Command and Conquer: Generals Walkthrough

China

Mission 5: Scorched Earth

• Destroy the GLA camps

This map is absolutely infested with GLA. However, there are only a few places that actually have any dangerous concentrations of them. This is a level that's hard to write a walkthrough for because of that reason. Should I tell you to go to each and every stinger site, one after the other? It's not necessary to destroy everything GLA, just the bases, so I say the recommended force should be sufficient for accomplishing your goal.

After that cool intro you get control of a pretty well-established base. All you need to start is a war factory, a barracks, a propaganda center and a few more supply trucks. You should have four general's points to spend at the start as well. I recommend taking the nuke cannon, two levels of artillery and repair. Get your economy running and put a few troops into the various bunkers. You'll probably want to put all tank hunters as the gatling cannons can handle infantry just fine. Finally, build one extra bunker (see the screenshot).

Now it's time to get offensive. Build one overlord tank, one nuke cannon, three battlemasters, two gatling tanks and another troop crawler (you started with two). This is a good, well-balanced, group. Fit the overlord with a propaganda tower and keep your forces tight. You could also build a few tank hunters and red guard to take with them to draw fire. Since you don't need to build MiGs you're in good shape with funding. Watch for rocket buggies and tanks attacking your base and leave a spare overlord home--upgraded with gatling cannon--as well as a nuke cannon to take care of them. The nuke cannon will have no trouble taking down rocket buggies with its extreme range. Some may be able to strike from farther away but you can take care of them with the overlord.

Now, before you leave the base, send a scout just southwest of your base. You'll see a good spot to use the carpet bombing command (at the air field, hotkey that building to 0 or some other to help you use it more readily). This will soften up that stinger site, which you can then finish off with your MiGs. Head directly west of your base, toward the area you just bombed, with your newly created attack group. Get them just before the tracks and use the nuke cannon to pound the buildings the GLA have garrisoned. When they're all destroyed, carefully cross the tracks. You don't want anything to get hit by a train!

Move cautiously west and you'll see another stinger site. Use the nuke cannon to take it out while you call in an artillery strike to destroy the GLA-garrisoned building just north of there. You can eliminate a lot of GLA while you cut a path west. When you get to this area (see screenshot, left) you'll want to take it very slowly and carefully, as it's loaded with demo traps. That's why you brought a troop crawler with you and should continue to do so for the rest of this mission.

You've made a lot of progress and your base is probably doing just fine, so why not make another attack force to pressure the GLA from two fronts? Make one just like the one you made earlier, minus the nuke cannon, but remembering the troop crawler, and head northwest of your base. Your goal should be the GLA base in the northeastern corner of the map, but you must pass the river to the west to get there. Fight your way forward. Use the carpet bombing and artillery as often as they are available--just choose good targets. Keep your troops well away from the carpet bomber for it devastates a huge area and it's hard to say where it's going to hit for certain.

Your other group should concentrate on the GLA base near the center of the map. You should have no trouble handling them if you kept your forces stocked. Destroy every last one of them but move very carefully for fear of the Demo traps. if you lose any forces replenish them by building replacements. Keep your MiGs moving, attacking a building that your other troops aren't firing at; this is a good way to spread out your damage.

The final base you assault should be the one in the extreme northwestern corner. This is the most heavily defended among them but you can combine your two assault groups to take it down very fast. The enemy will probably send lots of terrorists at you but your gatling tanks can handle them easily. This wasn't a very hard map but it was very spread out, forcing you to manage multiple groups. It's a good learning experience which would probably be even better to play on hard mode.

» Walkthrough provided courtesy of Carl's Guides.  Find strategy tips for playing as China, as well as reviews and guides for other games, at Carl's Guides.com.