Iron Marines+ Mission 20 Guide: How to Beat A Bridge Not Too Far

To beat Mission 20, "A Bridge Not Too Far," in Iron Marines+, use Blue Dragon's aerial flight to scout past narrow bottlenecks, eliminate high-threat ranged clusters, and bypass ground terrain hazards. Support your hero by holding narrow bridge chokepoints with durable frontline units, providing long-range fire from snipers, and securing Ether extractors early to maintain squad reinforcements.

Early Defense and Ether Economy

The opening moments require establishing a stable economy while defending against immediate multi-pronged skirmishes along the northern and eastern approaches.

1. Claim the initial Ether node: Immediately send your starting ground forces to capture the nearest resource node and build an automated extractor.
2. Fortify the entry bridge: Construct a defensive turret at the main approach to slow incoming alien runners and absorb early damage.
3. Position Blue Dragon centrally: Station Blue Dragon above your primary refinery so the hero can quickly fly between active lanes without taking ground pathing delays.
4. Deploy a frontline squad: Train a squad of Mecha or Troopers to physically block the narrow ramp leading into your base perimeter.

Securing your Ether stream early ensures you have the resources needed to recruit heavier combat squads and replace fallen units as enemy waves escalate.

Recommended Squad Composition

A balanced strike force prevents your squad from stalling at choke hazards. Ground forces must hold lane thresholds while long-range specialists eliminate alien artillery from behind cover.

When managing ground squads, pull damaged individual units to the rear ranks. Allowing battered squad members to recover outside active combat prevents squad wipes and avoids full redeployment Ether costs.

Pushing the Bridge and Securing the Far Bridgehead

The central bridge bottleneck concentrates enemy splash damage. Pushing across requires a staggered advance rather than moving your entire force onto the span at once.

• Bait and scout with Blue Dragon: Fly Blue Dragon across the chasm ahead of your ground troops to trigger enemy artillery attacks and reveal defensive nests.
• Focus anti-air threats: Avoid leaving Blue Dragon stationary over entrenched nests, as concentrated anti-air fire will quickly deplete the hero's health pool.
• Advance snipers to maximum range: Move snipers forward to pick off stationary defense bunkers while the enemy targets your airborne hero.
• Anchor the crossing: Once the entrance is suppressed, advance your frontline Mecha to hold the bridge threshold.
• Construct a forward turret: As soon as you clear the far side of the crossing, build a forward turret immediately to lock down the bridgehead against counterattacks.

Holding the Bridgehead Against Late Waves

The final phase sends mixed waves of armored elites and swarming broods toward your forward bridgehead. Keep your frontline tanks locked at the crossing threshold to prevent enemies from reaching your snipers and turrets.

Direct Blue Dragon's burst abilities onto densely packed groups at the entrance of the bridge. If a lane starts to buckle under heavy pressure, trigger your hero's primary cooldowns or special support drops directly onto the bottleneck to reset enemy momentum and finish the mission.