The Starcraft 2 mission, Zero Hour, is the final mission in
the Mar Sara series. As a result, it is the most difficult Mar Sara mission to complete on Brutal Mode.
In this article, I will be giving you an in-depth walk-through on how to beat this mission as well as a nice
trick you can use to win practically guaranteed!
Zero Hour brutal mode is really easy as long as you master the set-up. Unlike most missions, you have to come
out of the gate with a bunch of different commands, rather than sitting back and slowly ramping up the action. With
that said, here is how the step-by-step guide:
As soon as the game starts, Salvage the two Bunkers that are closest to your main base (not the ones at the
side entrances). This money will help get you started.
Have your SCVs start harvesting minerals and start training SCVs (rally set to mineral line). Do not stop
training SCVs until you have around 30!
Build 2 Bunkers; 1 next to each Bunker at the left and right entrances to your base. Build the left Bunker
first because an attack will be coming shortly after it finishes.
Place your Marines in the Bunker.
Have each Barracks start training Marines. There is no need for Medics in Zero Hour Brutal mode.
Start researching the +1 weapons upgrade at your Engineering Bay. There is no need for +armor in Zero Hour
Brutal mode, as all your Marines should be in Bunkers eventually.
All of the above should happen within the first minute of the game! Next:
Keep training Marines.
When you receive your first call for help, this is your signal to build a Missile Turret in between the two
turrets by the entrance to your base. This is to prevent an imminent Mutalisk attack.
Place 2 SCVs by the Bunkers on the left entrance to your base.
Head out with all the Marines from the right-side Bunker, plus any you may have trained (you about 16 at
this point).
Rescue the first batch of Marines and collect your resource bonus.
Return to your base with your Marines, and attach a Reactor to each Barracks.
Next, immediately drop a third Bunker at each entrance to your base and fill those with Marines.
Place 2 SCVs at each entrance to your base and 2 in the middle (by the Missile Turrets). These 6 SCVs will
be on repair duty.
Ignore the second call for help. Saving the Marines is not needed for the Brutal Mode mission.
@10:00 remaining: Build 1 Bunker behind your minerals, one in the south-west side of your main base (on the
higher ground) and one at the north section of your base. Fill these 3 Bunkers with Marines; they will fend off
any attacks from random Zerg bombs that start occurring shortly.
From here on out, keep building Marines and Bunkers. No medics are needed in Zero Hour Brutal and
there should be a Bunker for every Marine you make.
Dedicate 1 SCV to building nothing but Bunkers. The Zerg mob has to kill all of your buildings to win; just
keep building Bunkers and there is no way they can finish them all off.
As you break the 20 SCV mark, keep training SCVs and just litter them around your base. They will repair
Bunkers and Buildings that get damaged.
And the most important tip of all: If the enemy does break through at the end, lift off your
buildings! Most of the enemy's troops are Zerglings and Roaches; neither can hit flying buildings. Just
lift them off and you will find you can survive versus the handful of Mutalisks and Hydralisks for enough time to
complete the event.
Zero Hour Brutal Mode Video Walkthrough
As you can see from the video below, if you implement the strategies in this guide, this mission is extremely
easy:
Conclusion
Just to recap on the Zero Hour Brutal guide, build no medics and do not worry about saving the second and third
groups of Marines. Keep training Marines and if needed, lift off your buildings in the last minute to stay alive
longer. With this, Zero Hour brutal guide, you should have no problem completing this mission!
