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GameSpot's Guide to Starcraft

Mission 5a: Emperor's Fall (Ground Zero)

Overview
Although you've disabled the Terrans' ability to produce Battlecruisers, they're still armed with Nukes, and won't hesitate to use them to give you a hard time getting your forces together. Faced with the constant fear of nuclear attack, you'll need to build up your forces and eventually fight your way to the northeast corner of the map, where you'll find your target: Acturus Mengsk's Command Center. This mission is more difficult than 5b: Birds of War, because enemy Battlecruisers aren't quite as difficult to deal with as are enemy Nukes.

Possible Expansions
You'll find an undefended resource node to the north, halfway across the map of your starting position. Another resource node, sparsely defended by Marines, Goliaths, Siege Tanks, and Missile Turrets, lies further beyond, in the northwest corner of the map. You'll find yet another sparsely defended resource node all the way in the southeast corner of the map, although this area will likely prove too much trouble to defend.

Prevent your Command Center from taking damage, and your Barracks and Factory from being destroyed, by flying the structures west before the enemy nukes hit.

Key Points
Enemy Ghosts will destroy most of your base early on, but you can save your Barracks and your Factory, and you can prevent your Command Center from taking any damage, all by flying them to safety. Spider Mines are a very useful defense in this mission. Enemy Ghosts will continue to attack with Nukes, but your mines can pick them off even though they're cloaked. At least you needn't worry about enemy Battlecruisers.

Enemy Ghosts like to target your Missile Turrets for Nuclear Strikes. Use Comsat Sweeps to reveal the cloaked enemies, then kill them with Marines; Spider Mines will also do the job.

Walk-through
Ignore the events with the Ghosts; you can get a nice head start on this mission if you get straight to work. Queue up three SCVs for production, and start mining with the three you have. Pull your one Marine west, behind your minerals. Lift off your Barracks and Factory, and fly both west, near your minerals. The enemy Ghosts will continue their approach and get set to blow your entire base to kingdom come. Stop your SCVs, lift off your Command Center, and fly it west a bit so it isn't damaged in the blast (you'll need all the minerals you can get early on, and repairs can get costly). Now watch as all those reinforcements are destroyed. At least you've saved your Barracks and your Factory, which normally would have been pulverized in the blast. Land all your buildings and get to work building your base back up. Because you already have a Barracks and a Factory, you can quickly set up Bunkers for defense, and you'll have a much easier time getting your base together.

Next: The Mission 5a Walk-through, continued
 

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