Your guide to conquering the 'Behind the Iron Curtain' mission in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. Learn strategies for facing Oleg and mastering the Iron Curtain technology.
Alright, so you've stumbled upon the 'Behind the Iron Curtain' mission in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. This one's a bit of a tough nut, rated Hard, and it's all about taking down Oleg's forces while dealing with some seriously beefed-up defenses. Your main goal here is to destroy all those invulnerable Iron Curtains and Super Reactors scattered around. You'll be playing as the Allies, and you start with both an Iron Curtain and a Super Reactor yourself, which is pretty neat. The catch? All bases, including yours initially, are invulnerable until the Iron Curtain protecting them is taken down. So, yeah, you gotta break through that invincibility first!
- 1First things first, get your essentials built, then immediately construct a Naval Yard. You're going to need a solid navy for this mission.
- 2As you're building up your fleet, make sure to secure the Ore Nodes to the east and south of your base. Every bit of income counts!
- 3Keep an eye on the Yellow Iron Curtain; it's going to come under attack. Use your nascent navy to defend it from Oleg's forces. If things get dicey, deploy your Fighter Jets to help out.
- 4Once your navy is up to snuff, it's time to go on the offensive. Target all of Oleg's Iron Curtains. If you need to protect your attacking units, use your own Iron Curtain ability.
- 5A really effective tactic here is to use Artillery units to bombard the Iron Curtains from a safe distance. Before you go for the Iron Curtains themselves, focus your fire on the Super Reactors powering them. Taking out a Super Reactor deals massive damage to the Iron Curtain.
- 6With all the Iron Curtains neutralized, Oleg's bases will finally be vulnerable. Now's your chance to concentrate your attacks and bring his strongholds down.
Faction-Specific Tips:
- As the Soviets: A few Stingrays backed up by your Iron Curtain ability should be enough to deal with the enemy Iron Curtains.
- As the Allies: The Aircraft Carrier becomes available pretty early and is your best bet for naval artillery. Its Blackout Missile is key – use it to temporarily disable defenses around Oleg's Iron Curtains, creating an opening for your air assault. The Assault Destroyer is also great because it can move onto land to finish off Oleg's bases. Don't forget the Pacifier FAV for extra support!
- As the Imperials: Don't hesitate to send your Defence Nanocores towards Oleg's Reactors. They can be protected by your Iron Curtain ability, making them surprisingly effective.
ZeroSasaki's Imperial Strategy:
This is a pretty clever approach if you're playing as the Imperials. Here's the gist:
- Start by building two Power Plants, four Ore Refineries, and a Mecha Bay. Remember, your base is invincible thanks to the Iron Curtain, so you don't need to worry about defenses early on.
- Oleg will likely swarm your Iron Curtain island with Stingrays. To counter this cheaply, build walls to block the only land entrance to that island.
- Grab the Ore Nodes to the south and east. Then, produce about four Jet Tengus and eight Chopper VXs.
- Oleg usually doesn't send many Migs, and when he does, they come one at a time. This is where your Chopper VXs shine. Have them transform into Chopper mode, fly over to your Iron Curtain island, and then transform into Striker mode near the Flak Cannons.
- Timing is crucial here: wait for their transformation ability to cool down, then immediately use the Iron Curtain on them. While they're protected by the Iron Curtain (making them immune to Flak Cannons and the Super Reactor's explosion), have them transform and destroy the Super Reactor on an adjacent island. Finish off any surviving Flak cannons.
- After the anti-air defenses are down, bring in your Jet Tengus to handle any Migs that might appear. If you pull this off correctly, you'll have minimal casualties.
- Repeat this process for the other islands. The Iron Curtain only protects your Chopper VXs long enough to transform and attack nearby islands, but the Point Defence Drones can help mop up any remaining Flak Cannons. Once those are gone, Oleg's bases will be defenseless against your air power.
- Artillery is almost a must-have in this mission.
- Those Iron Curtains are heavily guarded, but destroying them is your primary objective.
- Don't forget to protect the Yellow Iron Curtain early on; it's a key strategic point.
- Targeting the Super Reactors first is a smart move to weaken the Iron Curtains significantly.
Unlockable Technology: Iron Curtain
Unlockable Challenges: King of the Monsters, Reap what you Sow
Recommended Arsenal: Allies
Par Time: 19:00
100% Human-Written. AI Fact-Checked. Community Verified. Learn how AntMag verifies content