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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallYes—you can finish Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve’s Assault Records after the campaign. Current walkthroughs count 83 entries: 52 special-unit records that generally appear automatically on any difficulty, plus 31 conditional named aces that require Veteran difficulty or higher and a mission-specific trigger. Shoot down an ace, then complete the mission so the record registers. After your first campaign clear, use Free Mission to return for missed entries. These mechanics and totals are reported by third-party guides, not confirmed in an official checklist.
What counts as an Assault Record?
Walkthroughs divide the reported 83 records into two groups. The 52 special-unit records generally appear automatically across difficulties. The other 31 are named aces with individual appearance conditions; guides say they require Veteran difficulty or higher. The distinction matters: raising the difficulty is relevant to the named aces, not a general requirement for every record.
Bandai Namco’s official game page and official FAQ establish the game and campaign context, but do not document the record count or ace triggers. Treat the 83 total and the mission conditions below as guide-reported information.
Can you get missed aces after beating the game?
Yes. KeenGamer reports that Free Mission unlocks after completing the campaign once and can be used to clean up Assault Records and named aces. Select the relevant mission there, set the difficulty to Veteran or higher, meet its trigger, and finish the sortie after shooting down the ace. PowerPyx likewise says the kill must be followed by mission completion to count.
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Why might a named ace not appear?
Being on Veteran or higher is necessary according to the guides, but it is not sufficient: each ace also has a particular condition. Across the missions, triggers include timed kills, destroying all or specific targets, protecting allied units, and flying through a route or landmark. Missing a timed window or completing an objective before a required protection or route condition is met can prevent the trigger. Those are practical implications of the reported conditions, not publisher instructions.
- Check the mission’s precise trigger in a current walkthrough before replaying.
- For a timed trigger, begin the required action as early as the mission permits.
- For protection or route triggers, satisfy the condition before finishing the main objective.
- Once the ace appears, shoot it down and complete the mission rather than quitting or allowing the sortie to fail.
Examples of named-ace triggers by mission
The following selected examples show why there is no single ace-spawn rule. Conditions are reported by current guides and may be refined; consult the linked PowerPyx Assault Records guide for the full Missions 01–30 list.
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| Mission | Reported ace | Reported appearance condition |
|---|---|---|
| 01, “Jokers Wild” | Gigas | Destroy every non-target enemy aircraft. |
| 02, “Nomad” | Crematio | Destroy at least four enemy aircraft within the first three minutes. |
| 03, “Purple Magic Takes Flight” | Raia | Destroy all bombers before they reach a certain range of White Valley Base. |
| 04, “The Fall of the Numbered Fleets” | Auster | Fly into the tunnel. |
| 05, “Retaking of Theve” | Custos | Keep all LCACs alive. One later guide specifies all eight; another says “all LCAC survive,” so the safer wording is to protect every LCAC. |
| 06, “Attack on the Drinwich Airfield” | Flamma | Destroy at least five targets within the first three minutes. |
| 07, “A Lifeline in the Desert” | Orcus | Destroy the Land Aegis with a chain reaction. |
| 08, “Retaking of Theve II” | Tessera | Destroy all non-target surface weapons. |
| 09, “The Land Battleship Blockade” | Judex | Destroy the land battleship’s secondary tread armor before it reaches the second slowdown line. |
| 10, “Over the Rainband” | Vorago | Destroy an airship within 70 seconds after laser targeting begins. |
| 11, “Maximum Payload” | Larus | Eliminate all Shadows before the Podarge is eliminated. |
| 12, “An Island in Darkness” | Imber | Destroy all LCACs within three minutes of takeoff. |
| 13, “The People of the Lost Country” | Sicarius | Destroy at least five radar towers before the transport lands. |
| 15, “Wings of Wax” | Lupus | Destroy one Ladon, then destroy the ace before destroying the second Ladon. |
| 16, “Singer” | Currus | Appears when the UAVs launch. |
| 17, “Land Battleship No. 3” | Avus | Destroy all targets before the B-1B reaches the halfway point. |
| 18, “Moonlight and Shadows” | Curis | Destroy Shadow 24; Curis then appears near the launch pad at checkpoint 18-4. |
| 19, “Clearing the Lighthouse” | Aleator | Destroy all Su-47s. |
| 20, “Escort Orbiter” | Periodus | Destroy at least one B-2. |
| 21, “The Star-Bound Bird” | Alienus | Sink every enemy ship. |
| 22, “Pursuing the HSCA” | Caligo | Get close to the Celaeno without being spotted. |
| 23, “The Destruction of Expo City” | Milvus and Cantrix | Destroy all Lux Lunae ace units within three minutes of their appearance. |
| 24, “The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 1” | Unconfirmed | Guides report getting all LCACs to land, but the ace’s identity and aircraft are not confirmed. |
| 25, “The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 2” | Cinis and Silacrum | For Cinis, destroy the land destroyers and Land Aegis. For Silacrum, fly between floating Podarges and the ocean surface. |
| 26, “Crossing Fleets” | Lucidius | Destroy all enemy surface units on Cima Island. |
| 27, “Fatsia, The Ocean Fortress” | Stiria | Fly through gaps in the Megafloat spokes. |
| 28, “A Thousand Points of Light” | Harmonius | Destroy five bombers within five minutes of mission start. |
| 29, “Selene” | Prudens | Fly under an urban highway bridge. |
| 30, “Song of Wings” | Tegimen | Destroy at least three submarine-launched swarm missile dispensers before they release their missiles. |
Which entries need extra care?
Mission 14 has no named ace in the current list
The current guide lists skip from Mission 13 to Mission 15; do not assume every mission contains a conditional named ace.
Missions 23 and 25 each have two aces
Both missions contribute two named-ace entries, helping explain how guides arrive at 31 aces across 29 missions.
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Mission 24’s identity remains unresolved
PowerPyx marks the entry with a question mark, and an October 4, 2026 guide comparison says other lists either leave it unidentified or call it only “Mission 24 Ace.” The trigger is reported, but the name and aircraft are not confirmed; do not treat a guessed identity as established.
The Mission 05 LCAC wording varies
Guide wording differs in specificity: one says all LCACs must survive, while a later guide gives the number as eight. Without current in-game verification, protect every LCAC rather than relying on an exact count.
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- Aerial Warfare in Living Skies. Campaign Mode showcases stunning visuals with dynamic multi-layered cloudscapes that capture the majesty of living skies. Feel the rush of a fast-paced arcade-style gameplay and deploy powerful weapons to dominate the battlefield.
- A visceral journey from cockpit to ground. Beyond the chaos in the air, breathtaking first-person scenes reveal your pilot’s story through immersive cinematics. Experience the pressure of command, the weight of decisions, and the bonds forged in battle. Between missions, bond with your squad members, rise to meet adversity, and prove yourself as a true ace.
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What do named-ace records unlock?
PowerPyx reports that conditional aces award a unique paint scheme for the type of aircraft flown by that ace, usable in Campaign Mode. This is a gameplay reward; it is separate from the optional Joker Flight Pack, which Bandai Namco describes as including the Deluxe Edition, a 200-plus-page ACES at WAR: A HISTORY 2029 artbook, and two soundtrack LPs. The pack is not required for Assault Records completion, and regional availability can vary.
Game context
Bandai Namco lists ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Its official campaign overview describes aircraft selection, weapons, and upgrade parts as campaign systems; it does not publish the Assault Records checklist or confirm the third-party ace conditions.
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