High Value Target (Mission)

"We're charging into artillery and it's been a long day of ambushes, I expect at least a "pretty please"."

- Sweetwater

"Stop your bitchin' Sweets!"

- Redford



High Value Target is a mission in Battlefield: Bad Company 2's singleplayer campaign.

After Redford interrogates the Russian prisoner, who seems to have family in Texas, they ride in with a Marine convoy to locate Kirilenko. On the way, a bridge filled with clutter prompts the convoy to stop and slowly move across, in case of IEDs or ambush. Soon enough, the convoy does get ambushed, at first by multiple RPG soldiers, and finally a BMD-3. A couple of the vehicles in the convoy get blown up, but they proceed on forward. As they are approaching the town the HVT is holed up in, two F/A-18 Hornets bomb a nearby tunnel to prevent the escape of Kirilenko. They meet yet another BMD-3, but manage to destroy it before any major damage occurs to the rest of the convoy. As they approach the village, a Zeus anti-aircraft gun pins them down, but eventually air support rids them of the AA gun. After moving into the village, the artillery bombardment begins early and tears their cover to shreds. Moving through the wreckage and combating surviving Russian forces, they make their way into a sewage system where they climb into Kirilenko's hiding place. After holding him at gunpoint, Kirilenko inserts much more suspicion about Aguire. Sweetwater discovers something about a freighter named Sangre del Toro. Kirilenko escapes after another artillery bombardment.

Tips

 * As with all missions involving vehicles focus your attention on the enemies with rocket launchers. During this one they won't target you first initially but they will eventually turn their attention to you. Even on hard difficulty there will be a short delay before they fire their missiles. Aim for the upperbody/neck as recoil will cause you to hit them in the head.
 * While in the bombardment, stick with Redford and try not to hug the buildings on fire too hard. Some of them collapse and if you are too close you will die as well when it goes.
 * The Collectible XM8 is here as well, and can be picked up from the dead Marines after you call in the air strike on the Zeus AA gun. Against the fires caused by the artillery bombardment, the iron sights can be very effective.
 * Wild spraying, while in places effective, isn't recommended on this level. As the .50 cal MG has an overheat function, controlled bursts make the most out of the amount of shooting available, without sacrificing accuracy.
 * First M-COM station can be found as soon as you get in the village, after you leave the car. It is in a house on the right. The house comes before the bombardment begins. The second is in the water puddle at the beginning of the drainage channel.

Trivia
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 * This mission has a reference to the TV Miniseries "Generation Kill" where the Marines' Humvee convoy gets pinned down by a Zeus anti-aircraft gun to the left, and the Marines' jump out their Humvees and take cover in an embankment while waiting for air support. (In the show, an AH-1W SuperCobra; in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 an F/A-18 Hornet. Both are used by the Marine Corps)
 * It's easy to tell you are in a mission with Marines because of their use of common Marine Corps jargon (i.e. Get Some, Oorah), and the presence of Navy/Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets instead of the usual Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II or F-15E (as seen in other games). You can also tell you are with Marines by the previous mission's ending cutscene, where Redford asks the Marines if he can ride with their convoy.
 * Another variant of the HMMWV exists,mounted with a TOW missile launcher instead of the .50 Cal HMG.
 * It is ironic that the Marines call in the F/A-18 Hornets to bomb the tunnel to prevent the escape of Kirilenko, yet he escapes anyway.
 * It is possible to kill the lead Humvee when arriving on the bridge. Simply fire into the red barrels on the abandoned trucks and watch the Humvee blow up.
 * In this mission you hear Preston swear for the first time in the series, prompting a congratulation from Sweetwater.
 * For some reason, after you destroy the AA gun, the Marines who are with you magically die with no reason at all, spawning XM8 Prototypes without the 4x Scope.
 * Even though the soldiers with you are Marines, which likes to distinguish themselves from the Army, the Humvees says US Army on the side of them.