Hiigara System is the first mission in the Homeworld: Cataclysm campaign. Kiith Somtaaw must help the Veer-Rak in defending Hiigara, but it won't be easy...
Overview[]
15 years have passed since the Kushan reclaimed Hiigara for themselves. It has not been easy, but the Taiidan Empire has fractured under civil war. The Taiidan have splintered into the old Taiidan Imperialists and the Taiidan Republic. Unfortunately, kiith without major political power have been forced to live in the stars: one such kiith must now help Kiith Naabal to defend their Homeworld from another Imperialist attack...
Research[]
Strategy[]
Unlike Homeworld, the player will start with no offensive fighters. They will only have a few Recons and two Workers. Make use of the workers to harvest the nearby resources, retiring some recons to gain some more. The few resources available should be used to build a Processor and tell it to guard the workers.
Very little can be done, for the nearby Taiidan Carrier will send some fighters to investigate the Kuun-Lans hyperspace signature. The processor, when completed, will be able to keep the Workers safe, so don't worry about them. When some deliveries of resources come in, build several Acolytes to deal with the main objective: about 15-20 should be enough. Place them in a wall on aggressive and send them to the Ion Cannon Frigates and defeat the various Attack Bombers there.
With the frigates safe, regroup the fleet and replace any losses. Dock the Acolytes within the Kuun-Lan to repair them, then move the repaired Acolytes towards the designated point. The first attack wiped out the Sensor Grid, so we need to discover what's in undiscovered locations. Nearing the ping location will reveal some Resource Collectors harvesting resources, guarded by some Defenders. Use the Acolytes to destroy the enemy forces and then use workers to harvest any remaining resources for yourself.
During that battle, the engineers aboard the Kuun-Lan have discovered a method of linking Acolytes together to create a basic corvette vessel. Research the Linking Technology immediately, as this will be needed for upcoming missions as enemy forces will get stronger.
Shortly after defeating the resource operations, the nearby Proximity Sensors will come under attack. Send in any Acolytes remaining to defeat the Strike Craft attacking the sensors. Once defeated, the Taiidan decide that the Hiigarans are too strong and decide to pull back. Their remaining Heavy Cruiser is attempting to leave the area. Rebuild any lost Acolytes, then send them to wherever the cruiser is positioned: there will be some defenders protecting it, so destroy them first before attacking the cruiser.
Once the cruiser is down, the mission is complete. Don't bother about the remaining enemy forces, as Kiith Naabal will be able to deal with them on their own. Rebuild the fleet, and replace all Acolytes with about 15 ACVs: this can be done by linking remaining Acolytes, then building a few singular ACVs to conserve needed resources. Make sure there are four workers in the fleet as well: these will be needed for the next mission. End the mission at your own convenience.
Trivia[]
- While the defense fleet was commanded by Kiith Naabal, Most of the Kushan ships in the main battle bear the colors of either Kiith S'jet or Manaan.
- It is possible to lose the frigates from the first objective. This will result in the carrier near them to send fighters to the Kuun-Lan.
- Ultimately, if you lost the first frigates and not continue with the objectives, eventually the Kushan ships will be destroyed and the carrier as well. This does not result in a failed mission though.
- If the fleet is destroyed, the Kushan carrier will sometimes send fighters to attack the Kuun-Lan. It is unclear if this is intentional or a bug.