Aircraft Tree Guide
Completing missions will earn you MRP, an in-game currency you can use to unlock parts, special weapons, and new planes to use in both the campaign and online multiplayer. It may look intimidating, as there are a lot of options and diverging paths, but it’s not a big deal.
Don’t worry about trying to unlock all the planes as you play through the story. The later planes are the better ones, of course, but the earlier aircraft will be more than enough to see you through. It’s definitely worth buying new parts, as not only do they further the tree, they allow you to buff the stats of your owned planes. Some will improve mobility, while others have more obvious effects, like increasing the number of missiles your plane can carry. Buying special weapons for each plane makes them more versatile too, so be sure to check out their options as well.
Aircraft parts – what they are and which to use
Aircraft parts form the majority of the aforementioned aircraft tree, and they’re used to enhance your collection of planes. You can put any parts on any number of vehicles, so it’s well worth experimenting with them. You can equip up to eight parts on an aircraft. They’re divided into three categories — Body, Arms, and Misc. Parts in the Body category relate to a plane’s stats, such as speed or defence. Arms parts enhance your weaponry, and the Misc category is for, well, anything else.
There are lots to purchase on the aircraft tree, but here are a few we think are useful to have:
- Light Blisk (Body) – Increases acceleration
- Next Gen High-Pressure Components (Body) – Increases top speed
- New Rudder Actuators (Body) – Increases yaw manoeuvrability
- Bulletproof Fuel Tank (Body) – Increases defence
- Directional Proximity Fuze (Arms) – Increases standard missile power
- Thrust-Adjusting Steering Device (Arms) – Enhances homing capabilities of regular missiles
- Takeoff Weight Augmentation (Arms) – Increases special missile ammunition
- Onboard Self-Defense Jammer (Misc) – Reduces homing capabilities of enemy missiles
Plane Types
Each of the planes in Ace Combat 7 fall into one of three categories: fighter, multirole, or attacker. Fighter planes tend to emphasise speed and are most effective in air-to-air combat. Attackers, meanwhile, are usually much stronger, with generally higher defence but less manoeuvrability in the air. They’re most effective against ground based targets. Multirole planes, as you might’ve guessed, fall somewhere in the middle.