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Stepping Stone is a singleplayer mini-campaign/scenario that takes place on Malden. It was added with the release of the Tac-Ops DLC.

Summary[]

NATO reinforcements responding to the "East Wind" crisis must first secure the strategic island of Malden.

« The strategic island of Malden once again prepares for war. CSAT have taken control. NATO reinforcements, responding to a surprise attack on Stratis, must intercede. There are no good options. Air superiority over the Gibraltar Straits must be secured. The invasion simply cannot fail. »


Arma3-campaign-steppingstone-00

Carrier Strike Group 14 commences its attack on Malden.

Taking place at the height of the events of The East Wind, U.S.-led NATO forces aboard the lead ship of the U.S. Navy's 6th Fleet, the USS Freedom, begin sailing east towards the island nation of the Republic of Altis and Stratis in response to the AAF's surprise attack against Task Force Aegis.

However, before the operation to invade Altis can begin, NATO forces must first obtain air superiority over the Straits of Gibraltar. To that end, the 6th Fleet has been tasked with seizing the strategic island of Malden first.

Arma3-campaign-steppingstone-03

North African CSAT defences at Le Port are destroyed hours before the main landings.

The operation is initially met with mixed reception from CSAT. While the Chinese forces based on the island remain neutral and as a sign of goodwill, even allow NATO observers to monitor their airbase north of Saint Louis, the North African Scimitar Regiment refuses to comply and remain hostile. In order to drive out the North African garrison, U.S.-led NATO forces based in Le Port launch a ground offensive against the city of Chapoi to the west.

Arma3-campaign-steppingstone-02

Wary of Chinese air support, NATO forces cautiously push north.

They successfully eliminate all resistance and proceed to strike at key locations scattered throughout the outskirts of the city, including a casualty collection point, a fuel depot, and several other outposts. Finally, they manage to seize the harbour south of Cancon while also fighting off a mechanised counterattack.

With Chapoi and the southern half of the island now secured, NATO forces begin pushing north towards La Trinité in order to deal a finishing blow to the North Africans. They first move to attack the MSR at Houdan in order to cut off their supply lines, and then proceed to cautiously strike La Trinité itself.

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Dourdan is secured just as the North Africans mount their counterattack.

While NATO forces continue to push forward towards the heavily defended city of Dourdan to the south first, they remain wary of the Chinese getting involved and potentially widening the scope of the conflict.

To their relief however, the Chinese government denies any official involvement in the fighting. Despite the conduct of its North African members, they remain adamant that CSAT is not at war with NATO. To that end, they refuse to provide air support for the North Africans, essentially giving a green light for the offensive to continue.

Arma3-conflict-altisincident-03

The counterattack is successfully repelled.

They come up against heavy resistance, even facing against a platoon of T-100s guarding the city as well as mechanised support. Although the odds were against them, the battle for Dourdan ultimately ends in a complete victory for NATO forces. The remainder of North African CSAT units in La Trinité proceed to surrender following their defeat, and relations with NATO normalise once again.

Despite having lost precious time, the 6th Fleet successfully enters the Mediterranean with full air superiority and proceeds with the invasion of Altis.

Timeline[]

Fait Accompli (24th July, 2035)[]

« NATO forces strike strategic positions south of La Trinite. »

U.S.-led NATO forces move to seize key locations throughout Chapoi in the early morning. They swiftly take out the garrisoned Scimitar Regiment forces and take over most of the southern parts of the island.

Disintegration Point (24th July, 2035)[]

« Having captured Chapoi and Cancon, NATO push north for a final offensive. »

With Chapoi captured, NATO forces move north to seize the MSR used by CSAT at Houdan, and fight a major battle against CSAT armoured forces in Dourdan just south of La Trinite. NATO forces prevail once more and the remainder of Scimitar Regiment surrender to the invaders.

Achievements[]

  • Arma3-achievement-steppingstone
    Stepping Stone
    • Finish the mini-campaign to unlock this. It will be granted once the second mission, Disintegration Point, is successfully completed.
  • Arma3-achievement-changingplaces
    Changing Places
    • Play as the Infantry and Special Forces role for both of the mini-campaign's missions. It is not mandatory that they be completed in chronological order but it will require a minimum of four playthroughs to unlock.
  • Arma3-achievement-seasonedwarfighter
    Seasoned Warfighter
    • Must survive one of the mini-campaign's missions without dying as either role.
    • If the player is killed, it can still be unlocked by simply restarting the mission from the beginning (reloading an autosave/manual save is not permitted, however).
    • It does not matter which mission the player chooses to complete, nor does the order of completion. It is possible to be killed in the first mission but still unlock it in the second by simply not dying in that scenario.

Trivia[]

  • This scenario marks the first appearance of the armed forces from CSAT member states other than Iran and China, the North African Scimitar Regiment.
    • Though the nationality of Scimitar Regiment's forces remain unclear, it is possible that they consist of troops from Argana, a French-speaking Armaverse nation situated in North Africa. Its existence was first referenced directly by name in the Apex expansion's Old Man mini-campaign/scenario.

Video[]

Gallery[]

See also[]

Campaigns
Cold War Assault Resistance (1982)Cold War Crisis (1985)
Armed Assault Armed Assault (2006)Rahmadi Conflict (2006)Royal Flush (2007)
ArmA 2 Harvest Red (2009) [ Eagle Wing ] • Silver Lion (2010-2012)Operation Arrowhead (2012)Operation Crimson Lance (2012)Operation Black Gauntlet (2013)
Tactics Operation Tempest (201X)Operation No Deal (201X)
ArmA 3 Beyond Hope (2026)Prologue (2034)The East Wind (2035) [ Survive, Stepping Stone, Adapt, Win, Steel Pegasus, Altis Requiem ] • Remnants of War (2034/2035)Apex Protocol (2035)Old Man (2038)First Contact (2039)
Mobile Ops Liberator of Lignos (20XX)
Entries are listed in canonical order from left-to-right.
[Brackets] denote campaigns taking place concurrently within the same time period.
Italics denote spin-off or non-canon campaigns.
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