| “ | Your main objective here is to protect the final alien tower by annihilating the GDI forces that are assaulting it. It won't be easy. GDI has had plenty of experience knocking these things down and is attacking the alien base surrounding the final tower with relentless determination. The Phase Generators that protect the tower itself are GDI's primary target. Do not let GDI destroy them. GDI is also employing Juggernauts to bombard the base. Use your Commando to snipe their crews, then use a Saboteur to take them over. Also, there is also a small airbase to the north - best to destroy it. - Mission briefing |
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Kane's Tower is the final mission of the Nod campaign in Tiberium Wars, occurring in the region around Threshold 19 in Italy.
Background[]
By this point in the war, GDI and Nod had both driven deep into the Italian Red zone. The main objective of GDI was to stop the construction of the Scrin's Threshold towers, while Nod was concentrating on capturing one for themselves. GDI's best battle commander had successfully destroyed a Threshold in Rome, and other GDI commanders managed to replicate this success. Soon, only one tower, in what used to be the Mediterranean, was left standing.
Realizing the danger of this to Kane's plans, the Messiah directed his best commander to protect the tower from being destroyed by GDI. They discovered that the Phase Generators in the Scrin base were what was protecting the tower from being destroyed. Once the Scrin finished construction on the tower, it would become invulnerable on its own. It was imperative that the generators be preserved long enough for the tower to become invincible, for only then could it be secured for Kane. However, GDI forces in the region were desperate to destroy the last Threshold Tower, and it quickly became clear that the only way to save the Phase Generators was to wipe out GDI first.
Events[]
The Commander was given control of a small outpost established in the area. While it was a respectably large base, its defense was minimal, so that naturally became a priority. This vulnerability was further compounded by a GDI outpost to the southeast, which was none too keen on the presence of Nod and potential interference in their operations. However, time was of the essence: GDI had previously taken a ridge close to the Scrin defense line and deployed modified Juggernauts, who were under orders to snipe the Phase Generators and were protected by AA Batteries and the powerful Zone Troopers. All of this culminated in a less-than-ideal operation environment.
However, the Nod Commander was not deterred. While bunkering down and preparing for the inevitable attack waves, he sent a Commando to take the ridge. She eliminated the Zone Troopers and incapacitated the Juggernauts, and with the assistance of a team of Saboteurs, they were soon back online, albeit under the Brotherhood's command. The Commander wasted no time in using these unique assets to chip away at the base harassing his forces, who at this point had constructed an Ion Cannon Control Center.
Though the Scrin were a formidable force, by this point it was clear that they would lose the battle to GDI's superior armor. This left the Nod Commander with no choice but to manually take control of the defense line himself to save it (and its charges) from total annihilation. The Obelisk of Light proved to be very adept at ripping through GDI's vehicular formations, but the experienced and railgun-fitted Mammoth Tanks still inflicted horrendous damage upon them. Nevertheless, in the end the Brotherhood's defenses still stood, and the GDI airbase fell to a devastating counterattack.
Kane had won at last.
Aftermath[]
After securing both the safety of Threshold-19 and the surrounding area, Kane rejoices the fact that the Brotherhood has finally acquired the tools needed for Ascension. With the protected Phase Generators now online, the Threshold Tower stands immune to all weapons known to humanity, and its construction is shortly thereafter completed by Scrin construction drones. After determining that it could not be damaged in any way, GDI gave up its efforts and established a small research station to study it. For his outstanding work during the Third Tiberium War, the Commander is given a spot in Kane's Inner Circle with honors and an introduction by Kane himself.
However, not all loose ends were tied up - the Marked of Kane continued to slumber, and the Tacitus remained firmly in GDI hands. These tasks, however, would fall to a different commander...
Walkthrough[]
This is, by far, the hardest mission in the entire Nod campaign - fitting, since it is the final one.
The player is given a breather at the beginning, and the mission starts out relatively tame. After a few minutes, however, both GDI forward bases will construct their own Ion Cannon Control Center, and brutal attacks will begin on both the Scrin's and the player's positions. The Scrin fare relatively well for a while, but the originally completely unarmed Nod base the player commands is a different story.
The GDI outpost in the southeast will send a near-constant stream of Riflemen, Missile Squads, Predator Tanks, Pitbulls, and Mammoth Tanks. To make matters worse, the Predator and Mammoth Tanks are upgraded with Railguns, and all attacking units start out ranked and easily acquire promotions. Black Hand troopers can flatten enemy infantry and possibly the Pitbulls, but against heavier units their above-average armor can only help absorb a few hits. The Construction Yard can similarly act as a "meat shield", though extreme care must be taken to ensure that it is not destroyed.
On harder difficulties, GDI will throw even Commandos at the Phase Generators. While they are normally taken down by Scrin defenses, later in the battle those too will have been destroyed under the GDI onslaught, which leaves the path clear for the Commando.
Destroying the GDI bases is made a very high priority, but is a very difficult task: the southern base has many heavy units idle within it, and the northern base is guarded fiercely by defenses. Conventional rushes may work, but it is often easier to capture the modified Juggernauts after destroying them and turn them on their former owners. Note that aircraft from the airbase will attempt to destroy them, however, so they should either be guarded or be ordered to attack the airfield the offending aircraft dock at. Their range (which spans roughly half the map) is enough to destroy the northern base's Airfield and the entire southern base with minimal movement. Alternatively, should the player possess a Signal Transmitter, they can call in a Mothership. It is most effective against the northern base, whose structures are packed together, and a single Guardian Cannon on the outskirts of the base is enough to guarantee its destruction with the Mothership's uniquely devastating weapon.
The player will be notified of the destruction of a Phase Generator by Kane, who will urgently remind the commander of the importance of the Phase Generators' survival.
Trivia[]
- Kane will also contact the Commander if the mission is failed and express his disappointment, unlike most other missions when failed (which immediately play the "Defeated" animation).
- Curiously, the GDI forces attempting to destroy the Nod base do not seem to be there explicitly to do so; though they will still cut down any defenses in their way and even destroy some of the commander's structures, most "attacking" GDI units will leave the base to attack the Scrin defense line, if it still exists.
- GDI can deploy two Ion Cannons, both of which run on separate timers and are used independently.
- This is not possible in normal gameplay; if a player captures two of the same superweapon, it will continue to be considered by the game as one superweapon, though if one superweapon structure is destroyed the other will preserve its countdown timer.
- The three to five GDI Juggernauts (depending on difficulty) deployed in this mission to "snipe" the Phase Generators have poor accuracy in addition to long range, and thus are typically inadvisable for use against units unless they are large and slow, or grouped together. However, they retain their usefulness against structures.
- The two GDI bases attack with specific targets "in mind":
- Units produced at the northeastern airbase will generally only be used to attack the Scrin defense line.
- Units produced at the southeastern armor base will generally be sent toward the player's base, and in the event they break through the player's defenses, move toward the Scrin Foreman's defenses.
- GDI appear to never use the Ion Cannons on the Phase Generators; if the Scrin defense line is completely destroyed, they will target the player's base instead.
- Though both the Scrin Foreman and GDI Commander(s) in charge of their respective duties are considered to be enemies of the player's by the game, the Foreman will not make any offensive aggressive action toward them as long as they stay out of the defense line's range, and the northeastern GDI airbase will generally deploy their units against something else (though will still happily use the Ion Cannon on the player's base if no other viable targets are present).
- Despite the fact that the mission takes place near a Threshold Tower, and therefore the land had long since been ruined, a few houses remain. One of these, next to the plateau that the Juggernauts and guarding Zone Troopers are stationed on, can actually be garrisoned by a Commando and be used to eliminate most of the Zone Troopers safely, if necessary. However, enemy troops also pass by this position, so care should be taken to leave the building at the sight of GDI grenadier squads.
Videos[]
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