Ace Combat 7 no damage run is the challenge behind the Not A Scratch campaign medal. You need to clear the campaign without letting your aircraft take damage during your completed missions. That makes the enemy’s smallest burst of gunfire just as important as a direct missile hit.
It is much less stressful once you understand what to check after every sortie. Your own damage gauge is useful while flying, but the debriefing screen is the final safeguard. If a mission ends without the expected no-damage result, fix that mission before progressing rather than discovering the mistake at the end of the story.
Ace Combat 7 no damage run: rules and preparation
This challenge is a campaign playthrough, not a collection of unrelated Free Mission victories. You can play on an easier difficulty because the objective is to avoid damage, not to earn S ranks or beat Ace mode. Take whatever safe and legitimate options the campaign gives you.
- Choose a difficulty at which you can reliably finish missions and avoid dense enemy fire.
- Use aircraft with handling you know well rather than switching to an unfamiliar top-tier jet.
- Fit appropriate speed, manoeuvrability or defensive parts if you have them unlocked.
- Prioritise threats that can hit you repeatedly, including AA guns, SAMs, enemy fighters and drones.
- After every mission, check the debriefing for the no-damage bonus before continuing.
The Ace Combat 7 no damage run is easiest if you separate mission success from clean mission success. You can survive a mission at 90% damage, but that doesn’t make it eligible for Not A Scratch. Finishing with a repaired health gauge is not always the same as never having been hit.
Ace Combat 7 no damage run: what counts as damage?
Missiles, gunfire and anti-aircraft weapons can all damage your aircraft. Getting clipped by an AA gun while flying over a base is enough to spoil an otherwise immaculate sortie. Likewise, flying through the middle of enemy formation fire is needlessly risky if your target can be attacked safely from the outside.
Avoid ground collisions and environmental mistakes for the obvious reason that they can end the sortie. For unusual scripted events or checkpoint sequences, do not guess from the appearance of the damage gauge: use the actual post-mission bonus to verify that the game accepted the result.
Can you restart during an Ace Combat 7 no damage run?
If you take damage, restart the mission rather than carrying on and hoping it won’t count. Community testing indicates that a checkpoint reload can be valid when the damage happened after that checkpoint, but anything taken before it may already be part of the run’s record. Restarting the full mission is the safest choice when in doubt.
A good habit is to check the No Damage or equivalent perfect-clear bonus at the debrief. If it is absent, retry the affected mission before advancing. The bonus offers concrete feedback; a quick glance at the damage indicator right before landing does not.
This is also why combining a no-damage attempt with an S-rank grind isn’t always sensible. Taking your time to stay out of range may make for a safer mission even when it produces a worse final rank. Not A Scratch does not require the best possible score.
Ace Combat 7 no damage run: best aircraft and weapons
Long-range weapons are your friend. In naval missions, an aircraft with LASM can hit ships from a comfortable distance. In land-attack missions, a suitable long-range ground weapon can remove AA guns and missile launchers before you fly through their coverage. Against aerial targets, use your radar to isolate enemies and avoid charging head-on at a cluster of fighters.
The F-22A is a strong late-game choice for aerial combat, but you do not need to unlock a specific aircraft to attempt the challenge. Familiarity with your plane’s braking, speed and turning behaviour often matters more than the most expensive part of the Aircraft Tree.
Ace Combat 7 no damage run tips for difficult missions
Mission 6, Long Day: destroy dangerous ground defenses before flying close to the remaining targets. You have time to plan a safe approach instead of committing to a low, straight strafing run through anti-aircraft fire.
Mission 11, Fleet Destruction: stay mindful of shipborne anti-aircraft weapons. Use anti-ship missiles from a sensible stand-off distance, and reposition before approaching platforms whose defensive guns are still active.
Mission 15, Battle for Farbanti: the campaign also has a separate mission-specific medal for taking no damage in this sortie. It is a good place to practise the same discipline you need across the whole campaign.
Mission 19, Lighthouse: you face numerous aircraft and the Arsenal Bird. Avoid hovering at predictable speeds in front of its defensive fire. Keep moving, deal with immediate threats and concentrate on the marked objectives as the battle advances.
How to check your Ace Combat 7 no damage run progress
For an Ace Combat 7 no damage run, the Not A Scratch medal is awarded for clearing the campaign without damage. There’s no reason to risk losing the record by trusting memory across 20 missions. Check each mission result and keep a checklist of successful clean clears, especially if you’re completing the campaign across several evenings.
If a clean-clear bonus doesn’t appear, retry before moving forward. Checkpoint recovery and scripted effects can be confusing, and it is much better to spend another few minutes on a problem mission than replay the entire game.
Above all, your Ace Combat 7 no damage run should be methodical. Destroy the weapons that threaten you, leave enough room to climb away, avoid diving into gunfire for a last-second hit and verify the result. It is a test of consistency more than speed.
We also have guides for the Ace Combat 7 Guns Only Medal and Ace Combat 7 S Rank Requirements if you want to tackle the other major campaign challenges.
Related Guides
Official source: Bandai Namco official Ace Combat 7 game page.
