Light the Fuse

Light the Fuse is the seventeenth campaign level in Halo Wars 2, and the third of the Awakening the Nightmare expansion.

Transcript
BANISHED SALVAGE DRILLS

LIGHT THE FUSE

Mission Briefing
 * Pavium: "Voridus, my troops and i are nearly at your position at the salvage drills. Have you reached the Forerunner defense station?"
 * Voridus: "Some kind of flood forms block the entrance to the station, it's as if they understand it's a threat to them. We barely even had a time to establish a base before they besieged us!"
 * Pavium: "We MUST reach that station, if we can't reactivate the Forerunner defenses we will have no chance against the parasite!"
 * Voridus: "We haven't the numbers, Pavium. Each time we kill one, another appears. The Flood is everywhere, scattered across every surface, every crack and fissure!"
 * Pavium: "The fissures! That whole area is honeycombed with explosive power. If we can start the salvage drills, we can use them to cause a chain reaction and burn the parasite away!"
 * Voridus: "I will start the extractors up immediately to start stockpiling power."

Mission Summary

Gather power to start up salvage drills.

Scouting Report

Multiple Flood Bursters have been detected in the area.

Cutscene

''Voridus base is under attack by the Flood while he start up the power extractor.'
 * Voridus: "Start the extractors! We'll need all the powers we can to start the salvage drills up!"

The Augmented Extractor however was destroyed due to unstable field.
 * Voridus: "Pavium, the power is too unstable for our extractors."

Cut to the salvage drills area where The Flood are swarming the area.
 * Voridus: "However, there are many small eruptions where the power has crystallized. If we collect them in that state, we can break them down for use in the drills."

The Flood is attacking Pavium's base and Pavium lead his troop to defeat incoming Flood.
 * Pavium: "Very well, Voridus. I've set up my own operation, we'll start gathering the power we need for the salvage drills."

Gameplay
 * Pavium: "With me! The liquid form of that energy has crystallized where it has broken through the surface. We can use those crystals to start the drills again."

Pavium leads the Banished to destroy crystal and collect power while setting up defenses to defend the Salvage Drills.

Screen moves to where a massive size of Flood blubs are about to explode.
 * Pavium: "That thing, something's happening!"
 * Voridus: "Pavium, it's about to release more Flood! Get clear!"

It erupted and spawns hordes of Pod Infectors.
 * Pavium: "They breed faster than Grunts! We must end this quickly, they're heading for our base!"

The Banished retreated to base to repel the attack.

After repelling it, the Banished continue to gather crystals.
 * Voridus: "Brother, I witnessed one of those things decimate a squad of my troops earlier! They are everywhere here. They seem to occur on cycle."
 * Pavium: "Monitor them as best you can. I'll need to know when they're about to burst."

While gathering, the pressure start to escalate from 0% and a rupture pressure HUD are shown in percentage. or or
 * Voridus: "Pavium, pressure escalating now."
 * Voridus: "Brother, the pressure has started building."
 * Voridus: "Pavium, the pressure's begun building up again."

When the pressure reaches 50%. or or
 * Voridus: "Pavium, the pressure is halfway to full release!"
 * Voridus: "Brother, the pressure is at half!"
 * Voridus: "Pavium, the pressure is at mid-point. Soon the bursters will loose more Flood!"

While gathering, the Banished spooted some Flood blisters.
 * Pavium: "So many ways this sickness spreads itself! Keep your distance from those blisters, they seem to know when we are close!"

When the pressure reaches 85% or red level. or or
 * Voridus: "The pressure will soon force the Flood bursters out, brother!"
 * Voridus: "Pavium, the pressure is reaching critical state! The Flood bursters will erupt soon!"
 * Voridus: "Brother, the pressure is close to releasing the Flood bursters!"

When it's about to reach 100%. or or or or
 * Pavium: "Ready your weapons, here they come!"
 * Pavium: "It's getting ready to spew out more of its filth! Move!"
 * Pavium: "Ready yourselves, it's about to erupt!"
 * Pavium: "The bursters is about to erupt, fall back!"
 * Pavium: "Move! It's about to set loose more Flood!"

''The Flood bursts out from another location and start attacking the base. The Banished fall back to the base to repel the assault and continue gathering crystals for power once the Flood has been repelled.''

After repelling the third wave, Flood Seeder Infectors appeared near Salvage Drills.
 * Pavium: "Stay alert, the Flood infection forms have taken to the air. Keep our aerial units away from them!"

Flood bursters start coming and to make matter worse, it spawned a Flood Spawners.
 * Pavium: "What now? How many forms can these things take?"

The Flood Spawners reacts and prepare to produce Flood forms that can counter units or buildings that attacks it.
 * Pavium: "That thing appears to react to our units and spawns opposing forms! It's too dangerous to ingore, take it out!"

The Banished continue to salvage more crystals while leaving some units to defend the base from Flood inside-out attack.

The Banished discovered a Giant Flood Burster guarded by four tentacles and crystals are spreaded around it. or or or
 * Pavium: "Another burster! Grab the power before it erupts!"
 * Pavium: "Collect the power but be ready!"
 * Pavium: "Cleanse this place!"
 * Pavium: "There's a burster here, collect the power!"

If the area has no longer crystal left. or
 * Pavium: "We've secured the power here, move on."
 * Pavium: "We have exhausted the power from this area, move on!"

''Exploring the area for more Power resources, the Banished encountered Flood base and destroyed it. Later it can be used as 2-slot minibase.''

Later, the Flood start coming in by bringing Blisterback.
 * Voridus: "Pavium! The parasite has taken over some of our Blisterbacks! They've bombarding your base!"
 * Pavium: "We must neutralize them quickly! If we lose our base, we'll lose the battle!"

The Banished continue salvaging for more power by gathering crystals and discovered one of the base has been taken by the Flood.
 * Pavium: "The Flood has started overtaking our bases! The spread with which they're spreading is incredible!"

Destroying it, the Banished can call for another base drop.

When Power reserves reaches 100%. or
 * Pavium: "We've gathered enough power for a drill. Keep going."
 * Pavium: "This is enough power for a drill. We can start one up!"

The Banished activate one of three salvage drills
 * Pavium: "The first drill has been activated.''

The Banished start gathering more crystals.
 * Pavium: "We need more power, we've used too much on the battle!"

The Second drill is activated.
 * Pavium: "The second drill is working.''

If the crystal reserves is running low.
 * Pavium: "We've used too much power elsewhere, we need to restock!"

The Final drill is activated.
 * Pavium: "The third drill has been activated."

Thehe drills start to calibrate.
 * Pavium: "Stand fast! We need to give drills time to calibrate!"

The drills start working.
 * Pavium: "Voridus, the salvage drills have begun blasting through. We just need to protect them until they've breached the surface and ingited the liquids beneath."

Voridus start to felt suspiscious as the Flood activity was quiet for now while the drill progress is around 20%.
 * Voridus: "Pavium, it's grown quiet. Could we have finally pushed them back?"
 * Pavium: "You know better than that, brother. Be ready."

The drills continue working and crystals start to appeared to the surface.
 * Pavium: "The drills have broken the surface and will soon start the chain reaction!"

When the drill progress reaches 33%, the rupture pressure immediately turns red and accelerated faster than before.
 * Pavium: "The underground pressure is spiking! It's working!"
 * Voridus: "Pavium! The Flood reinforcement are accelerating! They must recognize the the threat those drills pose to them!"

A Flood abomination arrives from the west and south.
 * Pavium: "Their forms are endless! This thing seems to be leading the others, enhancing their strength! Focus fire on it!"

The Banished defeat the abomination but the rupture pressure are remained constantly at 100%.

When the drill progress reaches 50%
 * Pavium: "Hold them off a bit longer! We're close to triggering the chain reaction!"

The Flood continue to attack endlessly and the Banished continue to hold them off.

When the drill progress reaches 66%
 * Pavium: "The drills are close to starting the chain reaction! Keep the Flood away from them!"

The Banished continue to defend from relentless attack from the Flood until the drill progress reaches 100%.

Cutscene

Two Banshees flying overhead as the Banished ground forces are holding the Flood off, the drill succeded as the explosions came from the surface the Banished drill at.
 * Voridus: "It's working Pavium!"
 * Pavium: "I would have preferred a cleaner solution, but it is really effective."

The Flood bursters exploded and destroyed.

Pavium and Voridus along with their packs are holding off the Flood assault.
 * Voridus: "Pavium, the way is clear! I can reach the Forerunner station!"
 * Pavium: "I will stay here with the rest of our troops to guard your exit. Find a way to reactivate the Sentinel defenses down below, Voridus. Redeem yourself."

Voridus takes three Sangheili Rangers and three Brute jump pack with him and the elevator descends into the ground.
 * Voridus: "I will not return until i have, brother. Good luck."
 * Pavium: "And to you. Now go. I will inform Atriox of what has taken place here."

Level ends.

Mission Complete.

Unit Deployment

 * Voridus' base
 * 2 Augmented Extractor (Destroyed)
 * 2 Augmented Harvester
 * 1 Foundry
 * 4 Turrets
 * 1 Raid Camp
 * 1 War Council


 * Pavium's base
 * Stronghold
 * 2 Harvester
 * Pavium
 * 2 Hunters
 * 1 Locust
 * 3 Grunt Infantry Squad
 * 2 Sangheili Rangers
 * 900 Supplies
 * 400 Power

Leader Power

 * Atriox's Bulwark I, II and III
 * Lich Vanguard I
 * Rain of Fire I, II and III
 * Orbital Designator I and II
 * Burnout I, II and III
 * Statis I and II
 * Ultra Mines I and II

Miscellaneous

 * You will not get access to Power Extractor on this level and you need to harvest manually from crystal.
 * This mission is the longest of all Halo Wars 2 Campaign.
 * Flood Giant bursters are invulnerable and cannot be hitted.
 * Par time on this level is 35 minutes.

Strategy

 * Since you will start with no Extractors, best to use is to upgrade your base to the maximum capabilities before activating Salvage Drills.
 * You can also utilize it to build some Mega Turrets and Harvester to produce more units.
 * If you remember the time for each cycle, you can utilize it as an advantage.
 * Only dispatch small forces to salvage the crystals since you will be focused on defense on this mission.