T'leth

This is a 3 part mission. Note that this is a DO OR DIE mission. If you fail or hit abort at any time, the entire campaign ends, you lose. To have this mission available, you must research "T'leth the alien's city", and access it by launching a Leviathan sub. It'll either give the option to go to intercept or to T'leth. The "T'leth" button is at the top of the screen if you have a Leviathan selected in the Geoscape.

Part 1

Briefing

[to be added]

Description

Looks much like the second part of an Artefact Site mission, but the map layout is different and there are only two levels. You must kill all aliens or move your units to the lift (bright yellow floor) and press the "abort mission" button. Note that this lift is on the upper level (l1).

Aliens encountered:

• Aquatoid Navigators and Commanders (all M.C. capable) armed with Disruptor Pulse Launchers (most of youe opponents on this level, some 15-20 of them)
• Hallucinoids (a few)

Part 2

Briefing

[to be added]

Description

Looks like the the second part of a Colony Assault mission, but again there's only 2 levels. Once again, you need to kill all aliens or find the access lift to the third level. This can be difficult, because to do it you must first climb to the upper level, cross to the corner of the map opposite your starting location, and then descend to the ground level. Another problem is that some of the corridors will be too narrow for your SWSs - use Sonic Cannons or Disruptor Pulse Launchers to widen the door and corridors.

Note that the lift has only room for 25 aquanauts, so if you took a fully-crewed Leviathan to the mission you must either kill all the aliens or be prepared to leave someone behind. If it comes to that, the best choice is a SWS, because their mobility is greatly restricted in the third level.

Aliens encountered:

• Aquatoid Soldiers, armed with a mix of Disruptor Pulse Launchers and Thermal Shock Launchers (around 5 or so)
• Lobster Men Soldiers & Squad Leaders, armed with a mix of Disruptor Pulse Launchers and Thermal Shock Launchers (around 10 in all)
• Deep Ones (several)
• Tentaculats (a few)
• Hallucinoids (several)
• Xarquid (one or two)

Make sure to save RIGHT at the end of Part 2, because...

Part 3

Briefing

[to be added]

Description

You can't save during part 3! No more save reload abuse! As against that, all you need to do is have ONE agent complete the mission, you should be able to manage this, right?

The map is roughly a spiral leading to the Ultimate Alien's coffin. Aside from not being able to save, your overhead map will not function properly! You won't be able to see the terrain, only your agents, aliens and dropped items. Also, your SWSs can't move through the doors unless you knock them down with Disruptor Pulse Launchers. You'd need a LOT of ammo to knock down all the doors you need to pass to reach the end, so it's probably not worth taking the SWSs beyond the first two rooms.

Fortunately, the map is mostly straightforward, with only a couple of dead-ends. It's also quite large, so your agents will run out of energy if you advance too quickly. All that said, the aliens on this map aren't particularly tough, and most of them will be in the first two rooms; take them out and the rest should be easy.

When you reach the central chamber, be careful of Tentaculat ambushes. Remember that, unlike in Enemy Unknown, you can't kill the alien mastermind. Instead, destroy the power cylinders around him to win.

Aliens encountered: same as in part 2.

Tips

• It goes without saying, bring the best troops you have. As many as possible should have Mag. Ion Armour. You'll have a much easier time if your Aquanauts have high MC ratings. Because of the 80 item limit, 26 Aquanauts is probably impractical, so it's probably a good idea to take along 2-3 Displacers.

• You can take some MC-weaklings along, as long as you keep them unarmed (or armed with Gauss Pistols) on the first level. The vast majority of your opponents there will be Aquatoids, so you don't need powerful weapons anyway. After the first level there are no more MC-capable aliens, so your MC-weaklings are no longer in danger.

• The aliens are armed exclusively with Disruptor Pulse Launchers and Thermal Shock Launchers. This means you can't rely on scavenging Sonic weapons or ammo. So be careful, as your Sonic Cannons are likely to out of ammo if you don't bring reloads.

• Spread out! Especially on the first level. You don't want a Disruptor Pulse Launcher to take out half your squad, do you?

• The 80 item limit really hurts. So make sure you only bring along stuff that's essential. There's no sense in taking along more than a couple or Disruptor Pulse Launchers or torpedos, since you'll be able to scavenge plenty from the aliens. Instead, make sure to have MC Disruptors, Medi-Kits, Sonic weapons (and ammo) and close combat weapons.

• Unlike on Cydonia, there's no outdoor level: all the fighting will be done in corridors and rooms. Also, there's more light than on Mars's surface, so incendiary ammo is less useful (though not completely useless). Plan and equip your aquanauts accordingly.

• Tactics to deal with specific enemies:

Aquatoids: dangerous but very vulnerable. On the first level they all have MC abilities and Disruptor Launchers. Luckily, they almost always die in one hit, and won't survive even on the outskirts of an explosion. On the other two levels they're more of a nuisance, as no longer have MC and most have Thermal Shock Launchers. Still, one or two might be toting a Disruptor Pulse Launcher, so don't ignore them.

Lobster Men: dangerous and very tough, but no MC ability. They usually survive even a direct hit from a Disruptor Pulse Launcher! Most of them are coincidentally armed with just that, but others wield Thermal Shock Launchers and are therefore less dangerous. Your best bet is to use MC attacks and Melee weapons against them. Don't forget they have a natural melee attack!

Tentaculats: as dangerous as ever, Tentaculats are surprisingly rare in T'leth. Just like in Colony Assaults, they tend to hide in small rooms and nooks and ambush nearby aquanauts. Be alert, and let Displacers or MC-ed aliens do the scouting.

Xarquid: rare and not very dangerous, Xarquid tend to keep their distance and snipe at your men. Interestingly, they're one of the few enemies in T'leth that has a non-explosive attack. Overall, they shouldn't give you much trouble.

Deep Ones: a weak and uncommon enemy in T'leth, chances are you haven't seen them for a while. Unlike most aliens here, Deep Ones have neither explosives nor a melee attack. They're vulnerable to just about anything you throw at them, so they're unlikely to cause you any problems.

Hallucinoids: although they have a powerful melee attack, Hallucinoids are no more than a nuisance at this point. Just blast them with whatever is at hand.