Ace Combat Zero Round Table aces change depending on Cipher’s reputation. In Mission 03, The Round Table, Mercenary pilots fight Rot Team, Soldiers fight Grun Team and Knights fight Indigo Team. Each formation has four aircraft, but you only face one team during a single campaign visit.
You can’t pick the team from an aircraft menu. The game checks your Ace Style when you reach the mission, so the real preparation happens earlier. Mission 02, Annex, is full of yellow targets you can destroy or spare to move the gauge.
Ace Combat Zero Round Table Aces: All Three Teams
The Ace Combat Zero Round Table aces appear after you enter the B7R airspace in Mission 03. The first part of the sortie is about reaching the area; the objective then changes to defeating the enemy ace squadron. The map is the same regardless of reputation, but the opponents are different.
| Ace Style before Mission 03 | Squadron | Aircraft | Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercenary | Rot Team | EF-2000 Typhoon | 4 |
| Soldier | Grun Team | F/A-18C Hornet | 4 |
| Knight | Indigo Team | JAS-39C Gripen | 4 |
How to Make Rot, Grun or Indigo Team Appear
For the Ace Combat Zero Round Table aces you want, look at your debriefing screen after Mission 02. Mercenary is left, Soldier is centre and Knight is right. The gauge carries your choices forward, so reaching the correct part of the bar before Mission 03 is what matters.
To fight Rot Team: Push towards Mercenary by destroying optional yellow targets. Annex is an early mission with plenty of them, so you can make a meaningful change before entering B7R. Rot’s four Typhoons are the Mercenary branch of the encounter.
To fight Grun Team: Keep the indicator near Soldier. The starting reputation is in this middle region, but you can pull it towards either edge by repeatedly taking or sparing yellow targets. Do not assume that destroying a fixed percentage guarantees Soldier: check the displayed gauge.
To fight Indigo Team: Spare yellow targets and allow neutralised enemy planes to leave. The Knight path brings four Gripens into the Round Table battle. You can still destroy the red TGT objectives and defend yourself against active hostiles.
What If You Get the Wrong Squadron?
If you expected Indigo Team but got Grun, your Ace Style was still in Soldier when Mission 03 began. Rot instead of Grun means you were on the Mercenary side. The Ace Combat Zero Round Table aces depend on the gauge, not on your difficulty setting, score or aircraft.
Watch the markers in Annex. Red TGTs are mandatory objectives. Green markers identify other enemies. Yellow markers are optional low-threat or neutralised targets, and destroying them shifts the gauge towards Mercenary. Sparing them moves it towards Knight. Soldier requires more of a balance, so check the result after the mission rather than relying on a made-up ratio.
You can’t swap Ace Combat Zero Round Table aces halfway through the fight by changing equipment. To reach a branch you haven’t played, work towards its gauge position in Campaign mode before Mission 03. Free Mission lets you revisit completed content, but it does not change your campaign Ace Style; starting another campaign doesn’t automatically reset the gauge, either.
Do the Round Table Teams Affect Unlocks?
The Ace Combat Zero Round Table aces also connect to specific aircraft unlocks. Clear Mission 03 as a Mercenary to make the Typhoon available to buy, as a Soldier for the F/A-18C, or as a Knight for the Gripen C. You still need credits to purchase the plane after it becomes available.
Don’t confuse those campaign encounters with optional named aces. The Assault Records include extra pilots with their own appearance requirements, sometimes tied to difficulty, time or campaign completion. Killing Rot Team isn’t an automatic unlock for every named ace or Special paint scheme.
Does Mission 03 Have Three Different Maps?
No. The Ace Combat Zero Round Table aces are three variations of the same third story mission. Zero has 18 main campaign missions, with style-dependent fights and dialogue inside that structure. There aren’t three separate Round Table maps or 54 different story missions to unlock.
Bandai Namco says the modern Ace Combat Zero given with eligible Ace Combat 8 preorders is a port of the original 2006 game, not a remaster. These are Zero’s Ace Style rules and aircraft unlocks, not the progression system in Ace Combat 8.
Are There Other Style-Dependent Ace Squadrons?
The Ace Combat Zero Round Table aces are only the beginning. In Mission 10, Mayhem, Mercenary faces Schwarze Team, Soldier faces Schnee and Knight faces Silber. In Mission 16, The Demon of the Round Table, the respective opponents are Sorcerer, Gault and Wizard. Gelb Team in Mission 06 is a shared encounter.
If you’re collecting every Ace Squadron and Assault Record, plan to play the different styles across campaign runs. The gauge carries over between playthroughs, so adjust it in the early missions rather than expecting another campaign to start you as a Soldier.
Related Guides
- Ace Combat Zero Ace Style: Mercenary, Soldier and Knight Explained
- Ace Combat Zero Knight Ace Style: How to Spare Yellow Targets
- Ace Combat Zero Mercenary Ace Style: How to Change Your Reputation
- Ace Combat Zero Preorder Bonus: How to Find and Play the Game
- Ace Combat 8 Ace Combat Zero Bonus: Steam Access and Standalone Status
- Ace Combat 8 Aircraft Skins: How to Unlock and Equip Skins
- Ace Combat 8 Campaign Medals: All Medals and How to Earn Them
Ace Combat 8 has its own unlock system; do not transfer its rules to Zero.
Official source: Bandai Namco’s Ace Combat Zero Ace Style and enemy-squadron overview.
