Iron Marines+ Mission 13 Guide: How to Beat Ghost in the Shell

To beat Mission 13 in Iron Marines+, immediately secure your starting base perimeter, claim the nearest Ether node to fund unit production, and pair durable frontline tanks with long-range snipers. Ascendaar's mechanical units deal high burst damage at close range and deploy armored walkers, automated turrets, and suicide drones. Rushing forward without fortified choke points or an established Ether income will lead to overwhelmed bases and wiped squads.

Early Base Setup and Ether Economy

Your starting central command outpost begins with limited Ether. Do not spend initial resources on expensive high-tier units right away. Establish a stable foundation using these steps:

1. Cover starting base lanes: Place basic defensive structures along the primary entry paths leading into your command center.
2. Clear the nearest Ether deposit: Move your hero and a basic infantry squad to eliminate the robotic skirmishers guarding the adjacent Ether node.
3. Build an extractor immediately: Construct an extractor the moment the node is clear, and set up a turret nearby to protect it from roving patrols.
4. Delay advanced tier upgrades: Wait until your first secondary extractor is actively generating resources before transitioning to combat walkers and heavy turrets.

Losing an early extractor delays your tech development, leaving you unable to afford armored brawlers or heavy weapons before larger enemy assault waves arrive.

Strike Squad Setup and Unit Roles

Standard light rifle squads suffer heavy attrition against Ascendaar's armored walkers and energy cannons. Assemble a balanced strike force that absorbs incoming fire while dealing heavy single-target damage from a distance:

• Frontline Shields (Brawlers or Armored Walkers): Absorb explosive volleys, hold enemy combat units in place, and shield fragile damage dealers.
• Snipers: Position these behind your frontline to eliminate repair drones, robotic gunners, and high-threat targets from outside enemy firing range.
• Combat Engineers or Support Walkers: Provide mid-combat repairs to keep mechanical units alive, and deploy protective barriers during protracted fights.
• Hero: Lead the front line, trigger targeted crowd-control skills on dangerous siege platforms, and soak incoming damage.

Space your ranged units slightly behind your frontline tanks. Clustering units tightly allows robotic mortar fire and artillery to damage your entire squad simultaneously.

Turret Selection and Choke Point Defense

Hostile units launch automated counteroffensives down fixed corridors while you push forward. Capturing expansion platforms at narrow canyon junctions allows you to hold ground without pulling your attack squad back to defend.

Match your static defenses to incoming threats:

Place Gatling emplacements to cut down fast drone swarms, backed by missile turrets to shred armored targets. Upgrade bottleneck defenses first to secure your rear supply lines.

Terminal Hacking and Wave Management

Advancing toward mission objectives requires a methodical leapfrog approach. Do not send your assault squad past unfortified junctions.

• Target hostile infrastructure: Focus fire on enemy repair bays and energy barriers before attacking combat units. Leaving repair systems operational allows hostile defenses to withstand heavy sustained fire.
• Prep before console interactions: Overriding corrupted nodes or interacting with objective terminals triggers automated security waves. Establish a 360-degree defensive perimeter around the console before starting the hack.
• Counter suicide drones: When suicide drones charge, manually pull fragile ranged squads backward. Let your hero or static barricades absorb the blast.
• Prioritize artillery: Manually target enemy siege walkers and artillery units as soon as they appear so your frontline armor does not get broken down from afar.