If you are looking for a fast way to farm MRP in ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE, Mission 16 is one of the best options you can use. Once you understand the patterns, you can complete the mission very quickly and repeatedly farm a large amount of MRP.
In this guide, I will show you how the three different patterns work in Mission 16 and, more importantly, how you can identify them quickly. You don’t need to search through every group of ships because only a few groups actually matter.
Once you learn where the target ships appear, you can make your runs much faster. On Elite difficulty, Mission 16 can give you 82,056 MRP for an S Rank and can be completed in under three minutes, making it an excellent mission for MRP farming.
ACE COMBAT 8 WINGS OF THEVE Mission 16 MRP Farming Guide
Mission 16: Singer is currently one of the best missions for farming MRP because you can complete it very quickly while earning a large amount of MRP.
On Elite difficulty, an S Rank completion rewards 82,056 MRP. If you can consistently finish the mission in under three minutes, you can build up MRP much faster than by simply playing through longer missions.
The main trick is learning where the three target ships will spawn.
There are 10 groups of ships in this mission, but you don’t need to check all of them. Only seven of the groups are relevant, and one of them is particularly important.
Where to Look for the Target Ships
During Mission 16, your main objective is to locate and destroy three specific ships.
There are 10 groups of ships spread around the area, but you only need to pay attention to the relevant groups. The most important one is Group A.
Once you identify the target ship in Group A, you can immediately determine where the other two target ships will be.
This is what makes the farming method so useful. Instead of searching around randomly, you can recognize the pattern and immediately fly toward the next targets.
Group A Is the Key
Group A is the most important group in the entire mission because it always contains one of the three ships you need to destroy.
The target ship in Group A can appear in three different positions.
The good news is that the position of the target ship in Group A tells you exactly which groups contain the other two targets and which ships you need to destroy in those groups.
So, in practice, the game has three possible patterns for this mission.
Once you recognize which pattern you have, the rest of the run becomes much easier.
Pattern 1
Pattern 1 is probably the easiest pattern to recognize from a distance.
Group A
In Pattern 1, the center ship in Group A will always be red.
That red ship is your first target.
Once you destroy it, you already know where the other two targets are going to be.
Group B
The next target will be in Group B.
When you reach Group B, look for the furthest ship beside the center ship in the group. That is the target you need to destroy.
After taking it out, immediately move toward the next group.
Group F
Your final target will be in Group F.
If you continue traveling in the same counterclockwise direction, the target will be the outermost ship closest to you.
One useful thing to remember here is that you don’t have to wait for the third ship to launch its drones before destroying it.
You can destroy the ship immediately. The game will still launch the drones afterward, but taking out the ship quickly saves you from having to deal with an additional wave of enemies.
Pattern 2
Patterns 2 and 3 are slightly harder to recognize because the ships in Group A will have the same hull color.
Since several ships in Group A also have three cranes, you need to look for the Sun emblem to identify the correct ship.
After doing a few runs, you should become more familiar with the formation and be able to identify the target from a distance.
Group A
In Pattern 2, the target ship is the furthest ship from you at the rear of the formation.
Once you identify this ship, you can immediately move on to the next target.
Group D
The next target will be in Group D.
Here, you simply need to target the center ship of the formation.
Destroy it and continue toward the final group.
Group G
The final target is located in Group G.
This group has two lines of three ships. One line points away from the Space Elevator, while the other line points toward the Space Elevator.
Your target is the center ship in the line that points toward the Space Elevator.
Once you destroy it, you can move on to the final part of the mission.
Pattern 3
Pattern 3 is another easy pattern to learn once you have completed a few farming runs.
Group A
In this pattern, the target ship in Group A will be the ship at the front of the formation.
Once you identify it, you already know which two groups you need to visit next.
Group C
The next target is in Group C.
Here, you simply need to destroy the center ship.
After destroying it, move toward Group E.
Group E
Your final target will be in Group E.
The target is the ship that is slightly further away from the other two ships in the formation.
This pattern can potentially be the fastest of the three because Groups C and E are relatively close to each other.
What to Do After Destroying the Three Ships
After you destroy the final target ship, you are not quite finished yet.
You need to position yourself behind the last ship, or astern, and wait for it to deploy its drones during its last stand.
This is where having the right aircraft and weapons can make the final part much easier.
Best Aircraft for MRP Farming
I recommend using either the F-18E or the SU-35S for this farming method.
Both aircraft have access to 6AAM, which can quickly deal with the drones that appear at the end of the mission.
Personally, I prefer the F-18E because it also has access to QAAM. This can be especially useful if you need to chase the drones up toward the Space Elevator.
You should also consider equipping parts that improve the speed and guidance of your standard and special air-to-air missiles.
These upgrades can make the final drone section much easier and help you finish your runs more consistently.
Mission 16 is a great choice if you want to farm MRP quickly in ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE. The first few attempts might feel confusing because there are so many ships around you, but you really only need to focus on Group A and use it to identify the pattern.
Once you learn the three patterns, you can quickly fly from one target to the next instead of wasting time searching through every formation.
For the aircraft, I recommend the F-18E or SU-35S, with the F-18E being my personal choice because of its QAAM. Add some useful missile speed and guidance parts, learn the three patterns, and you should be able to complete Mission 16 quickly and turn it into a reliable MRP farming method.