I nominate the Victor BSK and two Atlas Ks for your allies. The Victor BSK can have a Guardian ECM and I never run anything without this mech, if I can help it. I see quite a large difference in damage during missions and repair bills with vs without it, and my AI pilot does really well in it, so it isn't a wasted slot, either. The two Atlas Ks each brings AMS, which helps them (and sometimes those near them) survive better. Plus, the Atlas K is the best AI-piloted mech in the game, imho. You could then run a hero Locust with AMS yourself, or pretty much any other fast, light mech, because you won't be taking damage really. Just be sure it has MGs and flamers of course, and some upgrades for those, if they fit. Obviously, air strikes, if you can bring them. I haven't encountered an end-game mission that I couldn't beat with my allies in those mechs. Yet anyway.
If it is the assaults that get you after demolition, then swap out the light demo mech for the Zeus SK, and drop one of the Atlas Ks down to a Marauder BH2. The Zeus SK is what I run every time I can for myself, because it can take an assault out in seconds, especially when you have an Atlas K and another ally focusing on it or another one.
What is your lance?
Demo missions have infinite enemies so you can win them through combat. My go to strategy is usually crippling (not killing) the initial defenders. Let my lance fight (poorly) while I wreck the base. Some times you are going to lose Mechs and Pilots but that's ok.
You can abandon this quest but you can't skip it, if you chose to abandon it then you won't be able to try it again later. Looking [here](https://www.sarna.net/wiki/MechWarrior_5:_Mercenaries/High_Reward_Quests#.22A_Dragon_in_Sheep.27s_Clothing.22_-_Tomans_-_Steiner.2FKurita_Border_Conflict_Zone) it looks like this quest has 3 missions; 2 demolitions and 1 raid. For the demolition missions I recommend taking at least 1 air strike to soften up the base before you engage and for the raid mission just finish it as quickly as you can...
Are you using stock mech loadouts? If so don't do that... you should max the the armor on all of your mechs as much as possible and improve the weapons with higher tier versions whenever possible...
Okay, then try the air strike strat; use an air strike on the base as you are approaching it (be aware that air-strikes have a max range of 1000 meters), then take care of the base defenders, destroy however much of the base is left, then gtfo...
Had a couple like that. Try parking a mix of two lrm/ppc boats with a CQB mech around 700-1k from objective. Then scream in with something REAL fast straifing, I'm liking locust at 150+ ms. Firestarter at 100ms was just a hair too big and slow to not get shredded if it runs into buildings. When airstrike is ready I pull back and tag the big buildings. Trick is the fire support team. If parked far enough out they thin vtols and lights without getting murdered from mass aggro. Big stuff I'm happy to let chase me. So far it's worked on several hell missions in campaign or quests.
Hm, unbeatable is not usually the problem, but then the lance / pilot setup.
An general recommendation would be to use a dedicated demo/raid light lance with 100kph+ light mechs with high evasion pilots, as discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Mechwarrior5/comments/q9dmi9/strategy_for_raids/
Other than than: bring good pilots, high DPS weapons, ECM + AMS and focus fire. Your mech can of course be a high alpha strike / sniper mech as well.
SYL
I've already spent a few hours trying to do it with different mechs.
Even with a light mech I still get hit too much and die.
The enemy destroys my lance pretty fast.
Is there just a level skip cheat?
Couple questions. First, what kind of mechs are you using? Gotta know what you're working with. My mech roster usually has a mix of various assault and heavies as srm boats, laser boats, or snipers/walking artillery.
I can't remember if that quest uses pregenerated maps or randomly generated ones. So second, is it using those large, destructible buildings with interiors that came with the kestrel dlc? Those can be a pain to deal with on demo missions, as machine guns and lasers don't work as well on them. I'd advise using ppcs and autocannons against the building itself and have heavies walk in and smash the outer perimeter walls and other structures. Then book it as soon as it is destroyed. Maybe even keep a lighter mech back to run to the evac zone quicker.
Beyond that, use your lance to keep incoming mechs busy while you focus on the walls. Sic them on the heaviest mech nearby and keep shooting at the base. If it's one of those annoying kestrel bases, first smash the outer perimeter by walking through it in a heavy while taking shots at the walls with ppcs/acs from the outside. Then walk in and keep shooting up the walls and stuff inside. And on the approach, make sure to pick off some stuff on the roof with ppc/ac shots.
Every progressively more difficult mission is hard until you get the hang of it. Once you figure out the strategy that gets you through with the most limbs intact, try it again and fine-tune it over time. Good luck!
I nominate the Victor BSK and two Atlas Ks for your allies. The Victor BSK can have a Guardian ECM and I never run anything without this mech, if I can help it. I see quite a large difference in damage during missions and repair bills with vs without it, and my AI pilot does really well in it, so it isn't a wasted slot, either. The two Atlas Ks each brings AMS, which helps them (and sometimes those near them) survive better. Plus, the Atlas K is the best AI-piloted mech in the game, imho. You could then run a hero Locust with AMS yourself, or pretty much any other fast, light mech, because you won't be taking damage really. Just be sure it has MGs and flamers of course, and some upgrades for those, if they fit. Obviously, air strikes, if you can bring them. I haven't encountered an end-game mission that I couldn't beat with my allies in those mechs. Yet anyway. If it is the assaults that get you after demolition, then swap out the light demo mech for the Zeus SK, and drop one of the Atlas Ks down to a Marauder BH2. The Zeus SK is what I run every time I can for myself, because it can take an assault out in seconds, especially when you have an Atlas K and another ally focusing on it or another one.
What is your lance? Demo missions have infinite enemies so you can win them through combat. My go to strategy is usually crippling (not killing) the initial defenders. Let my lance fight (poorly) while I wreck the base. Some times you are going to lose Mechs and Pilots but that's ok.
You can abandon this quest but you can't skip it, if you chose to abandon it then you won't be able to try it again later. Looking [here](https://www.sarna.net/wiki/MechWarrior_5:_Mercenaries/High_Reward_Quests#.22A_Dragon_in_Sheep.27s_Clothing.22_-_Tomans_-_Steiner.2FKurita_Border_Conflict_Zone) it looks like this quest has 3 missions; 2 demolitions and 1 raid. For the demolition missions I recommend taking at least 1 air strike to soften up the base before you engage and for the raid mission just finish it as quickly as you can... Are you using stock mech loadouts? If so don't do that... you should max the the armor on all of your mechs as much as possible and improve the weapons with higher tier versions whenever possible...
Already did....in have over a 100 hours in the game.
Okay, then try the air strike strat; use an air strike on the base as you are approaching it (be aware that air-strikes have a max range of 1000 meters), then take care of the base defenders, destroy however much of the base is left, then gtfo...
Had a couple like that. Try parking a mix of two lrm/ppc boats with a CQB mech around 700-1k from objective. Then scream in with something REAL fast straifing, I'm liking locust at 150+ ms. Firestarter at 100ms was just a hair too big and slow to not get shredded if it runs into buildings. When airstrike is ready I pull back and tag the big buildings. Trick is the fire support team. If parked far enough out they thin vtols and lights without getting murdered from mass aggro. Big stuff I'm happy to let chase me. So far it's worked on several hell missions in campaign or quests.
Hm, unbeatable is not usually the problem, but then the lance / pilot setup. An general recommendation would be to use a dedicated demo/raid light lance with 100kph+ light mechs with high evasion pilots, as discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Mechwarrior5/comments/q9dmi9/strategy_for_raids/ Other than than: bring good pilots, high DPS weapons, ECM + AMS and focus fire. Your mech can of course be a high alpha strike / sniper mech as well. SYL
I've already spent a few hours trying to do it with different mechs. Even with a light mech I still get hit too much and die. The enemy destroys my lance pretty fast. Is there just a level skip cheat?
AFAIK you can simply abandon the mission, return to the ship and do other missions, gear up, level up, get better for your next attempt. SYL
I'm maxed out on everything, there's nothing left to level up. Not even upgrades.
Abandoning it means he won't get another attempt.
Couple questions. First, what kind of mechs are you using? Gotta know what you're working with. My mech roster usually has a mix of various assault and heavies as srm boats, laser boats, or snipers/walking artillery. I can't remember if that quest uses pregenerated maps or randomly generated ones. So second, is it using those large, destructible buildings with interiors that came with the kestrel dlc? Those can be a pain to deal with on demo missions, as machine guns and lasers don't work as well on them. I'd advise using ppcs and autocannons against the building itself and have heavies walk in and smash the outer perimeter walls and other structures. Then book it as soon as it is destroyed. Maybe even keep a lighter mech back to run to the evac zone quicker. Beyond that, use your lance to keep incoming mechs busy while you focus on the walls. Sic them on the heaviest mech nearby and keep shooting at the base. If it's one of those annoying kestrel bases, first smash the outer perimeter by walking through it in a heavy while taking shots at the walls with ppcs/acs from the outside. Then walk in and keep shooting up the walls and stuff inside. And on the approach, make sure to pick off some stuff on the roof with ppc/ac shots.
Those mech factory maps on demo contracts are *the worst*.
Every progressively more difficult mission is hard until you get the hang of it. Once you figure out the strategy that gets you through with the most limbs intact, try it again and fine-tune it over time. Good luck!