Iron Nest Mission 2 Guide: Fire & Light

This Iron Nest Mission 2 Fire & Light guide covers two distinct operations in sequence. First, triangulate the hostile target and use HE only for the combat phase; the mission record then adds two hostile elements in recon photographs. After that phase is complete, High Command orders a separate, non-combat STAR-shell-only illumination display over the Royal Palace. STAR shells are not the main combat-clearance step, and HE is not the ceremonial firing order.

Quick Answer: Mission 2 Fire & Light

• Verified on build/version: Source-checked 2026-08-22. The cited records do not publish a build number, so no version is claimed here.
• Last checked: 2026-08-22.
• Fixed sequence: HE hostile-target phase → two additional hostile elements from recon → separate STAR-shell Royal Palace display.
• Random or run-specific data: Bearings, distances, and recon-photo correction values vary by run. The yellow number is distance from impact to target; the yellow arrow is the correction direction.
• Recommended loadout: Iron Nest DB recommends AP, HCHE, and HE because its roster includes one armored target. The exact armored-target interaction is not expanded here; the phase orders remain HE-only for combat and STAR-only for the display.
• Medal condition: Ordnance Efficiency Citation is gold at 4 shots or fewer.
• Still to confirm in-game: A Steam discussion describes demo-era Royal Palace/King behavior as unfinished, while the current mission record documents the full-game order. This page does not claim a special ending or King reaction.

Phase 1 — Hostile Targets (HE Only)

1. Read the two spotter bearings for the primary hostile target and triangulate its position. The exact bearings are generated per run; any numbers shown in an example are not fixed coordinates.
2. Fire HE only at the triangulated hostile target. The mission briefing explicitly labels this first fire mission as HE only.
3. Review the reconnaissance result. The mission record says that two additional hostile elements are identified in the recon photographs; destroy both before proceeding.

This is the combat portion of Fire & Light. Do not replace it with a STAR-shell illumination sequence: the source briefing separates the hostile-target order from the later ceremonial order.

Phase 2 — Royal Palace and Yellow Arrows (STAR Shell Only)

After the hostile targets are destroyed, High Command authorises a second fire mission: STAR bursts over the Royal Palace. The briefing calls this a non-combat operation and says to use STAR shells only.

1. Fire in the vicinity of the approximate illumination coordinates supplied by the briefing.
2. Read the impact reconnaissance photo. Yellow numbers give the distance from the impact point to the target; yellow arrows give the direction from the impact point to the target.
3. Adjust the solution in the arrow direction and repeat with STAR shells until High Command confirms the burst position is satisfactory.
4. Do not switch to HE during this display phase. The source explicitly warns that STAR shells, not HE, are required here.

The current sources establish the sequence and the correction legend. They do not establish a special story result for firing on the King or Palace, so that outcome is intentionally left unclaimed pending an in-game check on the current build.

Recommended Loadout and Medal

• HE: Required for the first hostile-target fire mission.
• STAR shell: Required for the separate Royal Palace display.
• AP / HCHE: Listed in the database’s recommended loadout because its roster includes one armored target. The exact use of those rounds is not expanded beyond the source record.
• Gold: Ordnance Efficiency Citation at shots fired ≤ 4.

Common Failures

• Using STAR shells to clear the hostile targets: The combat briefing orders HE only.
• Using HE for the Royal Palace display: The ceremony is a separate STAR-shell-only, non-combat phase.
• Reading arrows as enemy markers: Yellow numbers and arrows are impact-to-target correction data.
• Treating sample bearings or distances as fixed: The mission generates firing data and recon corrections per run.
• Assuming the demo discussion settles the full-game outcome: The Steam thread is demo-era; the exact Royal Palace/King reaction remains pending current-build confirmation.

Sources / References

• Iron Nest DB — Fire & Light — phase order, HE-only and STAR-only instructions, Royal Palace, roster, loadout, and medal threshold.
• Steam Community — Fire & Light Friendly Fire — demo-era discussion of the Royal Palace/King interaction; retained as a conflict note, not as a full-game fact.

Update Log

• 2026-08-14: Split the HE combat phase from the STAR ceremonial phase; removed the claim that STAR shells illuminate enemies before an HE clear; separated reliable Royal Palace/correction details from the unresolved demo-versus-full-game outcome.

Previous: Mission 1 — Calibration Fire. Next: Mission 3 — Liberation.