Scouting missions...?

[wattywatts 76]

I could use some help with the Elite Warriors side mission...

Try one of the lone houses at the northern side of the city or one of the houses just NE from the "Syrta" sign on the map.

The positions of all the teams will be revised in the next update and there will be some clues to help you to find them.

[kecske 46]

Thanks I just found them.

[TigrisJK 10]

Had I known during that elite warriors mission that I could've loaded all their loot into a car to bring it home, I would've. Lots of good loot that mission. Oh! Protip! On actual misssions, if your teammates come home with gear it'll be added to your stash. If you've got the time you can use Function key - tilde (~) - 6 - Inventory.... but it's a little janky. Sometimes they won't go to what you're looking at. But if you manage to get it work, plenty of good loot on the main missions you can get your guys to bring home.

Slowly plucking my way through. Made it to the third base. I have a nice stash of PCMLs and Titans now as well as some seriously huge firepower in 12.7mm and .408 form. (and a *lot* of Zafirs...) I wish I had more Vermins... the Vermin is my favourite handling close combat weapon in the game. Sweet little pinpoint accurate bullethose. I think I ran myself short on mags just doing side missions. =D

OH! Question! Does anyone know if giving optics to the AI actually improves their accuracy over distances? I mean, I would hope so, but I'm not 100% on it.

Also, never ever restart a mission if you've given your AI a special loadout in the briefing, they reset to default.

[Eternal Seas 10]

So I've finished Adapt just now and I can't seem to launch the side missions. Whenever I set it as active task and leave the little forts, give me a warning that side-mission is starting if I keep going.

Cool no problem but... I keep going and it boots me back into the main menu.

[Variable 322]

I'm really enjoying the scouting missions. They are far from realistic but I like the scent of adventure of driving freely. It reminds me of Far Cry 2, in a good way.

I'm tempted to accomplish every mission I hear about or come across. Some are really great. The One Shot One Kill mission is really well made. Spoiler: loved how it's not only a sniper, but also a spotter, and that they protected themselves with AP mines.

[Darkhorse 1-6 16]

They didn't just protect themselves, they protected the whole complex. xD I ragequit 3 times doing that, because the little buggers were in places I didn't expect. The first one I tripped literally made me fall out of my chair!

[lugiahua 26]

Since the point of scouting is to collect items, I am making a simple list on where the best equipments are in each one....

There is no need to hit all targets if you were only to collect weapons, some objectives have so much weapons that are enough for a whole truck.

First mission (the night one) In the abandoned battlefield near the coast, there are several dead RPG guys with their rockets. AAF outpost in the north also have some decent gear like PCML rockets, but overall there are nothing really special.

Second mission: weapon smuggler and Elite Warriors (sound suppressors) east from the FIA camp should give you enough ammo for a full truck, Snipers in the factory also have good weapon, but might be hard to get by due to landmines.

Third mission: Weapon smuggler near south coast is a easy target (they don't wear body armor and have no NODs) They have a lot of explosives, a .50 and a .408 rifle. The crate on the island is good too, but you have to take long ride on SDV, and sometimes the house is guarded by land mines. (I don't know how to remove them.) There are also enemy frogmen in the water...

[turin turambar 0]

Unfortunately it's the time. If we were better supplied with this rare commodity, most of the features you all have mentioned would have been implemented.

4 years (I supposing Arma 3 development started one year before the official announcement) wasn't enough?

[lugiahua 26]

4 years (I supposing Arma 3 development started one year before the official announcement) wasn't enough?

Consider that BI scraped whole script (the one with NATO in Europe being overran by CSAT) less than a year from release, I think so.

[arewenotmen 10]

I'm trying to get some of the weapons off the island, but it's a bit frustrating. I loaded them all into an Ifrit on the dock, but of course you can't drive it!

I've tried the nearby towns for vehicles, but come up empty handed. Any tips?

Also, you can shoot out mines, although not the tripwire type it seems.

[lugiahua 26]

I'm trying to get some of the weapons off the island, but it's a bit frustrating. I loaded them all into an Ifrit on the dock, but of course you can't drive it!

I've tried the nearby towns for vehicles, but come up empty handed. Any tips?

Also, you can shoot out mines, although not the tripwire type it seems.

Are we talking about the last scouting mission? The one with weapon crate on an island?

I think there is a zodiac boat in the middle of strait between mainland and island, with four or five divers guarding it.

Or you can just grab a big backpack, carry the weapon with you while riding a SDV (you don't need to wear scuba gear while driving SDV above water)

[arewenotmen 10]

Are we talking about the last scouting mission? The one with weapon crate on an island?

I think there is a zodiac boat in the middle of strait between mainland and island, with four or five divers guarding it.

Or you can just grab a big backpack, carry the weapon with you while riding a SDV (you don't need to wear scuba gear while driving SDV above water)

Yes, that's the one, although it seems that boats and the SDV don't have any carry capacity. My problem, however, was back on land and finding a vehicle for the 6km trek back to base. I found a couple of SUVs in a nearby town eventually.

I also found a recurring bug where you can't swim (can't move in any direction except the vertical) once you get out of the boat, possibly because I was carrying the underwater gun. I've never been able to actually fire that underwater.

[Gryphonheart 10]

I got some side missions in Bomos, and would be grateful for any tips and hints for them from the BI, like where are positioned the enemies (snipers), in which direction approach the target to stay off the minefields and so on. Fighting the enemy is not a major problem though, I had more problems with the environment itself, as the only ladder I got up to the roof was inaccessible on my way back (!!!) so I kept falling and killing myself again and again. As a veteran of Flashpoint, Resistance and Arma I and II, I see this completely unacceptable. Where can I get my money back?

[zimms 22]

Where you spent it.

[Variable 322]

I got some side missions in Bomos, and would be grateful for any tips and hints for them from the BI, like where are positioned the enemies (snipers), in which direction approach the target to stay off the minefields and so on. Fighting the enemy is not a major problem though, I had more problems with the environment itself, as the only ladder I got up to the roof was inaccessible on my way back (!!!) so I kept falling and killing myself again and again. As a veteran of Flashpoint, Resistance and Arma I and II, I see this completely unacceptable. Where can I get my money back?

The spotter was slacking :) Look for a door entrance that is not protected by a mine. once inside, climb up.

[lugiahua 26]

Here are some useful weapons I found throughout EP2 scouting missions

First Mission:

RPG-42 in coastal abandoned battle field (There is a NVG here as well)

PCML in Gas station abandoned battle field

Total of eight 200 round 6.5mm MG belt in the check point in the north

Second Mission:

two subguns (PDW2000 and Vermin) near the east insertion point

A 7.62mm MG near south insertion point

Two RPG-42s, some 7.62 MG belts in the abandoned battlefield

M14/MK18 and ammo in the illegal weapon site

.50 rifle and SOS scope in the factory (Enemy sniper)

several 6.5mm sound suppressors in Sryta (Enemy SF)

PCML missiles near crashed Hell Cat

RPG rockets and 7.62 MG Belt near crashed Mi-48

Mine detectors near immobilized AAF armor (Enemy engineer)

7.62mm MG belts in CSAT check point

6.5mm MG belts and AP mines in AAF check point

Third Mission:

AA launcher, sound suppressors on the island

.50 and .408 rifle, large numbers of mine, MXSW with NATO 6.5mm magazines in the illegal weapon site.

[Gryphonheart 10]

The spotter was slacking :) Look for a door entrance that is not protected by a mine. once inside, climb up.

I had no problem with the landmines, saw none. But it was not so complicated at all, saw him in the window from the other roof (question is, why it wasn't exactly the opposite - I checked that later from the same window and he had to see me, but who cares..), took a non-direct approach, entered the house and cleaned it with hand-grenades. And, curiously enough, I got stuck in the wall and then also sniper's gun (lynx or whatever is that) simply disappeared (1st look - it was there, 2nd look - nothing) so I couldn't take it to my inventory. Fortunately it worked after loading the automatically saved game..

Edited February 18, 2014 by Westmoreland

[h34dup 147]

I've been having a lot of fun with the side-missions. Yes, it feels a bit goofy being all by yourself for them, especially in the face of rather daunting odds...however, after having my ass handed to me in the first mission of Adapt more times than I'd like to admit, I can say that being able to pull off the side-missions solo really adds to the feeling that I am "adapting" to the changing situations.

Here are some quick AARs if anyone gets stuck and could use some help (or if the devs want some user feedback outside of the normal channels)

Recon for UAV threat

This one was pretty simple, compared to the others, I took the ATV to some high ground along the edge of the AO and marked it on my map so I can find it when I come back. I cautiously scanned the area until I found a couple of houses, and after getting popped for exposing myself for too long, I noticed OPFOR presence in the forest near the non-destroyed house. Once I knew where they were, I was able to sneak up to an OPFOR campsite, where there are two stationary hostiles, and two on patrol. When the patrol was out of sight, I neutralized the two hanging out at the camp, dashed up and looted the UAV console and rangefinder (which does nothing, would have been cool if I could have used the UAV console to take out the other two hostiles on patrol), then planted a claymore and ran. Sadly, the Rangefinder does not stay in your inventory when you RTB. I spent a few fruitless re-loads trying to take the patrol on head-on, but they can see you much easier than you can see them. So, I was successful when I ran away from the camp and then came back after a few minutes, the patrol will likely be split up and easier to take out from afar. The objective should be complete when all four hostiles are dead.

Sniper

This one was also pretty simple, I went down the road on my ATV, hid it behind one of the houses just outside the AO, and moved in cautiously on foot... way too cautiously. I scanned every possible vantage point with the rangefinder, but found nothing, so I then prepared to go house-to-house. I found an AP mine planted on a gap in the wall where I could enter the factory complex. Keep an eye out for the occasional armored convoy to pass along the main road. When I entered the factory complex, I first tried taking to the roof of the two-story long building near the mined gate, and hit another AP mine on the other end... this tipped me off, so upon reload, I entered the building through the front and caught the spotter on the second floor. Easy kill, along with the sniper who was nearby. I used the ATV to load up all the loot, especially the Lynx sniper rifle.

Coastal Checkpoint

The checkpoint here was in the exact spot that I had ambushed the ammo truck from the mission before Gori, so I already knew where the tough vantage points were from having to defend my squad from them. I inserted into the AO with the ABR+Sniper Scope and with a silenced Sting 9mm SMG stashed in my backpack. I found a good perch where I could see not only the checkpoint (which has 3 guys, one of whom is operating a static MG), but also the village with two guys on patrol in the fields near the village, and a few others hanging around near their truck in the center. Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop...pop. Six down, very quickly. Then, I had to move in carefully (got capped on approach a couple times), and take care of the stragglers with the Sting I had in my backpack. Start from afar, finish from up-close was the MO for this one.

Abandoned Battlefield

There were a few guys scattered around, and I was having trouble getting far up the road without contact. So, I snuck up to the small two-storey construction site, went prone, and then waited for a shot. Once I opened up contact I was under fire pretty quickly. I did what I could before displacing, and after crossing the road to get a view of the abandoned APC, I had a shot on the remaining hostiles. Pretty easy.

Immobilized APC (closer to Gori)

This one was one of the tougher missions, as there are nearly ten guys and very little useful cover unless you get right up in there. After a couple attempts at silencing the patrol and getting quickly dispatched by the CROWS-style MG, I decided to crawl along the wall, which offered excellent concealment, to a defilade position where the MG wasn't readily able to hit me. There were a lot of targets, but the first to go was the one standing by himself down the road near the dilapidated shed. No one seemed to notice. I got cocky and opened myself up to a shitstorm of fire, which I was able to lean around both sides of the shed wall (sustained some minor injuries but miraculously didn't die), and picked off anyone unlucky enough to be in my sights. One of the guys on patrol appeared from behind the house across the road, I got him and the objective was completed... but I was still taking fire, getting popped a few seconds after the autosave... fortunately, after a reload or two, I took care of him. That left the APC, which was still occupied. I ran up from behind and shoved an explosive charge up it's you-know-where. I walked away from the explosion like a total badass.

CSAT Checkpoint

This one seemed insane to me, a well-guarded checkpoint with lots of H-barriers for cover and a pair of static weapons guarding either approach on the road. Fortunately, as implied by the task description, they made a mistake setting up next to a wooded area that offered lots of concealment. There was one patrol that looped around the checkpoint and strayed a little bit into the forest. So, I crawled my way up, tried a half-dozen times to eliminate hostiles to no avail, as one would inevitably silence me before I could do any significant damage. Then, I decided to do something scary, I let the patrol pass me, they were some 3m away, further into the forest than I was, even... really tense moment staying totally still and hoping I wouldn't get shot. Luckily, they passed me by, turned the corner, and continued on. This was my chance, I positioned myself out of as many FOVs as possible, then took out the first guy in the two-storey bunker closest to me. I then ran up to the cover of the H-barriers, and leaned around to pop the static gunners, and anyone else who was out in the open. There were a few guys left in the checkpoint briefing area, who got lit up, and I finished off those who ran away from the top of the other 2-storey bunker.

Elite Warriors

This mission was straight-up eery. I expected contacts at the big, imposing lookout tower, but found only an empty city. I should mention that I did this one before "Exit Strategy" and so it was the dead of night. When I couldn't find anyone anywhere from atop the lookout tower, I carefully went house-to-house. I found 3 areas where the COIN hostiles were camped out-- a small construction site near the church, in a garage near a disabled BLUFOR gun truck, and in a central 2-storey house overlooking one of the main roads. This was a long and slow one, but pretty easy. I didn't need to re-load at all, in fact the hostiles seemed pretty slow to react when I would get the drop on them. There was one unique weapon on one of the downed CSAT COIN guys - an Izhmash sniper rifle I think - but for some reason, I was not able to collect it after first viewing his inventory, and it didn't load upon a subsequent play session...but keep an eye out for it.

Immobilized APC (farther from Gori)

Quite a long ways from the Gori HQ, it's a long 5km ride if you have a vehicle. You should be mindful of an APC on patrol up and down the main road. Near the Guerilla group Center icon, which is unoccupied by any friendlies I could see, I spotted a disabled UGV that was stuck on a guardrail and had a damaged hind-right wheel. I ran up, planted a claymore and swiftly dispatched this threat before continuing on. My ATV got me really close, miraculously without attracting attention from the patrolling CSAT, so I parked behind a nearby small house and ran around the south-eastern flank. Not far away were three CSAT on patrol -- a rifleman, a grenadier, and an AR gunner, then there was a lone rifleman standing near a repair truck. After a couple of fruitless attempts at focusing on these three, I decided instead to seek an even more insane vantage point, so I crawled up close enough to plant a claymore next to the repair truck, then made for the tank, where there were two CSAT standing in between the truck and the tank, and another three guys hanging out next to a house, which I had a bush to my left for concealment. The sequence of events was enough to make you sick with anxiety, and it took some messing around. Turns out the claymore next to the repair truck was useless, all I did was start with the two men in between the vehicles, pop-pop, pop-pop, two down. Then I picked off the lone rifleman behind the truck. Then I tossed a grenade over the hedge to deal with the three others, moving out of the way while still prone as fast as possible to avoid splash damage. Assuming they were all killed by my 'nade, I then focused back on the three guys on patrol. The key here is to shoot and scoot, don't stay in one position for long, use the confusion to your advantage, and don't let the remaining hostiles get a visual on your position. Again, the objective was considered complete with one CSAT still standing (I'm assuming this and the other Immobilized Armor task are completed by the number of units alive in the group being < 2, as I myself know the problems that trigger-based OPFOR Not Present tasks can pose). Finally, I used an explosive charge on the APC with the CROWS-style turret, and once again, walked off into the distance like a badass while triggering the explosives behind me. No loot worth writing home about here.

Next Missions come after completing the above:

Vet Clinic

I ended up spoiling this one for myself when I checked out the link tom posted below. Very easy nevertheless, anyone approaching the objective would go in from high ground and have eyes on from as far off as possible. There are only two guys hanging out in the open (must have gotten into the vet's medicine cabinet). Popped em from afar, then moved in and secured the area. Objective completed after I grabbed a couple of medpacks out of the dead FIA's backpack on the 2nd floor of the only 2-storey house.

Illegal Weapons

I also inadvertently spoiled this by merely seeing a map screenshot on the steam forums link tom posted below, but it's also pretty easy-- just a group of thugs without NVGs waiting to get snubbed. I had some fun with these guys, but was not expecting to find as many guys in close-quarters as I did. Nevertheless, they were easily dispatched. Since no one would be needing it, I took liberties with their truck. I found that simply completing the objective is not enough to get the loot back at base, you need to manually load as much as the offroad can carry and drive back to base with it. There are INDFOR weapons, ammo, and a supply crate with lots of useful attachments. Plunder at will like a true pirate and drive CAREFULLY back to base or to your next objective. I ended up needing to re-load more from vehicle crashes than being killed. The physics system is definitely better in A3, but it's still a total moon ride.

Edited February 20, 2014 by h34dup

[Variable 322]

Nice AAR headup, thanks.

[foffy 58]

Is there a list of all side missions? I've yet to play ArmA III's campaign (waiting for the whole thing to be out), and I want to make sure I try and dabble in everything on offer like I did with ArmA II's campaign and collecting evidence.

[tom3kb 15]

@up

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=219563583

And h34dup write all missions names two posts above :)

Edited February 19, 2014 by tom3kb

[h34dup 147]

Thanks Variable and Tom!

I updated the 2nd immobilized armor AAR (for the one farther from Gori, near the elite warriors objective), and added two more placeholders for missions I didn't get until completing the last 8 missions and RTB'ing, for the Vet Clinic, and the Illegal Weapons. Looks like there's another one on top of that looking at the link Tom just posted above, that affords the player all manner of weaponry and attachments, haven't gotten that one yet, but I'll keep an eye out for it.

EDIT: Updated the Vet and Illegal Weapons AARs above

Edited February 20, 2014 by h34dup

[lugiahua 26]

My recommendation was to carry a rifle with 40mm GL.

With some practice you should be able to take out foot patrols, even some vehicles with single shot.

There are also plenty of grenades to be found during the mission.

[five_seven5-7 56]

My recommendation was to carry a rifle with 40mm GL.

With some practice you should be able to take out foot patrols, even some vehicles with single shot.

There are also plenty of grenades to be found during the mission.

I´ve cleared most of them with 12.7mm gun, fnp .45 (with red dot) and ghillie suit, the Immobilized APCs some shots towards machine gun, threat was finished.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Five_Seven5-7

[elephant 12]

So I missed the Bomos scouting missions because I wanted to wait for daylight and didn't realize your first main mission there would also be your last. My question is if anyone knows if it's possible to go back and play those scouting missions without having to revert my campaign progress? Replaying the Bomos camp encounter kicks you back to the menu when you transition to the scouting mission, and I don't want to lose my campaign progress so I don't have to play through it all again hurriedly in order to play the next campaign part when it's released. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks.