Ace Combat 7 Unexpected Visitor DLC mission is the first of Ace Combat 7’s three story DLC sorties. Your job is to protect the Osean landing ship Puffin while fighting the aircraft defending the giant Alicorn submarine. At the end, the operation changes into a chase after a Rafale M carrying a cruise missile.
There are two easy ways to lose this mission even when you’re shooting down plenty of enemies: let the attacks on Puffin continue, or accidentally fire on the Alicorn. You’re trying to capture the submarine, not sink it. Pay attention to the mission-marked threats around your ship, then save enough speed to intercept the fleeing aircraft in the finale.
Ace Combat 7 Unexpected Visitor DLC mission walkthrough and score requirements
SP Mission 01, Operation Sighthound, begins with a 16-minute score attack over Artiglio Port. At the same time, you must defend the landing ship Puffin. The points required depend on difficulty:
| Difficulty | Required points |
|---|---|
| Easy | 18,000 |
| Normal | 22,000 |
| Hard | 25,000 |
| Ace | 30,000 |
1. Protect Puffin from ground artillery
At the start of Ace Combat 7 Unexpected Visitor DLC mission, don’t spend all your time pursuing fighter aircraft. Rocket artillery trucks and howitzers on land are attacking Puffin. These guns can sink the landing ship in a matter of minutes if ignored. Turn toward the marked surface targets and destroy the artillery before it has time to finish the ship.
Once the artillery is dealt with, keep an eye on any aircraft making attack runs on Puffin. AV-8Bs and Su-34s are among the threats that matter more than optional fighters circling far away.
2. Earn your points while keeping the landing ship safe
After clearing the worst threats to Puffin, build your score by attacking the enemy fighters. High-value aircraft can help you reach the required total quickly, but never let an optional kill distract you from a new mission-marked attacker heading for the ship. The opening timer continues even if you’ve already reached the point requirement.
In Ace Combat 7 Unexpected Visitor DLC mission, the giant Alicorn remains in the harbor. Do not attack it. Damaging the submarine fails the capture operation, regardless of how successful you’ve been against the aircraft around it.
3. Use the blue ESM support circles
Friendly ENCHANTER aircraft arrive early in the battle and provide electronic support measures. Their blue circles on radar make your weapons more effective, improving missile reload, speed, damage and homing. Fight within that coverage when convenient rather than trying to chase agile targets outside it.
Enemy EA-18G Growlers create green ECM interference zones, making your weapon locks weaker. If your missiles start behaving poorly, move into friendly ESM coverage or shoot down the interfering Growler when practical. The blue and green circles are useful information in Ace Combat 7 Unexpected Visitor DLC mission, not just background effects.
4. Survive the Mimic Squadron interference
Rage and Scream from Mimic Squadron show up during the opening phase in their Su-47s. They can generate false targeting boxes and distract you from the actual enemies. You do not have to shoot them down to complete this stage. Damaging one or both enough can cause them to withdraw, or you can keep concentrating on the mission-relevant targets until they leave.
If you’re struggling with the misleading HUD markers in Ace Combat 7 Unexpected Visitor DLC mission, don’t fire the instant a fake lock appears. Follow the real aircraft’s movement and remember that protecting Puffin and reaching the score requirement are the tasks that count.
How to stop the cruise-missile Rafale M
After the opening timer and the cutscene, the objective changes to stopping a SACS Rafale M carrying a cruise missile. The aircraft is marked TGT and tries to escape the map. Its three Rafale escorts can fly between you and the carrier to block incoming missiles.
5. Target the correct Rafale, not the escorts
Accelerate toward the mission-marked Rafale immediately. It is invulnerable before this phase begins, so don’t waste earlier ammunition trying to shoot it down. Once the chase starts, fly to a clean angle and fire at the carrier rather than pouring every missile into its three escorts.
For Ace Combat 7 Unexpected Visitor DLC mission, the fleeing TGT is the only aircraft you absolutely must destroy in the final phase. If it escapes, the entire mission fails. An allied ENCHANTER aircraft remains near the map edge and can strengthen your missiles if you’re struggling to finish the interception.
Best aircraft and weapons for Unexpected Visitor
Most of the mission is air-to-air combat, with a short ground-artillery cleanup early on. A fast, manoeuvrable fighter with reliable missile weapons makes the biggest difference, particularly during the final chase. You can clear the artillery with standard missiles if your special weapon is better suited for fighters.
Choose a jet that lets you quickly switch from intercepting aircraft to defending Puffin. In Ace Combat 7 Unexpected Visitor DLC mission, taking too long to cross the map can fail the operation even if your individual attacks are accurate.
Ace Combat 7 Unexpected Visitor DLC mission: common questions
Should I attack the Alicorn?
No. You are participating in an attempted capture. Attacking the submarine ends the mission in failure, so keep your weapons on the surface artillery and aircraft marked as threats.
Do I need to defeat Rage and Scream?
No. The Mimic Squadron appearance in Ace Combat 7 Unexpected Visitor DLC mission is an interruption during the opening phase, not the final win condition. The mandatory late target is the cruise-missile-carrying Rafale.
Why won’t the SACS Rafale take damage early?
The carrier becomes a valid target after the scripted mission update. In the opening phase, focus on reaching the score quota and protecting Puffin instead.
The next sortie is Anchorhead Raid, where the operation shifts to destroying ships and an extended fight against Mimic Squadron.
Official game and DLC information: Bandai Namco Entertainment.
