and you’ll have to use a weird new targeting module to guide bombs into tiny missile launch silos. Some of them are fake, some of them are real, and it’s all randomized. Meanwhile, you’ll have to dodge incoming missiles and complete the mission on a very tight time limit.
There’s a trick to completing this mission quickly and easily, especially if you’re aiming to quickly destroy all five missile silos to make the extremely difficult Ace Named Pilot appear on the map. The bunkers are completely randomized; every time you load up the map, the “true” bunkers will be in a different place. You can’t identify them from the ground. You can only bomb them. Here’s a few tips to make the process easier.
More Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown guides:
- Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown – How To Spawn All 24 Aces | ‘Bird of Prey’ Guide
- Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown – Best Ways To Farm MRP | Easy Cash Guide
- Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown – How To Earn S Rank On Every Mission | Easy Rank Guide
How To Find 5 ‘True’ Bunkers | Mission 13 Bunker Buster Guide
In Mission 13: Bunker Buster, you’re forced to use a weird targeting module to guide bombers from the sky. They’ll drop bunker busters onto silos — but some of the silos are fakes. If you want to 100% the game, you’ll need to complete the first phase before the timer drops below 4:00. An Ace Pilot will spawn if you destroy the bunkers quickly.
- The “true” bunkers are randomized every time you load the mission. But, they’ll stay the same between retries. If you retry the mission from the beginning, the “true” bunker locations will stay the same.
- To speed up your bunker hunting, simply destroy all the bunker sites, and make note where the true bunkers are on your playthrough. Retry, and only aim to destroy the true bunkers to complete the first phase very quickly.
- Aiming with the targeting module can be tricky. Point the center of the circle at the actual silo facility before activating the special weapon — it’s very tricky to aim after you’ve activated it. Better to get a perfect shot from high in the sky and slow down. A tall line on your red circles will shrink. When it hits the bottom, the bomb will land.
- Your special weapon targeting reticule has two circles. If your silo target is in the inner circle (red), the silo will be destroyed in a single shot. If you’re off and the silo is hit while in the outer circle, one of two results will occur — it’s a fake silo, or it’s a real silo, and a missile will be exposed.
- You’ll need to fly up high and shoot down into the exposed missile silo to hit the missile. Destroying it will destroy the facility.
The real challenge in this mission is completing the Ace. To successfully destroy the Ace, you’ll need to complete the first phase in a few minutes, then destroy the Ace before he escapes, then destroy the IRBM before it leaves the map. Select the fastest fighter and equip speed-enhancing parts. The MiG-31 or the F-22 are good choices. Also, equip missile-enhancing parts — anything that increases power, speed, homing, distance travelled — all of those will help here.
When you complete the first phase, immediately turn and chase down the Ace. When you lock-on, fire — you have no room for error here. You need to destroy the fighter with a single missile salvo, then turn around again. If you spend too much time destroying the Ace, it’s impossible to destroy the IRBM in time.
After locking on, fire your missiles. While chasing the Ace, lead him with your machine gun for a little extra damage. Make sure he’s down, then high-G turn and go full speed toward the sky / IRBM. It’s going to just about reach terminal velocity before you catch up. Fire two salvos of missiles at the IRBM to destroy it. If you can destroy the first IRBM, the rest is a cinch. You’ll have plenty of time to destroy the rest. Ignore the enemy fighters — don’t let them distract you.
