AWDS Hard Campaign Guide - Mission 28: Means to an End
Difficulty: Easy - Moderate.
Objective: Destroy all three Black Crystals on the second front then destroy all three openings on the Grand Bolt within twenty four days.
Suggested Main COs: Sami, Hawke, Kanbei/Sonja.
Support COs: Eagle/Sonja, Andy, Sonja/Kanbei.
Suggested skills for Main CO: Tower Power, Fire Sale, Gold Rush, Slam Shield.
Suggested skills for Support CO: Mechanic, Gear Head, Fire Sale, Gold Rush.
General Strategy
For the last mission, the only hardest thing about this match is the time limit. Which isn't really much of a problem if you use COs with small power meters so you can run circles around Von Bolt on the Main front and have a statistical power advantage against Candy/Kindle. Also, I'd recommend you to have either the Mechanic skill or the Gear Head skill to help out initially. Or even both because you already start with a massive amount of funds and plenty of opportunity to gain more.
Keeping your partner in defensive mode and perhaps supplying him/her with additional units if you can spare them is a good idea because you cannot win without winning the second front under such a time restriction. What will most likely happen on the second front is that your partner will take down either the land front or the aerial front first then the other then struggle with the naval front. However, once its completed the map against Candy/Kindle, the rest of the match is child's play.
In-Depth Guide
Prevent the two Infantry from capturing the properties in the South of the map by sending just one Battle Helicopter there. After that, if you can spare them, send Transport Copters loaded with an Infantry to capture what Von Bolt has captured first then capture everything else. It is not necessary to capture the Communication Towers to win this match but they do make the battle much easier. Do not allow the Computer to capture them though!
On the second front, if you want a faster attack, set the AI to general and choose your partner as Drake. The aerial front here poses no lasting threat whatsoever because you have ground support from the very many factories dotted about. Also, Drake's mass damaging power effect can really help to slow Candy/Kindle down because they will not advance unless they are at full HP if they have been hit below 5HP.
Another CO to use is Eagle. With his Lightning Strike, you can make mincemeat of the naval forces IF your partner has a Heavy Bomber Jet within range (Most likely it will be within 14 spaces). A shame that the AI must destroy virtually all units around it before it attacks the Black Crystals.
Remember, whatever amount of units lost or gained on the second front counts for nothing towards the final score. Only units destroyed are added to the final score.
Remember that every multiple sixth day of the mission, the Grand Bolt will spew out an Oozium from one of its three orifices. They will be allowed to move so on those days, do not be directly adjacent to them nor directly South of where they land because they are allowed to move once deployed.
My Score: 15 days, 300 points, Hawke/Andy.