Charge Phase 3

 is the thirty-first offline mission and the thirty-fourth online mission in Earth Defense Force 2025 and the thirty-second offline mission and the thirty-fifth online mission in Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair. It's the last phase of a three parter operation called 'Charge'.

Objective
2025: We have arrived at the deepest part of the nest, so we enter the final stages of this operation. However, we have lost over half of our troops. The queen is somewhere in this area, surrounded by her minions. Storm Team is to link up with the Ranger team which is fighting to consolidate our strength and look for the queen.

4.1: Though we've lost over half of our troops, we've finally arrived at the deepest part of the nest, so we now enter the final stages of this operation. The queen is somewhere in this area, surrounded by her minions. Storm Team is to link up with the Ranger team to consolidate our strength and find her.

Storyline
Ranger 25 reports that their commander is dead to which HQ orders Storm Team to join them. They can be found not far into the tunnels and when the two of them meets a group of ants will attack them.

After they moved through a hall with bugs, HQ reminds them to their objective. Some soldiers start talking about the mission one stating that a queen was killed 8 years ago while the other can't believe that someone carried out that idiot mission and says that "whoever ordered it is the real monster." Ranger 23 request to evacuate over the radio, but loses contact and most likely dies. Ohara then states that the giant insects need the queen to reproduce and it can be found in the nest and it should be killed as if it wasn't the entire point of this operation.

A panicking soldier then starts shouting because he got lost. HQ tells him to stay where he is so others can find him. He can be found in one of the chambers later. Meanwhile Storm Team goes through tunnels, fighting bugs on the way, while HQ encourages people to finish the mission at all cost. They enter a chamber with pillars which middle part was cut out full of spiders. After that comes a hole and another cavern with destroyed pillars.

Meanwhile Scout 4 reports that they found the queen's hall and is waiting for backup. A few tunnels, chambers and dead giant insects later, Storm Team finds the scouts and together go to the last chamber where not one, but two queens are waiting.

4.1 Changes
As with all underground levels, this level is now dark, making it harder to spot approaching enemies, and the Air Raider can now call for the Depth Crawler or SDL1 rather than having no support available. Ranger 25 will now has a dialogue where they acknowledge the dark.

Also there are more enemies and on Hardest and Inferno difficulty a third queen will also appear. To compensate this, there are also more allies an extra Wing Diver team in a larger cavern and another one with a group of Fencers with Scout 4.

The route towards the queen was also changed slightly. After the series of corridors at the beginning, instead of going through a chamber with destroyed pillars and then to the narrow hole from the top entrance, the players will have to go through a big empty chamber where the Wing Divers are and to the narrow hole from a bottom entrance.

Strategy
The same methods used as any underground missions. Bring machine guns, shotguns or similar weapons with wide spread, rocket launchers, or flame throwers. Wing Divers are the best suited for this kind of missions.

When you reach the queen's, nest do not enter. Instead stay away from it to avoid the queens' attack and let the smaller bugs go out after you. The queens are too big to get out so wait until the minions are dead and then cautiously kill the queens from the entrance. Weapons that can bounce off the walls and explosives are the best since those can be shot around the corner and still hit. Sometimes the queens get stuck in the pillars at the far end of the chamber which is better because they are less dangerous from the distance. Go in and use the radar and your weapon's muzzle flash to find them in the dark and kill them from a distance, but be ready to retreat, if they get unstuck.

Air raider's electromagnetic bunkers can be deployed at the entrance to very safely kill the queens, especially the electromagnetic prison, which doesn't even require you to stand at the entrance while deploying it. Care should be taken, however, as if the shields are destroyed by the queens you will likely take a large hit from the acid spray that destroyed them. It is a good idea to back off and prematurely reload the shields often, as to make sure they never run out while you are standing in the entrance to the hall.