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Any hints on the Achieve for The Dig mission on hard?

Thanks :D

Get your defense up as your first priority. Once you have a few bunkers at each entrance, as well as a few siege tanks, (and you get control of the laser), you will need to take down 50 buildings using the laser.

This achievement requires you to keep a close eye on the battlefield, as you will frequently need to use the laser to take out archons/colossus/high templar lest you be overrun, as well as focusing down buildings.

In order to take down the 50 buildings, you will need vision of them. The easiest way to do this is with a flying unit that CANNOT attack. If you send a viking/wraith/etc. it will attack any Protoss in range, and they will chase it and try to kill it.

I recommend using either a Medivac or a Hercules dropship. Fly it towards the temple, and go to the base on the right. Approach from ABOVE the ramp entrance. If you see anything which can target the dropship (like phoenix, void rays, cannons), focus these down first with the laser. Keep the dropship safe - sometimes when you take out a unit they replace it quickly, so just use the laser to clear out all structures and anti air units you can see with the dropship, then move the dropship forward until you can just see more, then use the laser to burn that stuff too.

When you are finished with this base, the Protoss attacks on your own base will become much easier to fend off, and you will have the freedom to use a similar tactic to take out the base to your north west - which is more heavily defended. Try and sneak in from a corner to get vision.

In order to take down the 50 buildings, you will need vision of them. The easiest way to do this is with a flying unit that CANNOT attack. If you send a viking/wraith/etc. it will attack any Protoss in range, and they will chase it and try to kill it.

I recommend using either a Medivac or a Hercules dropship.

Good idea, only problem is the only air unit you have is a viking which i tried but not having much luck - will try a squad of them rather than a handful and see how we go.

thanks

Actually, I just realised you only get the Medivac AFTER that mission (it is in the same string of missions). Instead of doing 'The Dig' right now then, I would suggest that you keep playing until you are able to unlock the Hercules Dropship via research (you need 15 zerg research points - the alternative is a fairly useless mechanical dog).

You can use vikings, but it will be a lot harder. Make sure you have enough to take down any air units they have easily (4-5 should do it I would think). Also, try not to get too close to stalkers etc.

Use the 'Hold Command' button when moving them in the base too - you don't want them to chase a flying unit right into the base.

The vehicles you have are always dependant on the other missions you've done so far. Work on other branches of the campaign, and you'll get other air units. The Hercules, for one, is gotten from Zerg tech, and you can get the Raven/Science Vessel through Protoss tech. Wraiths are gotten from the Rebellion branch, while Banshees and Battlecruisers are gotten later in this branch. The Vikings you already mentioned you have are gotten from the Haven branch.

ok here is how i did it..

First defense: Get missile turrets for air defense, and about 15 siege tanks (in siege mode) for ground defense.

I delayed completing the mission for as long as i could by using the laser drill to kill anything that shows up (so less time on the door).

i had 6 hells angels (viking merc) and flew them to the bottom of the left protos base. I waited for the air wave. once the air wave was defeated i slowly moved one of my vikings into the base to only get LOS of the buildings. then used the laser drill to slowly kill every building and units.

I did not attack with my vikings till i was sure that there is nothing in that base that can kill them.
While you are killing the buildings dont forget to kill the units that attack your base (15 siege tanks aint enough in hard mode).

You can use vikings, but it will be a lot harder. Make sure you have enough to take down any air units they have easily (4-5 should do it I would think). Also, try not to get too close to stalkers etc.

4-5 is not enough if u intend to defend them, for me 6 hells angles wasn't enough, attack after the air wave so they done have any air units and try not attack with the vikings and use them to only get LOS. and i only send 1 viking in and keep the rest behind it to defend it, because if you attack with 4-5 they will spread out and get more aggro.

I just used the orbital scan, allows you to get about 5 buildings per scan, made a few extra CC's for the added minerals and just scanned away.

Once your defenses are in top shape(ie: Impenetrable), build a barracks and have it lift off to scout for you. I recommend flying it to the left most artifact area. After that have it fly bit by bit to the northern base(hugging the edges while revealing bit by bit). Careful though, there's a protoss scout/phoenix nearby(Might wanna use the laser to kill it ASAP).

Always remember, the one dealing the blows to the building comes from the Laser Drill.

And never, EVER, forget your priority in the battle, the Archons/Colossi/Immortals/Void Ray. Keep a close eye on the minimap, and this achievement is cake. Hope it helps.

Maybe I've done something wrong in my campaign I've finished but I can only build units that were available at the time I did the mission first time through. How come everyone else seems to have their extra upgrade and stuff they purchased later on in the campaign?

2 bunkers and 4-5 siege tanks can hold the entrances without any assistance from the laser.

Add 4-6 turrets for air waves.

Use a flying barracks to scout out enemy base.

GG.

Maybe I've done something wrong in my campaign I've finished but I can only build units that were available at the time I did the mission first time through. How come everyone else seems to have their extra upgrade and stuff they purchased later on in the campaign?

No, you're right that you'll always only have access to the units and upgrades you had when you first tried the mission, but depending on what order you do the missions in, you could have more or less units available than other people the first time you complete it.

Actually you can take advantage of your flying structures.

I had a different problem - NOT WANTING to finish the drilling...!

Initially on Hard, just keep churning out siege tanks and place them close to the edge. But not too close, coz you'll be needing ~ 8 turrets, to fend off the air strikes.
I had quite a few Goliaths as well, and Thors. Just have them ready for any attacks.
Bunkers (at least 2 at each point) loaded marines.
For the first 10mins or so, you'll be too busy fending off attacks than concentrating on their buildings.

Very soon, your minerals will run out, and you'll have to get the other patch on the lower right side. Your defences should be capable of anything by now.
At that point, I built like 5 Command Centres (in addition to Bunkers and Perditions).

Use the scan on the CC to lift the fogs, and zap the building with the laser.
Everytime you do so, they will rebuilt. It is best to hit the Nexus first, so it'll interrupt their collection of resources.
With 5 CC scanning, you'll be merrily zapping away at their buildings. It will come to a point where the drones can't / won't rebuilt. By then, you'll pass the 50builidngs required.
At that point, I just zapped their cannons, pylons, and whatever else I could. I delayed finishing the drill for as long as possible by doing this.
I managed to pick up the bonus too (tho not required).

And yeh, by then you can send out your troops and wipe out the Protoss totally. That's what i did. They won't have much resistance left.

Yeh, I know it's pretty 'low tech' kinda way to complete...but hey! - it was a great feeling wiping them out..! :D

All i did was use the mining lazer. Thats all. It destorys anything and can reach anything on the map.

Its actually an easy mission. No need for air units to attack the bases. Just spam a lot of ground units and attack while using the laser to kill everything, units, bases, anything that shows up.

I was having trouble with this achieve too, so I went looking for a guide which said "use vikings, scout and laser stuff to death". That worked for them, but unfortunately I did this mission before I did the viking mission, so wasn't an option for me. I didn't think of flying buildings out, and I don't think I had the scanner either. So all I did was a few barracks, pumped out marines and medics with as many mercs as I could get and just went in with a big mass of troops backed up by the drill. Mass of marines being healed by medics were able to pretty easily keep LOS on the protoss while the drill killed the big stuff that was really hurting them.

I had trouble getting this as well. I only could produce wraiths from Starports since I didn't do Haven and I didn't upgrade either the hercules or the predator, since both were useless for me in the long run.

When you get your first two siege tanks at the start of the mission, kill the pylon, not the 3 cannons. Leave them be and head straight for the base killing any resistance along the way.

Like what others before me have said, first thing to do when you gain control of your base is to build economy and set up defenses right off the bat. Turrets to the NE ridge, and around 6-8 tanks each behind walled-off bunkers and supply depots, coupled with marauders and medics and marines. There should be enough to resist attacks from air units from doing serious damage. When I ran low on resources, I expanded to the SE expansion and upgraded the ComCenter into a planetary fortress.

I then built wraiths and sent them to the NE corner of the map. When you gain control of the laser, kill the three cannons on the SW. Then I went back to the wraiths, and sent one just to get vision on a pylon and a cannon on the north of the right base.. It's tricky if you don't have non-attacking air units because you have to find a way to control the visibility of the structure you want to attack while avoiding the air unit from attacking, and also killing the Archons, Immortals and Collossi. If it died, i just sent another one to reveal. I noticed that the right side of the eastern base has hardly any defense, so scout that area and let the laser loose on those buildings. Kill any units as well because even if the wraiths were cloaked, they could see it if they had attacked. Continue to reveal and destroy buildings in sight.

Once the right base is done (but still have not got 50 building kills), I went to the northern base and started cutting it from its east side until I got the achievement.

Like some others, I did this mission before I got Vikings, wraiths, the Hercules, or any other flying units. I had to use a flying barracks, which actually worked ok to get the hard achievement.

First step is to fortify each ramp. I had 1 bunker (previously upgraded to 6 slots) with 4 marines and 1 marauder in each. Concussive shells slows everyone coming up the ramp - easy meat with 7 or 8 siege tanks around the top of each ramp, and a few extra turrets along the ridge near the big frikkin' laser. That was enough to hold off all attacks with minimal micro, so long as you laser any colossi and archons before they reach you (easy enough with the minimap).

I started with flying a barracks over the protoss base to the left. Hardest bit was the first cannon (laser kills it fast) and after that it was easy to inch forward and burn stuff as it appears in line of sight.

The trick to getting the hard achievement is that the 50 buildings INCLUDES any that are still warping in. So, DON'T kill the probes. Keep the barracks hovering near where the probes are gathering minerals (into the base a little), and keep killing buildings. As you kill one, the probes will come out and start warping a replacement in. Kill the new building before it finishes warping in, and you can get the achievement easy. I only had to clear about half of one base, and the rest of my 50 came with zapping warp-ins.

hmm, sounds like science vessels would be perfect, heal each other or hercules ship.

the way i got it was using Golaiths + Mauraders and medic's. I used the drill to kill alot of the buildings with. I ran out of minerals and gas when i did this mission, i just had to sit back and use the drill to kill everything and let my defences finish off what i could shift kill before it got to me.