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Acepedia

"Hey Cipher, you hear me? Just look at the view. There's not much difference between those countries from up here."
Larry Foulke

"Merlon" is the eighth campaign mission in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. The player must assist the Allied Forces in destroying and capturing two South Belkan military camps. Upon completing the mission objective, Excalibur makes its first introduction after the end of Bastion hinted at its existence.

Briefing[]

Belka's second line of defense stretches across the Schayne Plains in the central region of southern Belka. Centred on two antiaircraft camps, this line blocks our refueling unit's air route, and is already delaying our military plans. This operation will consist of attacks on enemy ground troops, and engagements with enemy fighters. There will be three squadrons in total. You can decide which one to accompany. Alpha Team will be responsible for destroying enemy ground ordnance. Beta Team's job will be to eliminate air resistance, and destroying enemy ground ordnance. Theta Team will eliminate air resistance. Escort Allied transport craft after each mission is completed. That is all.

Mission Descriptions[]

(A) Alpha[]

Objectives[]

Alpha's objective is to wipe out the defenses in the northwestern anti-air base. The player must destroy FLAK GUNs, SAMs, and AA GUNs marked as TGTs. There are many more defenses and ground facilities at the base, but they are not mission important.

Once the player neutralizes the base, a group of allied transports will arrive. Excalibur will shoot them all down with a laser, and the player must escape to the south by crossing the Return Line. The player must avoid Excalibur's lasers by flying slowly and using the radar to anticipate the attack radius. The player will complete the mission upon crossing the Return Line.

Enemy Lists[]

The following enemy lists are taken from the Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Perfect Guide Book.[1]

Standard Units[]
Unit Points Count Difficulty Other Notes
Icon-GroundTGT FLAK GUN 150 2
Icon-GroundTGT SAM 120 5
Icon-GroundTGT AA GUN 100 4
Icon-GroundEnemy TANK 150 7
Icon-GroundEnemy SAM 120 4
Icon-GroundEnemy AA GUN 100 6
Icon-GroundEnemy GUNBOAT 100 3
Icon-GroundNeutral CONTAINER 300 2
Icon-GroundNeutral BARRACKS 250 3
Icon-GroundNeutral FUEL TANK 200 2
Icon-GroundNeutral TENT S 150 3
Icon-GroundNeutral WATCH TOWER 100 1
Special Units[]
AR # Unit Points Campaign
Completed
Minimum
Difficulty
Ace Style Notes
Icon-AirEnemy 055 EA-6B "Artist" 1050 Normal [note 1]
Icon-AirEnemy 056 F-1 "Biene" 800 Very Easy [note 2]
Icon-AirEnemy 057 F-2A "Strom" 1370 Ace [note 3][note 4]

S Rank[]

Earning an S rank on Alpha requires completing the mission in 10 minutes or less.[1]

Debriefing[]

The mission objectives were achieved, but only through great sacrifices on our side due to enemy laser ordnance. Still, the best defense is offense. We're counting on you to help lead us to victory.

(B) Beta[]

Objectives[]

Beta's objective is to wipe out the defenses in the northeastern anti-air base. The player must destroy SAMs and AA GUNs marked as TGT, as well as J35Js marked as TGT defending the base. There are many more defenses and ground facilities at the base, as well as other planes and gunboats, but they are not mission important.

Once the player destroys all TGTs, a group of allied transports will arrive. Excalibur will shoot them all down with a laser, and the player must escape to the south by crossing the Return Line. The player must avoid Excalibur's lasers by flying slowly and using the radar to anticipate the attack radius. The player will complete the mission upon crossing the Return Line.

Enemy Lists[]

The following enemy lists are taken from the Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Perfect Guide Book.[2]

Standard Units[]
Unit Points Count Difficulty Other Notes
Icon-AirTGT J35J 220 5
Icon-AirEnemy J35J 220 2×2 [note 5]
Icon-AirEnemy J35J 220 2×2 [note 6]
Icon-AirEnemy AV-8B 340 2
Icon-GroundTGT SAM 120 6
Icon-GroundTGT AA GUN 100 2
Icon-GroundEnemy TANK 150 5
Icon-GroundEnemy SAM 120 2
Icon-GroundEnemy AA GUN 100 2
Icon-GroundEnemy GUNBOAT 100 4
Icon-GroundEnemy APC 100 5
Icon-GroundNeutral CTRL.TOWER 500 1
Icon-GroundNeutral HANGAR 300 3
Icon-GroundNeutral CONTAINER 300 1
Icon-GroundNeutral BARRACKS 250 2
Icon-GroundNeutral FUEL TANK 200 2
Icon-GroundNeutral WATCH TOWER 100 1
Special Units[]
AR # Unit Points Campaign
Completed
Minimum
Difficulty
Ace Style Notes
Icon-AirEnemy 058 J35J "Zugvogel" 780 Normal [note 1]
Icon-AirEnemy 059 F-20A "Falter" 820 Very Easy [note 7]
Icon-AirEnemy 060 JAS-39C "Quelle" 1280 Ace [note 3]

S Rank[]

Earning an S rank on Beta requires completing the mission in 11 minutes or less.[2]

Debriefing[]

The mission objectives were achieved, but only after sustaining heavy losses from enemy laser ordnance. A war without honor can only result in massacre. You have fought nobly and deserve to be praised.

(C) Theta[]

Objectives[]

Theta's objective is to wipe out Belka's fighters defending the area. The fighters are spread out around the map and usually fly in pairs. They are the only enemy units, and the player must shoot them all down.

After the player shoots down five enemy planes, three MiG-29As will appear and chase down a friendly F-20A, who will call for help. The player has two minutes to shoot down the three MiGs to save the F-20A; if they do so, the Ace Style gauge will receive a boost towards Knight. If two minutes pass and the MiGs shoot down the F-20A, the player's Ace Style gauge will receive a boost towards Mercenary.[3]

Once the player shoots down all enemy fighters, a group of allied transports will arrive. Excalibur will shoot them all down with a laser, and the player must escape to the south by crossing the Return Line. The player must avoid Excalibur's lasers by flying slowly and using the radar to anticipate the attack radius. The player will complete the mission upon crossing the Return Line.

Enemy Lists[]

The following enemy lists are taken from the Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Perfect Guide Book.[3]

Standard Units[]
Unit Points Count Difficulty Other Notes
Icon-AirTGT F/A-18C 340 4
Icon-AirTGT F/A-18C 260 2 Very Easy/Easy
340 2 Normal/Hard
430 2 Expert/Ace
Icon-AirTGT F/A-18C 340 2 [note 8]
Icon-AirTGT F/A-18C 340 2 [note 9]
Icon-AirTGT MiG-29A 320 2
Icon-AirTGT MiG-29A 240 2 Very Easy/Easy
320 2 Normal/Hard
400 2 Expert/Ace
Icon-AirTGT MiG-29A 320 3 [note 10]
Icon-AirTGT MiG-29A 320 1 [note 11]
Icon-AirTGT MiG-29A 240 2 Very Easy/Easy [note 12]
320 2 Normal/Hard
400 2 Expert/Ace
Icon-AirTGT AV-8B 340 1 [note 13]
Special Units[]
AR # Unit Points Campaign
Completed
Minimum
Difficulty
Ace Style Notes
Icon-AirEnemy 061 MiG-29A "Flamingo" 900 Normal [note 1][note 14]
Icon-AirEnemy 062 F/A-18C "Kolibri" 840 Very Easy [note 15]
Icon-AirEnemy 063 Typhoon "Woge" 1550 Ace [note 3]

S Rank[]

Earning an S rank on Theta requires completing the mission in 12 minutes or less.[3]

Debriefing[]

The mission objectives were achieved, but our forces were dealt a heavy blow by enemy laser ordnance. Our country must put an end to this war. If not, I fear the war will put an end to us.

Etymology[]

The mission's name is a reference to medieval architecture. Merlons are solid, upright sections of battlements situated between two crenels, or openings. Archers could hide from enemy fire behind merlons and shoot through crenels.

As described in the mission briefing, Belka's second line of defense in this mission is situated between two anti-aircraft camps. Therefore, Belka's line of defense is a merlon, and the anti-aircraft camps are the two crenels it sits between.

Trivia[]

  • The first non-cutscene laser (aimed at the remaining transports) will not harm the player.

Footnotes[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Artist", "Zugvogel", and "Flamingo" all spawn in the Mission Update. The specific ace that spawns depends on which team the player is on.
  2. "Biene" spawns in the Mission Update if the player destroyed all TGTs in the first part of Alpha in 4 minutes or less. Unlocks the F-1's Special color.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Strom", "Quelle", and "Woge" all spawn in the Mission Update on Ace difficulty. The specific ace that spawns depends on which team the player is on.
  4. Shooting down "Strom" unlocks the F-2A's Special color.
  5. When one of these J35Js is shot down, two more will spawn. This only happens once.
  6. Shooting down either of the first two J35Js will cause another one to spawn.
  7. "Falter" spawns in the Mission Update if the player destroyed all TGTs in the first part of Beta in five minutes or less. Unlocks the F-20A's Special color.
  8. These F/A-18Cs spawn after the player shoots down any nine aircraft.
  9. These F/A-18Cs spawn after the player shoots down any 11 aircraft.
  10. These MiG-29As spawn after the player shoots down any five aircraft. They will be chasing down a friendly F-20A. The player has 2 minutes from the moment they spawn to save the friendly. If the player saves the friendly, their Ace Style will receive a boost towards Knight. If the MiGs shoot down the friendly, the player's Ace Style will receive a boost towards Mercenary.
  11. This MiG-29A spawns after the player shoots down any six aircraft.
  12. These MiG-29As spawn after the player shoots down any seven aircraft.
  13. This AV-8B spawns if the player flies to the center-right of the map, or after the player shoots down 13 aircraft, whichever happens first.
  14. Shooting down "Flamingo" unlocks the MiG-29A's Special color.
  15. "Kolibri" spawns in the Mission Update if the player destroyed all TGTs in the first part of Theta in 8 minutes or less.

References[]

https://youtu.be/VfHVUKwuAFI

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