Ace Combat 8 S Rank Guide

S Rank: What to Know First

A first clear and a rank replay have different immediate goals. During a first clear, you are learning target locations, objective changes, and the amount of ammunition needed to finish. During a rank replay, that knowledge lets you choose a better order and reduce unnecessary work. Do not make every learning attempt a test of whether you can already fly an optimized route.

Keep the comparison specific to the mission and difficulty. A destruction-heavy sortie rewards a different pattern of attacks from an escort where an unprotected friendly force can end the attempt. Likewise, a strong aircraft does not compensate for continuing to attack old targets after the objective changes. Start by making the required clear dependable, then judge how each adjustment affects the complete result.

How to Read Mission Results

Use the results page as feedback rather than relying on how busy the sortie felt. Record the displayed rank, score or evaluation breakdown, completion time, and any shown penalties or bonuses. Compare like with like: the same mission, the same difficulty, and a clear note of what changed. Do not combine numbers from different missions and treat them as a universal S Rank formula.

Read the labels actually present in your result. If the run ends before a result is awarded, solve the clear failure first. If a completed attempt falls short, distinguish a route that was slow from one that missed valuable targets. A faster result with lower destruction is a tradeoff to examine, not automatic proof that the shortcut was good or bad.

S Rank Replay Preparation Checklist

1. 1

   Define one improvement

   Choose a measurable problem from the last completed attempt: a missed target group, a long turn, an ammunition shortage, or a delayed response to a warning. State what you will do differently before sortieing. Avoid changing the route, aircraft, weapons, and difficulty all at once.

2. 2

   Prepare for transitions

   List the major objective changes and which weapon you need after each one. Keep a reserve for the final task. A loadout that clears the first part quickly but leaves the last part slow should be judged across the whole mission, including the recovery time it creates.

3. 3

   Compare the finished result

   After the run, write down the displayed result and whether the planned change worked. If a different mistake spoiled the comparison, keep that distinction clear. Repeat a useful adjustment until it is dependable before adding another optimization.

Time, Accuracy and Objective Discipline

Reduce time spent doing nothing useful before trying risky shortcuts. An empty pursuit, a repeated turn over a missed target, and a long trip back to a forgotten defense all consume time without completing another objective. Look for a route that exits one attack facing the next group. This can improve the sortie without requiring faster reactions or a less familiar aircraft.

Treat accuracy as a resource-management tool. Confirm the selected target and a usable firing solution before launching. If a weapon repeatedly misses in one situation, identify whether the problem is range, angle, target type, or the timing of your release. Spending more ammunition on the same poor solution rarely makes the route dependable. A clean attack can also leave more reserve for a later phase.

Objective discipline matters throughout the attempt. An escort warning can make a distant score target irrelevant; a hold-fire order can make the previous cleanup route inappropriate. Pause your attack decision long enough to read the change. Use optional targets when they fit the mission plan, and evaluate the extra travel they require rather than assuming every possible kill improves the final result.

Aircraft and Loadout Decisions

Match the loadout to the target mix and the route you can fly. An interception mission needs a way to establish productive air attacks. A dense surface battle benefits from equipment that can remove a useful group without several exposed passes. A mission combining both needs a reserve for the transition. Compare available aircraft by the problem they solve instead of treating the most expensive unlock as a requirement.

Handling is part of that comparison. If you repeatedly overshoot an interception or collide during an approach, a familiar airframe may produce a better complete attempt than one with attractive headline performance. Use the aircraft guide to compare roles, then test the actual loadout against one consistent route. Read the hangar descriptions for weapon compatibility rather than inferring it from the weapon’s appearance.

Keep upgrades tied to evidence from your attempts. If ammunition remains unused because your shots cannot connect, capacity is not the first problem to solve. If a clean route consistently runs short in the same phase, capacity or a different weapon may deserve a test. Avoid spending currency on several changes at once; you want to know which purchase, if any, improved the repeatable result.

How to Improve After a Failed S Rank Attempt

Find the largest avoidable loss in the run, then turn it into one action for the next attempt. Replace “fly better” with a concrete decision such as leaving a quiet sector sooner, selecting the air weapon before a warning, or approaching a target group from the opposite end. This creates a test you can evaluate even when the next result is not yet an S Rank.

Keep collection attempts separate when their route conflicts with the rank plan. An optional ace or other record may require an extra action that changes the timing of the sortie. Secure that objective on its own run when necessary, then return to the cleaner route. Do not assume a collection condition is also an S Rank requirement.

Retain the successful parts of a failed attempt. If the first half is consistent, preserve it while improving the final transition. If the final phase works but the opening wastes ammunition, improve the opening rather than rebuilding the whole sortie. Small, attributable changes make it easier to understand the next results screen.

Mission-Specific S Rank Guides

Use this page for the replay method and the mission walkthrough for the actual target order. Mission 28 has its own interception and fleet-defense demands, so its detailed route remains in the dedicated guide. Mission 8 and Mission 27 also illustrate why a single general loadout cannot be assumed to fit every attempt. Read the relevant objective sequence before applying the checklist above.