An in-depth explanation of the Liberation mission chain in Long War 2 as well as a quick infographic for the basics. This is the most crucial aspect of LW2 to understand, yet unfortunately it isn’t explained very well in game. If you don’t understand this aspect of the mod odds are your campaign is doomed and you’ll waste a ton of time!
Details about each of the 5 Liberation Missions, how to identify a liberation mission when it pops up, and a few quick tips on how each mission works and how to to complete it successfully.
Liberation Mission 1 (LIB1): Hack an Objective
The first liberation mission is one of the hardest to identify, but once you know what to look for it won’t be an issue. You reveal Liberation Mission 1 the same way you reveal every mission – gathering intel by scanning with the Avenger in that region or setting resistance members to the intel task. The effectiveness of intel gathering is increased if you station a Scientist as a haven advisor.
How to identify Liberation Mission 1The mission briefing popup must meet ALL of the below criteria:
Sidenote: after completing the first liberation mission, if you look at your “Resistance Management” screen in the Avenger, you will now see a white dot or “pip” next to that region. This tracks your progress in the liberation mission chain in that region. When you complete mission 2, you will have 2 dots. |
Long War 2 Liberation Mission 1 Full Gameplay Video:
Hack Objective / Find a Lead
Liberation Mission 2: Extract VIP (A Friendly VIP)
After completing Liberation Mission 1, the second mission is not revealed immediately. Again you have to gather intel to reveal it, just like other normal missions. It can take up to a week or two to reveal it sometimes, but it seems to be generated pretty quickly after Mission 1 is complete. Make sure you are now maxing intel gathering in this region so you get plenty of time to infiltrate on Liberation mission 2 and 3.
I would recommend setting all resistance members to intel, fly the Avenger there and scan, and also station a scientist as advisor.
Missions #2 and #3 have increased difficulty from standard missions (advent strength increased by 3 from the normal strength in that region) so you will need every advantage you can get.
How to identify Liberation Mission 2:
Liberation Mission 2 Help, Strategy, Tips:
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Long War 2 Liberation Mission 2 Full Gameplay Video:
Extract Friendly VIP
Liberation Mission 3: Hinder Advent Operations (Neutralize Target)
Similar to mission 2, this mission is not revealed immediately or automatically. You will need to gather intel to reveal it like normal. In the previous versions of Long War 2, you had to complete Mission 3 successfully or your liberation progress in the region would be reset. However in my recent game (Long War v1.4, Summer 2017) I ignored the mission on two occasions and it didn’t seem to reset liberation chain progress.
These missions are more difficult than standard missions, so maximize your intel gathering in this region as soon as MIssion 2 is complete and have your best troops and equipment ready for infiltration.
How to identify Liberation Mission 3:
Liberation Mission 3Help, Strategy, Tips:
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Long War 2 Liberation Mission 3 Full Gameplay Video:
Neutralize Target (Enemy VIP)
Liberation Mission 4: Secure Network Tower
Once you get to liberation misssion 4, the mission chain thankfully becomes pretty transparent.Mission 4 is revealed immediately after you complete liberation mission 3, so no need to scan for intel or prepare in advance. You don’t need to necessarily need to know how the mod’s system works before it even appears like with the previous missions. You can begin mission 4 any time you want, though its recommended to start it as soon as possible. Advent troop strength will increase the longer your campaign goes, so earlier is better in most situations.
How to identify Liberation Mission 4:
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Liberation Mission 4Help, Strategy, Tips:
- Tip: Mission #4 will not expire. Once you complete mission 3 and reveal mission 4, you can begin infiltration whenever you want.
- Tip: Once you reach mission #4, the liberation mission chain progress will not reset, even if you fail it and there is no expiration timer.
- Tip – Don’t Sneak Past Enemies: Every time I’ve played this mission the layout was the same. It was basically impossible to stealth to the objective. Patrols / enemy placement make it pretty much impossible to sneak past. Plan to fight the first enemy pod you see, don’t plan for stealth.
- Tip – Enemies in final building: It seems there will always be a podof enemies in the final building. Sometimes they may be standing still on the roof, or they may be patrolling in a small area on the first floor. They don’t seem to leave the building area. Kill all other enemies first before moving up to the building which will usually activate this final group.
- Tip – Bridge Explosives: Watch out for hidden explosives on the sides of the bridges. The explosive sections do not show up as anything special until another explosion hits them. They are the tall rectangular pieces with a yellow light strip and antenna on top. One is located at each corner of some of the bridges. This is a great way to ambush enemies. Don’t take cover on the bridges because the enemies make trigger the explosions too.
- Tip: You will have to kill all enemies on this mission in order to complete it.
- Tip – Reinforcements Timing: When the REINFORCEMENTS notification in the upper left turns red and says “incoming” – reinforcements will appear on the next enemy turn. Before that it will say “Warning” and “Imminent” for several turns. (The amount of turns varies depending on your difficulty setting.)
- Tip: Get at leastsome laser weapons (the first weapons upgrade) before attempting this mission the first time.
Long War 2 Liberation Mission 4 Full Gameplay Video:
Secure Network Tower
Liberation Mission 5: Assault Advent Headquarters
Liberation Mission 5 is a lot of suspenseful fun. Its a huge battle with the maximum of 8 soldiers. You will most likely face 30+ enemies even if the Advent Strength is low and you infiltrate to maximum. There will also be an Advent General who has a ton of HP and seems to give bonuses to his nearby allies.
How to identify Liberation Mission 5:
Liberation Mission 5Help, Strategy, Tips:
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Long War 2 Liberation Mission 5 Full Gameplay Video:
Assault Advent Headquarters
Conclusion
Any questions, suggestions, or corrections please comment below. The Liberation Mission chain was one of the most confusing parts of the Long War 2 mod and after playing a ton of LW2 and reading, I finally understand it. Hopefully this guide will help other new players understand it as well!
If you’re interested in watching gameplay videos of the Liberation Missions, you can watch using the youtube videos above, or go here to load the full 5 mission playlist and start watching on the first mission. I recorded these videos just in case people wanted to see what the missions were actually like and what happens before/after completing them. Other than mission 4 and 5, they are actually very similar to other, regular randomly generated Long War 2 missions. This is why it’s so easy to overlook their importance in Long War 2.
