C&C Generals: Zero Hour: Generals Challenge Walkthrough: Super Weapon General

The Super Weapon General Challenge
Difficulty: Hard
Guide Written By: ZergSwarms

Note: The strategies present in this guide are strategies that I have for the most part tested. I may have made some slight deviations from what I actually did, but do not stray too far from the general idea. Please keep in mind that in no way is this the only way to complete the challenge.

Overview:
General Alexander is perhaps the most difficult General to defeat on hard mode. She attacks you very early in the game. She also uses three Particle Uplink Cannons, so be ready.

Enemy Arsenal:
Aurora Alphas, Comanches, Rangers/Pathfinders/Sentry Drones transported by Chinooks, three Particle Uplink Cannons, three A-10s.

This walkthrough is broken up into three parts, by faction. Read the guide for the faction of your choice:

GLA Generals
USA Generals
China Generals

GLA Generals VS. Super Weapon General

First of all, it is important to note that the GLA has a very good advantage here. They gain money quickly from workers. And, perhaps the best advantage here is the amount of workers you will have. For the USA and China factions, when they lose their Dozers, it’s very difficult to replace them and actually keep them alive, not to mention their $1000 monetary dent. The GLA’s Workers are cheap and easily replaced.

First and foremost, you will probably be tempted to get those Stinger Sites up. But wait one second. Stinger Sites fall easy prey to even one Aurora Alpha, right? Same as any other unit at the GLA’s disposal. Since the Aurora Alpha won't even be destroyed this early on, don’t even bother with the Stinger Sites. Instead, use RPG Troopers as bait. The RPG Troopers will act as a target for the Auroras. What would you rather lose: a $900 Stinger Site? Or a $300 RPG trooper that can be rebuild in a matter of seconds? As for the Comanches, you should have enough RPG Troopers to handle them, since you’ve been massing them. (Note: The Stinger Site method does work, but you need a lot of them, they need to be placed correctly, and if you don’t have the first one at least 60% built by the time the Strategy Center is set to “Hold the Line”, you are too late. I’m not going to cover the Stinger Site method in this guide, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to pick up on what to do after you get your Stinger Sites up in this guide.

When the level first starts, first of all save, so that if you get destroyed, you don’t have to watch the annoying opening movie again and again. Send your first peasant to build a Barracks. Second one, build another Barracks. Third one, build a Supply Center. Have the first one build another Barracks. The reason you should build a lot of Barracks is simply because the enemy likes to target Barracks with the Particle Beam, and it’s better to lose $500 on a Barracks rather than $2500 on an Arms Dealer. Take note of the shore line; build lots of RPG Troopers from your Barracks, and line them along the shore. (Be careful, however, if you get too close to the shore at one part, a Patriot can hit your units.) Hopefully, you built one of your Barracks to the left, above the supplies, near the shore. This will draw Comanche fire from your RPG Troopers while they fire on the Comanches. The Sneak Attack tunnel can and should be used to distract the Comanches. Simply place it near the shore so that the Comanches will target it instead of your RPG Troopers. (Note: Do not rush the Arms Dealer. The only reason you should build your Arms Dealer early is to get your Palace up, and even that is risky because the enemy often targets the Palace with Particle Beams.)

By this time, it would be wise to move your workers away from the Supply Stash, as it is going to get destroyed by the A-10s soon. Around this time, too, send a Worker over to the Oil Derricks, because there is a little supply crate there that gives you a decent amount of money, and use that money to rebuild your Supply Stash. Do not delay the collection of the UN Supplies. Oftentimes, it will be the very thing that saves you from defeat. Also, do not sell your Command Center in this Challenge, because it is a very strong structure, and it can be used to draw Comanche and Aurora fire. Don’t sell it.

When you have 15+ RPG Troopers on the coast, there is yet another thing you must be careful of. Periodically, and it should be around this time, a Chinook will enter your base, filled with a Sentry Drone (machine gun upgrade), some Rangers, and some Missile Defenders (and on later attacks, Pathfinders). This is a HUGE threat, because the Rangers will destroy your RPG Troopers easily. Rest assured, though. It can be countered, and the Rangers, thankfully, do not have Flash Bangs. I would suggest either getting some Rebels, or if you managed to get your Arms Dealer up, get a Technical and ram the intruders. (Around this time, focus on capturing those Oil Derricks. You will need them. The initial $2000 you get from capturing them can basically buy you an Arms Dealer.)

Feeling sneaky? Take one of your Rebels that captured the Oil Derricks. Notice the small path that leads from your base up to a Artillery Platform. Capture it. Also consider building a Supply Stash where those supplies are. Now, for the sneaky plan. You see the Artillery Platform? Just above it, is a perfect place to place a Stinger Site. Earlier in the game, you probably haven’t killed an Aurora. But now, by placing a Stinger Site there, you have a chance of taking them out on their return flight. And if you want an even better chance of succeeding, build two Stinger Sites. This will also repel some Comanche attacks. As more money flows in, continue to build Stinger Sites at this point for increased protection.

Now, the second sneaky part. Again, take that Rebel that captured the Oil Derricks and the Artillery Platform. Scroll to the right of the Artillery Platform, and there is another Oil Derrick. Have the Rebel capture it. Be very careful, however. The Patriot can fire on him, but if you keep him moving, it will miss. Go around the front of the Oil Derrick to avoid the Patriot fire, and capture the Derrick. Yes, you will lose the Oil Derrick. But you also just acquired $1000.

Sneaky part number three. Take that same Rebel, and have it destroy the Avenger slightly below the Oil Derrick. He should get promoted either two or three times. If you have radar, or if you know the map, just below this area is a Particle Beam. If you’re feeling lucky, you can try to run the Rebel straight down, avoiding Missile Defender fire, Patriot fire, and Firebase fire. Sounds impossible, but it isn’t. Move the Rebel around the back, where nothing can hit it. The Avengers there will paint your Rebel, but pay no attention to it, because it doesn’t do any damage. Have the Rebel capture the Particle Cannon. The Superweapon General will sell it before you are able to capture it, but it’s still one less superweapon to worry about. If for whatever reason your Rebel is killed, there is a chance that the enemy AI will still sell the building. (Note: You can also use the Rebel Ambush to trick the enemy into selling her Particle Cannon in the South-Eastern corner of the map instead of using this method.)

By now, you will hopefully have your Palace up, and be in the process of building your Black Markets. Try to save up for a SCUD Storm. Your victory here will depend on your ability to maintain the SCUD Storm until it can fire.

Notice the Oil Derrick on the island. Use sneak attack. Capture it. Garrison the building with RPG Troopers. Destroy the EMP Patriot. Now you have an island under your control, a fairly big island that you can build multiple Stinger Sites on. If you can afford it, build them. You can take out even more Comanches, returning Auroras, and this time, possibly those pesky A-10s.

Next, the island above that one has a Supply Center and a supply depot. And on the northern shore, there are more of those UN crates. First of all, use the sneak attack right beside the Artillery Platform on the island, and immediately capture it. (Note: If you did not destroy the Patriot by garrisoning the building, do so, or this might not work.) Proceed to capture the Supply Center, and sell it. Destroy the Avengers for free promotions, and do not forget to collect the crates. I don’t recommend building Stinger Sites on this island. It may take down some Comanches, but it doesn’t seem like it would be worth the money.

Now, your SCUD Storm might be ready to launch soon, so it’s time to look at some targets:

Target 1: In the middle of the enemy base, there is a hill, with a lot of Power Plants around it, and Patriots. This is an okay target.
Target 2: The Airfield. An excellent target. No more Auroras or Comanches for awhile. (Note: If you are playing as the Demolition General, do not target the airfield, because it can be easily destroyed by the Rebel Ambush with the Demolitions ability, so targeting the Airfield with the SCUD Storm is almost a waste of you Super Weapon.)
Target 3: The Supply Drop Zone. If you took the island with the Supply Center, and you now use your SCUD Storm on the Supply Drop Zone, all of her funding is gone. This is also a good target. I am not certain if the enemy gets free money, so this might or might not help you. I will note that it seems to help, though.
Target 4: The Strategy Center. If you want to make future SCUD Storm launches more successful, take out the Strategy Center, because the enemy is using the Hold the Line strategy, which reduces the amount of damage her units and structures take by 10%.

Now, I don’t suggest launching your SCUD Storm on the Particle Uplink Cannon, except under a few conditions:

Toxin General: If you have Anthrax Gamma, there is a possibility of being able to destroy the Particle Uplink Cannon. If the missiles don’t destroy it, but it has a speck of health left, the anthrax might destroy it. However, if you didn’t upgrade to Anthrax Gamma, don’t bother targeting the Particle Uplink Cannons.
Demolition General: Center the SCUD Storm target on the Particle Uplink Cannon. The SCUD Missiles are filled with explosives, and have a possibility of destroying the Particle Uplink Cannon.
Stealth General: Do not attempt to destroy the Particle Cannons with the Stealth General, even with Anthrax Beta. However, if you use the Rebel Ambush prior to launching the SCUD Storm, you may be able to do enough damage to destroy it. Be warned, however, that the enemy’s two Particle Cannons located in their base are on hillsides, and the Rebels often die instantly when you try to spawn them near there. Also, there is defense in those areas, so non-Demolition Rebel Ambush is not very useful. I suggest you save if you plan on attempting this, because if it fails you may have cost yourself the game.

From this point on, play the game how you wish. If you want to place a sneak attack in her base with SCUD Launchers, go ahead. If you want to make more SCUD Storms, that works too. Your income should be really high by now. Make sure you have five or more Black Markets, and don’t rely fully on Cash Bounty.

Generals Points Allocation

SCUD Launcher: Definitely helpful against EMP Patriots, and highly recommended if you plan on using the Sneak Attack Tunnel in the enemy’s base after a SCUD Storm.
Technical Promotion: Next to useless in this challenge. The point can be better spent elsewhere.
Marauder Tank: Not too useful for this challenge either. Whatever tank duties there are in this challenge, the Scorpion Tank fits the bill.
$ General Power: Get it. Those Auroras and Comanches give you a good amount of money. Upgrade this to level three. This could save your life should you be financially crippled by the enemy.
Rebel Ambush: Demolition General should definitely get this, and the Demolition upgrade, because those two things will allow you to destroy the enemy’s Airfield without having to wait for the SCUD Storm to launch. With Toxin and Stealth, it is far less effective but still effective nonetheless.
GPS Scrambler: Stealth General is the only General besides the base faction that has access to the GPS Scrambler. Only costing one point, it can be quite useful for camouflaging a group of Quads.
Repair: Not very helpful in most situations, but it could be a better investment than the Technical Promotion or the Marauder in this challenge.
Anthrax Bomb: Very helpful, especially since the enemy masses Avengers right next to their Warfactory. If you place it correctly, it will drop the bomb before it is killed by the EMP Patriots. You will receive a lot of experience for this, and if you have Level 3 Cash Bounty, you probably earned yourself a good $6000, if not more.

USA Generals VS. Super Weapon General

The USA Generals arguably have an easier time against the Super Weapon General for a few reasons. First of all, their Missile Defenders outperform RPG Troopers and have Laser Lock, which can give you the edge over the Comanches. Secondly, The USA has multiple offensive Generals Powers including the A-10s, Specter Gunship, and the Fuel Air Bomb. Most or all will greatly benefit you in this mission. On a side note, the Air Force General will have an easier time against the Super Weapon General compared to the Laser General.

First of all, as said before, save when the cut-scene ends so that you do not have to watch it again. Next, take your first Dozer and build a Barracks near the beach. Queue another Dozer and have it build a Power Plant. Place this Power Plant in a strategic way so that if it is targeted by the enemy A-10s, the missiles will hit the Command Center and hopefully spare the Power Plant. When the Barracks is finished, build another Barracks, and another one after that, and possibly another. Continually mass Missile Defenders from all Barracks and line them up on the beach horizontally. After the Power Plant is finished, build the Supply Center in a similar fashion to the Power Plant. Try to build it near the Command Center so that it takes the A-10 missiles and not the Supply Center. I do not recommend you build another Chinook right off the bat, because for one, you really can’t afford to allocate $1200 ($950 if USAF) to it right now. Secondly, your Supply Center will most likely be destroyed by something -- A-10s, Particle Cannons, etc. -- very early on. And when you rebuild it, out pops a free Chinook. (Note: The reason I am being so specific about the build for USA in the beginning is because it has to be done quickly and correctly or you will have to restart.) Also, for the Air Force General, if you know the A-10s are coming, place your Chinooks over the Supply Center. They may be able to zap enough of the A-10 missiles to save the center.

Now it is time to get that UN Supply Crate over by the two Oil Derricks to the West. Send your Dozer, or wait for your Rangers to arrive there to get it when they capture the Derricks. By this time you’ve probably lost your Supply Center, and cannot afford to build a new one. Don’t worry quite yet. That UN Supply Crate will save the day. Your priority now is to secure the Oils and to ensure that you have enough Missile Defenders to handle Chinooks and deter Auroras.

Not too long after you get your Supply Center back up, an enemy Chinook will enter your base. Usually, on the first Chinook drop, it will be at the end of the beach to the West. It will probably be carrying one Sentry Drone with the machine gun upgrade, at least two Rangers, and two to three Missile Defenders. This group is a huge threat to your Missile Defenders, so I suggest you have some Rangers on standby to deal with the threat. If you managed to get your War Factory up and running, build a Humvee to deal with the drop. If you don’t have a War Factory yet, it is time to build it so that you can get your Strategy Center up. (If you are the Air Force General, I suggest you build an Airfield instead.) Do not build Avengers right now -- it’s too large of an investment that can easily be destroyed by Auroras. If you have extra money and want to build more anti-air, take a few Rangers and Capture the Artillery Platform to the North. Wait for the Artillery Platform to destroy the nearby EMP Patriot. Then, bring a Dozer up and along that very small beach to the North (Enemy Pilots might be stuck there), build one or two Patriots. This serves a few purposes. Comanches and Auroras do not attack Patriots placed in this area. Therefore, they will kill some Comanches. Best of all, however, is that Auroras that attack your base will no longer be returning to their Airfield. The Auroras’ return path is within the range of the Patriot. If you have extra money, now is the time to build a third Chinook and direct it to the supplies slightly South of the Artillery Platform. (If you plan on building Patriots in the location mentioned above, do not destroy the Artillery Platform, because it can be used to destroy a nearby EMP Patriot that would be able to destroy your Dozers and the Patriots' scaffolding.)

When you become a Level Three General, you can get A-10s and use them to destroy the enemy Airfield. If you are the Air Force General, you can use the Carpet Bomb to destroy the Airfield. (Be careful, however: the EMP Patriots are known to “shut down” the bomber -- it’s actually kind of funny. They cannot shut down the A-10s or the Fuel Air Bomb planes. However, I think they can shoot down the MOAB bomber since it is the same bomber that is used for the Air Force General’s Carpet Bomb.)

Rebuild your Barracks as they are destroyed by the Particle Cannons. Prepare for another Chinook drop that will now contain Pathfinders. After you capture the Artillery Platform, use that Ranger and move him to the East where there is another Oil Derrick. Keep a close eye on the Ranger, and avoid the EMP Patriot fire. Go around to the front of the Oil Derrick (where the flag is) and capture it from there, so that the EMP Patriot does not attack the Ranger. You will probably lose the Oil Derrick, but you also just acquired $1000 from capturing it. Now, if you’re feeling lucky, run the Ranger South, still avoiding the EMPs, and have him destroy the Avenger. This should promote him twice, if not three times. Next, carefully run him down the path to the South to the Particle Uplink Cannon, avoiding EMP Patriot Fire, Firebase fire, and Missile Defender fire. It is possible to do so since all three of those weapons have a delay from the time they fire to the time the projectile hits the enemy. Have the Ranger run around the Particle Cannon to the back, where the defenses no longer fire on him. The Avengers will paint your Ranger, but it does not do damage. The only thing you need to be worried about is the Avengers running over your Ranger, which they do not attempt to do. Just be careful where you move him. Once you have the Ranger in a secure position, have him capture the Particle Cannon. The enemy will sell it before you capture it fully, but it’s still one less Particle Beam firing on your base. If you didn’t manage to capture it, but the Ranger was able to get near the Particle Cannon before he died, there is a chance the AI will sell the Particle Cannon. Mission failedly accomplished.

From this point on, the USA has many options. First and foremost, build a lot of Supply Drop Zones and be sure to upgrade your income at the Strategy Center, because it does help. After you have your Supply Drop Zones up, you can proceed to build Particle Cannons, Auroras, King Raptors (if Air Force General), etc. I am not going to cover anything else for the USA because if you’ve made it this far, the game is in your favor. One last tip I will leave for the USA generals is this: on the path to the right of the Artillery Platform that you captured, build Power Plants. The enemy will launch both Particle Cannons on one Power Plant placed here. It is a good diversion technique.

Prime targets for Particle Uplink Cannons are as follows:

Target 1: Perhaps your best bet is to take out the Strategy Center and the surrounding Power Plants. If you aren’t planning on following up with Generals Abilities, this is a decent target.
Target 2: Another good target would be the Supply Drop Zone, if again you are not going to follow up with Generls Abilities.
Target 3: A very good multi-pronged attack would be to start the Particle Beam right at the edge of the Airfield and drag it up to the Particle Uplink Cannon, which should damage it into the yellow zone. Now, either follow up with another Particle Beam or A-10s or a Fuel Air Bomb (MOAB recommended).
Additional Targets: The cluster of Power Plants in the back of the enemy’s base can prove to be a good target for a Particle Beam, as well as the Command Center. Should you choose the Command Center as a target, I highly suggest you have two Particle Beams on standby, because there is a very slim chance that any of the Generals Powers’ planes will make it through the EMP array. An excellent followup to a destroyed Command Center would be to use Auroras to finish off the remaining Dozers.

Generals Points Allocation

Spy Drone: Not really useful here. I don’t recommend getting it.
Carpet Bomber (Air Force General): Highly recommended for keeping the enemy Airfield destroyed.
Pathfinders: Not really helpful in this challenge. I suppose it could be used to counter those Chinook drops, though.
A-10s: Useful for destroying almost anything.
Specter Gunship: Helpful, though it gets killed fast, so I don’t recommend you get anything above Level 1 of it.
Repair: Not really helpful, but depends on the situation. I’d say the points can be better spent elsewhere.
Fuel Air Bomb: Definitely get this. Also recommended that you upgrade it to the MOAB.
Leaflets: Not very useful in this challenge. However, if you get the Fuel Air Bomb, the Leaflet plane can be used as a diversion so that your Fuel Air Bomb hits its target. The Leaflet plane can be used in a similar fashion for other planes, but since the Fuel Air Bomb comes in the same type of plane, it is easier to judge the difference in distance that they should be for one to draw fire from the other.

China Generals VS. Super Weapon General

China’s prosperity here is basically mirroring what the USA Generals do. I will do a general guide for the China factions, but it will not be as detailed as the GLA or USA guides. Please refer to those guides (above) if you want more detail.

With your first Dozer, construct a Barracks. Using the same Dozer, build three to four more Barracks after that one is finished. With a second Dozer, build your Power Plant and queue your Radar at the Command Center. When placing the Power Plant, be sure that it is in a position near the Command Center that will protect the Power Plant from A-10 attacks. When the Power Plant is finished, proceed to building the Supply Center. Have the Command Center guard this, too. I’d recommend only building one Supply Truck for now, because they will be destroyed by the A-10 attacks.

Continue building Barracks and send Tank Hunters (Minigunners if Infantry General) to the beach and spread them out. A moment or so after the enemy’s Strategy Center is set to “Hold the Line”, the enemy will send Comanches to your base, so be prepared. From one of the Barracks, probably the one farthest back in your base, upgrade to Capture Building and send the Red Guards to the Oil Derricks to the West. Be sure to grab the UN Supplies before capturing the buildings.

At this point, the Chinook drop will be imminent along the western end of the beach, so be prepared to fight one Sentry Drone with the machine gun upgrade, and multiple Rangers and Missile Defenders.

You should consider building your War Factory soon, and getting some Gattling Tanks out. At the very least you'll need to build it for the Propaganda Center and the eventual Nuclear Silos.

After you capture the two Oil Derricks, send the Red Guards to capture the Artillery platform to the North. Once captured, allow the Artillery Platform time to destroy the nearby EMP Patriot, then place a Gattling Cannon or two on the beach in front of the Artillery Platform. Then, run your Red Guard to the East, avoiding the Patriot fire, and capture the Oil Derrick. After this, proceed to destroy the Avenger for a promotion, then run your Red Guard down to the Particle Cannon. Go around the back, and have him capture it. The enemy will sell it before a successful capture. If you did not manage to capture the Particle Uplink Cannon, but managed to get the Red Guard close enough to it, the enemy might still sell it. (For more detail on this part, refer to the GLA or USA guides for this challenge.)

When resources allow, build your Internet Center near the road in the back of your base. Have a few units guard this area, because Chinooks sometimes drop here. Mine the Internet Center, and proceed to build Hackers to fill it up. I suggest twelve Hackers total. Take very good care at this point, because the Internet Center is extremely vulnerable to A-10s. It is rather cheap, because the A-10s can destroy the Internet Center as well as kill all of the Hackers inside. So, what I did was place ECM Tanks all around the Internet Center to scatter the A-10 missiles. The results were far less destructive. The Internet Center was destroyed, but everyone inside lived. So, circling the Internet Center with ECM Tanks can be very beneficial.

Now it is time for a Nuke, if you didn’t already decide to build it earlier. I highly suggest you use the Artillery Barrage in conjunction with the Nuke, because those two together can destroy a Particle Cannon.

If you have made it this far and have a stable economy, you basically have the game in your grasp. For more detailed strategies for this level, please refer to the GLA and USA sections of this guide.

Good targets for the Nuclear Missile are as follows:

Target 1: The Supply Drop Zone in the rear of the enemy’s base is a good target for the Nuclear Missile alone.
Target 2: The middle of the enemy’s base. The Nuke will destroy all surrounding Power Plants.
Target 3: The Airfield and Particle Uplink Cannon. You will destroy the Airfield if done correctly, but the Particle Cannon will still be alive. I recommend using the Artillery Barrage, and if that doesn’t finish it off, I suggest having a Carpet Bomber on standby.

Generals Points Allocation

Red Guard Promotion: Not really useful here. I suggest skipping it, unless you are the Infantry General, in which case I highly suggest you get it.
Artillery Promotion: Not very useful considering you have to transport your artillery units by using a Helix. A very dangerous method when faced with EMP Patriots.
Artillery Barrage: I suggest maxing this out as it will help you take out the Particle Cannons.
Minigunner Drop (Infantry General): Helpful. It is really dependant on your play style.
Carpet Bomber: Excellent for taking out the Airfield. Highly Recommended.
EMP Bomb: The EMP Bomb can be used tactically by shutting down EMP Patriots and allowing for a MiG strike. But much like the Minigunner Drop, it’s dependant on your play style. You will probably have a point or two left, so you might as well get it anyway.
Mine Drop: Not too useful here considering the enemy doesn’t really use vehicles besides Avengers. However, it can be used defensively against Chinook drops by the enemy. Just remember where the Chinooks came from and use the Mine Drop there. Note, however, that the Chinook drops occur at many different locations.
Repair: Not too helpful in most situations. I’d skip it in favor of other powers.

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