Oct 2, 2026

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve – Missions 1 – 5 Walkthrough

Saad Bin Asif

Welcome to our Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Missions 1 – 5 walkthrough.

The Ace Combat series makes its triumphant return with Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. If you’re unfamiliar, it is a cult-classic franchise from the PS1 era, known for its innovative story and mission designs. Similarly, the eighth entry comes with a breathtaking campaign that consists of deep squad connections and difficult choices. If you’re intrigued enough, please check out the game’s Steam page.

Prologue
Mission 1 – Jokers Wild
Mission 2 – Nomad
Mission 3 – Purple Magic Takes Flight
Mission 4 – The Fall of the Numbered Fleets
Mission 5 – Retaking of Theve

Prologue

Ace Combat 8 Missions 1 - 5 — **Rex Receiving Cope’s Helmet.**

The game begins with the protagonist and Major Jenkins on a lifeboat at sea, presumably after a crash they both survived. As they talk, a Navy paramedic helicopter finds them and takes them to the cruiser. Jenkins is a mechanic, and he begins working as soon as the cruiser’s XO gives him the order.

For the protagonist, he’s the pilot. You will be immediately tasked with flying with one of the aces: J. Cope. However, Cope says that he isn’t an ace despite receiving the title, and as we fly, we take a passenger plane to safety. However, it doesn’t take long before our enemy organization, Shadow, finds us, and we start avoiding their fighter jets.

Cope and the protagonist rely on maneuvering instead of engaging, but unfortunately, it doesn’t take long for Shadow’s prodigy, 22, to strike us down. Our jet nose-dives into the ocean, and the protagonist manages to get out in the nick of time. It isn’t the same for Cope. We take his dog tag, get to the surface, and the paramedic helicopter saves us again.

And here, the prologue ends.

Mission 1 – Jokers Wild

The protagonist, Rex, wakes up in the doctor’s room. The doctor reveals that we’re completely fine, and the XO now makes us the lead pilot of the Joker Crew—Wings of Theve. Jenkins takes us for a little tour, then we head towards the flight deck to meet our crew members: Ellington Baxter, Tasha Severskaya, and William Coster.

Since another crew needs to land, we have to take flight first. So, the crew gets ready and soars into the sky. Here, the game will give you a tutorial. If you’re familiar with how Ace Combat works, then you can skip it.

In the first mission, your crew is supposed to go to the San Salvacion port, but since FCU is not an independent country, they threaten Joker. So, they send UAV drones and a recon plane with defensive carriers at us. And it’s your objective to take them all down.

Once all of them are destroyed, the mission will end.

Mission 2 – Nomad

After a successful recon mission, the carrier, Endurance, gives the Joker crew permission to safely land on it. However, just before the crew can land, the XO reveals that there are numerous fighter planes and bombers headed towards it. So, prepare to take off again, and it’s time to battle in the skies.

In this mission, the bombers are your main objective. Numerous fighter jets will try to distract you with missiles and turrets, but you can easily counter them. Tear through the skies and shoot the fighter jets down. Additionally, keep an eye on the bombers.

If they get too close to Endurance, its marker on the map will send out waves. More waves equal more damage, and you have to prevent that. Instead of giving the fighter jets a long chase, turn around and focus on the bombers first.

As soon as the bombers are dealt with, the fighter jets will retreat. With that, the second mission comes to an end, and you can now safely land.

Mission 3 – Purple Magic Takes Flight

Back in Endurance, all the staff members eat in the cafeteria, and this is where we meet a new individual: Nikolai. Nobody knows where he came from, as the cafeteria is only reserved for people who return from their shift. After the Joker crew talks to him, he reveals that he’s Tasha’s father, and he’s a member of Enso Order, who make promotional videos for the FCU.

During this conversation, we learn how Sotoa conquered FCU and eventually reached its capital: Theve. Hence, this is why all remaining FCU fighters and civilians are living in Endurance. Additionally, Sotoa has a satellite that sends missiles from space, but the only caveat is that it only operates in the northern region.

Now, the next day, Endurance reaches the White Valley Base. They reveal that Sotoa drones are assaulting them every day. Since they’re a close friend of FCU, we need to protect them. And in this mission, you will be able to choose your fighter jet.

There are four types of Fighter Jets:

Fighter (Blue): An aircraft that is useful in air-to-air combat.
Attacker (Red): Specialized for attacking ground forces.
Multirole (Purple): An all-rounder aircraft for both ground and air objectives.
Electronic Warfare (Green): Helps neutralize incoming enemy missiles and empowers the team.

For this mission, we’ll need a Fighter for every Joker crew member to meet the skill requirement benchmark. Once that’s done, it’s now time to begin. Start your engine when you’re clear to take off, and almost immediately you’ll be met with multiple bandit helicopters and jets targeting the White Valley Base.

They’re all working for the traitors in Sotoa. After taking down multiple waves of helicopters and jets, you will meet with the real deal: Lux Lunae. It’s a crew of Shadow members who aren’t as skilled as Shadow 22, but the crew still is pretty hard to deal with.

You’ll be bombarded with rockets and have to chase them down hard, but by commanding your team to use special weapons, it won’t take long before the mission finally ends.

Mission 4 – The Fall of the Numbered Fleets

After successfully defending the White Valley Base, we now have another carrier to help us during our journey: Dauntless. However, it’s a Harrier carrier. And now, our main objective is to take back the FCU’s capital, Theve, from Sotoa. But first, we have to take down Newfield Island. Most of this mission needs ground combat specialists, and since we don’t have strong planes that specialize in air-to-ground combat, it’s time to visit the Aircraft Tree.

Spend the MRP you’ve received from the missions and training to unlock new skills, parts, and fighter jets. Once you’re ready, set up your crew in the hangar and sortie. Make sure to equip a UGB in the special weapon section.

On Newfield Island, most of your targets are carriers with additional fighter jets. However, most of the island is covered in non-target SAM missile launchers. Your tactic should be like this:

Focus on the target objectives
Fly around the map and take out the SAM missile launchers; they can be annoying
Chase down the target fighter jets
Drop UGBs on the moving carriers

Mission 4 will take a little while to complete, so please follow the tactics above, and you will be able to complete it efficiently.

Mission 5 – Retaking of Theve

And here begins the grand operation to retake Theve from Sotoa. Endurance’s XO devises a major plan to take down Sotoa’s forces and conquer Theve efficiently. The key here is to avoid Sotoa’s warship that can shoot missiles with a range of 500KM.

However, it’s docked in another city, so we have a chance to make our move. But it’s a race against time. In this mission, we have both aerial and ground (majority) targets, so it’s better to take a Multirole fighter. Select your gear, and then sortie.

If you’ve been noticing, Rex can hear Cope in his head. And before we take off, he tells us to look out for the number 900. We begin this mission with our ship crew following us, as everyone is excited to return to Theve. And it’s our job to protect them.

There are numerous fighter jets and helicopters that attack our ships, so they are your priority. And before the ships get close to the dock, you have to take out the ground forces as well. Balance both forces while prioritizing the sky, and you will be able to make a safe space for the ships easily.

Suddenly, Tasha will say that her radar is reading something getting close. And as soon as it gets to 900 meters, all hell breaks loose. A railgun is being fired from afar, and everyone fears for their life. Endurance’s XO calls us to abort the mission, but before the ships can leave, it’s still Joker’s job to clear the path.

Look in your mini-map. Avoid the railgun’s line of fire and keep fighting against the aerial targets as the ships retreat. It’s going to be hard, considering the weather of Theve, but you’ll have to strive through the impossible just for this bit.

And after a few minutes, we reach the safe zone. XO calls this mission a failure, but we safely reach Endurance. According to Enso Order, Sotoa’s anti-espionage department was working overtime, as the images they received were fake.

Their battleship’s cannons are actually longer and can shoot from 900KM away.

And with this miscalculation, our Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Missions 1 – 5 walkthrough comes to an end. Check out the game’s complete Walkthrough Hub right here.

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