The short answer
Prepare around the mission objective: choose an aircraft, select a suitable special weapon, and fit upgrade parts. In flight, manage your approach, defend against missiles, and use wingman orders. This primer follows the official walkthrough; exact retail controls and mission solutions remain untested.
Prepare before takeoff
The publisher confirms that additional aircraft can be purchased using MRP earned in missions. Exact costs, unlock order and part combinations need retail verification.
- Read the briefing and identify whether the main targets are in the air, on the surface, or mixed.
- Look at the aircraft available to you and the weapon options attached to them.
- Select your special weapon and upgrade parts around that objective.
- Use the in-game tutorial to learn the controls for your chosen input device.
Understand the basic combat loop
| Action | What the publisher describes | What needs practice |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Use thrust to close on an enemy. | Control your closing speed so you can follow the target. |
| Defend | Chaff and flares are described as missile defenses. | Learn the actual input and timing from the retail tutorial. |
| Attack | Missiles and machine guns are used in dogfights. | Read the targeting indicators and test a weapon against a suitable target. |
| Command | Wingmen can receive situation-specific orders, including attacks and cover. | Check the available orders and controls in your current mission. |
Choose a role, then check the equipment
The official roster groups aircraft as Fighter, Attacker, Multirole and Electronic. Use that label as a starting point, then inspect the actual equipment and mission requirements. A role label is not a tested ranking.
The aircraft reference lets you compare confirmed names and roles. Damage, ammunition, turning performance and mission-specific “best aircraft” choices are left open until there is evidence.
Looking for a mission walkthrough?
Mission-by-mission retail walkthroughs are not published in this prelaunch edition. Start with the preparation sequence above and the official video guide. Exact objective changes, checkpoint recovery and rank routes need observed runs.
A useful future mission guide will show an attainable loadout, the difficult step, a successful result and a recovery route. We will not fill those gaps with instructions borrowed from another Ace Combat game.