Iron Marines+: How to Beat Mission 16 Assault

To beat Mission 16 (Assault) in Iron Marines+, secure your base choke points immediately with automated turrets, fund a durable frontline core of mechs and snipers, and leapfrog forward to eliminate enemy defensive turrets before taking down unit-spawning structures.

Initial Base Defense and Ether Setup

Enemy counterattacks begin shortly after you deploy. Rushing forward into uncharted territory will leave your home structure vulnerable to incoming strike teams.

Claim the starting Ether nodes: Immediately construct Ether refineries at your main base to fund early troop training and defense emplacements.
Erect choke point turrets: Place automated turrets, such as Gatling or Bunker turrets, at the primary approach paths to stop early infantry waves.
Anchor with your hero: Position your hero near the defensive line rather than pushing ahead into the snow. Forcing attackers to fight within your turret range keeps your hero safe while preserving early resources.

Expand your economy gradually. Upgrading main base refineries yields a reliable income without overextending your troops. When securing secondary Ether nodes across the map, build an adjacent defensive turret right away. If an outlying refinery faces an overwhelming wave, do not sacrifice your strike team to defend it; fall back to your fortified choke point and retake the node after the wave breaks.

Recommended Squad Composition

Assault requires high durability to absorb heavy incoming fire alongside high-range damage to dismantle static enemy positions.

Unit Type	Role	Tactical Priority
Frontline Hero	Aggro soak and crowd control	Keeps fire off fragile units and uses active skills to disrupt clustered defenders.
Brawlers / Mechs	Vanguard shield and siege soak	Absorbs static turret fire and blocks melee rushers at narrow choke points.
Snipers	Long-range target removal	Destroys stationary turrets from outside their range and picks off high-threat casters.
Combat Engineers	Support and field repair	Restores mechanical units, deploys mini-turrets, and fortifies captured positions.

Pair heavy mechanized units with Snipers. Losing an entire ranged core leaves your heavy units unable to deal fast damage, so pull ranged squads back first if an engagement turns unfavorable.

How to Push Enemy Fortifications

Do not attempt a single continuous push through the mission's overlapping defensive zones. Advance methodically using this sequence:

Scout ahead with your hero: Move your hero forward just far enough to reveal turret firing ranges and draw the attention of roaming patrols.
Lure patrols into defensive fire: Pull back toward your forward turrets and Snipers, wiping out mobile enemy defenders before targeting stationary structures.
Focus fire on static turrets: Send your mechanized units forward to draw turret fire, then command Snipers to focus down the defensive tower.
Destroy unit spawners: Direct all firepower onto the nearest barracks or nest as soon as the defensive turret falls to cut off enemy reinforcements.
Regroup and repair: Hold your position, heal or repair damaged units, and advance your rally point before triggering the next sector.

Bypassing fortified positions leaves active spawner structures behind you, allowing backline waves to pinch your army from behind during subsequent assaults.

Combat Recovery and Micro-Management

Keep your units grouped during transit through open paths, but spread them out slightly before engaging enemy fortifications to limit the impact of area-of-effect attacks.

Monitor unit health bars during extended firefights. If a mech or Brawler drops to critical health, manually pull it behind your hero to avoid losing the unit. Before pushing into major enemy encampments, wait for your hero abilities and special weapons to finish their cooldowns. If an attack stalls, withdraw to your nearest fortified node, restore your squad counts, and re-engage with full abilities ready.