Ace Combat 8 Wings of Theve Trophy Guide & Roadmap

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Trophy Roadmap

• Estimated trophy difficulty: 5/10
• Approximate amount of time to platinum: 150 hours+ (because of 25,000,000 MRP grind)
• Offline Trophies: 56 (1, 2, 5, 48)
• Online Trophies: 0
• Number of missable trophies: 0 (all trophies can be earned in Free Mission after campaign)
• Glitched trophies: 0
• Does difficulty affect trophies?: Yes, campaign must be completed on Elite difficulty to unlock Ace difficulty, then campaign must be completed on Ace difficulty with all S-Ranks. Enemy Aces only appear on Veteran difficulty and above.
• Hardest Trophy:  Ace of Aces (all S Ranks on Ace difficulty, which is the highest difficulty)
• Minimum Playthroughs: 2+ (one on Elite difficulty to unlock Ace difficulty, one on Ace difficulty with all S Ranks)
• PS4/PS5 Autopop, Save Transfer, Crossbuy: Game doesn’t have a PS4 version
• Level Select after Story?: Free Mission mode is available after campaign, at any unlocked difficulty level
• New Game+ Mode?: All unlocked planes and parts can be used in Free Mission and in replays of Campaign
• Supports Manual Saves?: No, only Autosave
• Release Date: September 29, 2026 (Deluxe Edition) / October 02, 2026 (Standard Edition)

Introduction

Welcome to the Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Trophy Guide! After Ace Combat 7 shattered franchise sales records, Bandai Namco have heard fan requests and have brought back several legacy mechanics for Ace Combat 8, like wingmen commands and mid-mission landings to repair/rearm. As with previous Ace Combat games, you will have to complete the campaign on the hardest difficulty (Elite) in order to unlock Ace difficulty, then you will have to complete the campaign again on Ace difficulty earning an S Rank in all 30 missions. Once you’ve completed the campaign the first time, you’ll also unlock Free Mission mode which will allow you to replay any mission in the campaign on any difficulty you’ve unlocked. So if you don’t get an S rank the first time, you can go back in Free Mission and complete it again. Every mission you complete will earn you MRP (Military Result Points) for every target you destroy during the mission, with a multiplier based on difficulty (x0.8 on Casual, up to x1.5 on Ace). There are 30 missions in the campaign, during which you will be able to spend MRP to unlock aircraft, special weapons, and parts from the Aircraft Tree that you will carry over to any future campaigns or individual missions. Aside from S Ranking every mission on Ace difficulty, the real time sink is going to be earning 25,000,000MRP. So while technically you only have to complete the campaign twice, you will still have to grind missions to earn MRP to reach the full 25 million. Luckily it counts all money earned over all playthroughs, because you’ll need all that MRP to unlock every plane, special weapon, and part in the Aircraft Tree.

Step 1: Complete Campaign on Elite Difficulty to Unlock Ace Difficulty, Don’t Skip Cutscenes

If you’re already familiar with Ace Combat or flight sims in general, feel free to start on Elite difficulty and complete the campaign to unlock Ace difficulty. Don’t skip any of the takeoffs, landings, or mid-air refueling sequences, and you’ll earn By the Book when you complete the campaign (don’t hold  to skip scenes). Each of the 30 missions in the campaign has its own trophy, and finishing the campaign on any difficulty will unlock  Promised Land. If you’re having trouble on Elite, you can do a player on a lower difficulty first to unlock the end-game planes before you bump it back up to Elite. Since you have to earn 25,000,000 MRP anyway, an extra playthrough won’t be a waste at all.

Step 2: Earn MRP While Obtaining All Assault Records

Take some time to go back and complete your Assault Records by downing the named Aces that appear in each mission, and fleshing out your roster of planes and weapons. Play on at least Veteran difficulty to let the named Aces appear, but bear in mind that you have to complete the mission after shooting down the Ace for it to count.
It also helps to buy additional planes of each type so that your wingmen can pilot more capable aircraft. Don’t lean into the grind too heavily though, since you’ll earn a significant amount of MRP in Step 3. As long as you’ve unlocked the endgame planes and special weapons you’ll need for Ace difficulty.

Step 3: Complete Campaign on Ace Difficulty, Obtaining S Ranks in Each Mission

You will need to earn an S Rank on Ace Difficulty in all 30 missions for  Ace of Aces. You can do this by replaying the Campaign, or you can do them individually through Free Mission mode. While you will have access to all planes, special weapons, and parts that you’ve unlocked, in Campaign mode some missions will be restricted to only aircraft that can take off from a carrier, or may occur in sets where you will have to use the same aircraft for multiple missions until you return to base. In Free Mission mode however, you will always have access to every plane, and be able to choose the plane you fly at the top of each mission (aside from mission 14 where you will always fly the unarmed A-6 Intruder) which makes some missions easier since you can customize your parts and weapons loadout individually for each mission. As an added bonus, most of the story cinematics will be skipped between missions and during the briefing, though you’ll still have to manually skip ones that occur mid-mission.

Step 4: Cleanup & 25 Million MRP Grind

Earning 25,000,000 MRP will take you several playthroughs, even with the multipliers for completing a campaign on Elite and Ace difficulties. After two full playthroughs you will probably already have earned the other miscellaneous trophies, but if not clean up any that remain while grinding towards the 25 million.

Useful Tips, Tricks and Guides:

• All Assault Records & Enemy Aces

Ace Combat 8 Wings of Theve Trophy Guide

	Wings of Theve Obtained all trophies.
Earn all other trophies in Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve to unlock Platinum (no DLC required).
	Inherited Dog Tags Completed the PROLOGUE in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing the PROLOGUE “Wings of Theve”.
	Expulsion Completed MISSION 01 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 01 “Joker’s Wild”, AKA Operation Seabird.
	World Left Behind Completed MISSION 02 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 02 “Nomad”, AKA Operation Falling Sparks.
	Birth of an Ace Completed MISSION 03 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 03 “Purple Magic Takes Flight”, AKA Operation Frostwave.
	Relentless Completed MISSION 04 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 04 “The Fall of the Numbered Fleets”,  AKA Operation Elder Hand.
	From the Brink Completed MISSION 05 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 05 “Retaking of Theve”, AKA Operation Long Shot.
	Fireworks Completed MISSION 06 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 06 “Attack on the Drinwich Airfield”, AKA Operation Redouble.
	Cutting Supply Lines Completed MISSION 07 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 07 “A Lifeline in the Desert”, AKA Operation Squeeze.
	Retaking the Capital Completed MISSION 08 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 08 “Retaking of Theve II”, AKA Operation Gut Shot.
	Securing the North Completed MISSION 09 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 09 “The Land Battleship Blockade”, AKA Operation Ogre Pitfall.
	Rainband Breakthrough Completed MISSION 10 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 10 “Over the Rainband”, AKA Operation Raincoat.
	Downing Giants Completed MISSION 11 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 11 “Maximum Payload”, AKA Operation Gaffed Card.
	Suspicion Completed MISSION 12 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 12 “An Island in Darkness”, AKA Operation Worker Bee.
	Split Second Completed MISSION 13 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 13 “The People of the Lost Country”, AKA Operation Twin Birds.
	Vanishing Act Completed MISSION 14 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 14 “Two on the Run”, AKA Operation Homing Pigeon.
	Downing a Dragon Completed MISSION 15 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 15 “Wings of Wax”, AKA Operation Deal Cards.
	Watching Eye Completed MISSION 16 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 16 “Singer”, AKA Operation Lighthouse Lady.
	Armor Penetration Completed MISSION 17 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 17 “Land Battleship No. 3”, AKA Operation Broncobuster.
	Sudden Dive Completed MISSION 18 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 18 “Moonlight and Shadows”, AKA Operation Branching Path.
	Light Completed MISSION 19 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 19 “Clearing the Lighthouse”, AKA Operation Silver String.
	The Courier Completed MISSION 20 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 20 “Escort Orbiter”, AKA Operation Migration Keeper.
	On Cloud Nine Completed MISSION 21 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 21 “The Star-Bound Bird”, AKA Operation Dawn Rising.
	Good News from Space Completed MISSION 22 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 22 “Pursuing the HSCA”, AKA Operation Patch of BlueAutomatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 22 “Pursuing the HSCA”, AKA Operation Patch of Blue.
	The End in the East Completed MISSION 23 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 23 “The Destruction of Expo City”, AKA Operation Rumbling.
	Securing a Beachhead Completed MISSION 24 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 24 “The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 1”, AKA Operation Coastal Hammer.
	Freeing Usea Completed MISSION 25 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 25 “The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 2”, AKA Operation Paint it Blue.
	Nightmare Completed MISSION 26 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 26 “Crossing Fleets”, AKA Operation King Tide.
	Troop Rallier Completed MISSION 27 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 27 “Fatsia, The Ocean Fortress”, AKA Operation Rootbreaker.
	Wings Upon Wings Completed MISSION 28 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 28 “A Thousand Points of Light”, AKA Operation Locust Purge.
	The Anemone Completed MISSION 29 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 29 “Selene”, AKA Operation Lunar Eclipse.
	The Real Wings Completed MISSION 30 in campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy. Earned for completing Mission 30 “Song of Wings”, AKA Operation Showdown.
	Promised Land Completed campaign mode.
Automatic story trophy, finish all 30 campaign missions on any difficulty to unlock this.
	Ace of Aces Cleared all missions in campaign mode on ACE difficulty with an S rank (including free missions).
You have to beat all 30 Campaign Missions with an S Rank on the highest difficulty “ACE” for this. After you have completed  The Ace (finished campaign on ACE difficulty), you can go back and replay individual missions through Free Mission mode to retry any that you didn’t earn an S Rank on the first time.
	The Ace Completed campaign mode on ACE difficulty.
Ace difficulty must be unlocked by finishing the campaign on Elite difficulty first, then you can then go back and replay the campaign on Ace difficulty.
	Meritorious Service Obtained 10 medals.
There are a total of 29 medals that you can earn in Ace Combat 8, listed below with the criteria for earning each one. You can check your progress by going to Data Viewer > Campaign Data > Campaign Medals. While working towards platinum, you will most likely unlock the * marked medals through normal play. In addition, since Ace of Aces requires you to S-Rank every mission on Ace difficulty, that will effectively earn you four medals since the medals for completing Pilot, Veteran, and Elite difficulty with an S-rank specify to complete on that difficulty “or higher”. Bronze Ace* – Awarded for destroying 1,000 enemy hostiles. Silver Ace* – Awarded for destroying 2,000 enemy hostiles. Gold Ace* – Awarded for destroying 3,000 enemy hostiles. Bronze Marksman – Awarded for shooting down 50 enemy aircraft with machine guns Silver Marksman – Awarded for shooting down 100 enemy aircraft with machine guns Gold Marksman – Awarded for shooting down 200 enemy aircraft with machine guns Awarded for completing all missions on PILOT or higher difficulty with an S-rank. Awarded for completing all missions on VETERAN or higher difficulty with an S-rank. Awarded for completing all missions on ELITE or higher difficulty with an S-rank. Awarded for completing all missions on Ace difficulty with an S-rank. Raze the Roof – Awarded for destroying 1,500 enemy surface targets (excluding ships). Ship of Liberty* – Awarded for sinking 100 enemy ships. Tunnel Specter – Awarded for navigating a narrow space in Operation Elder Hand (Mission 04). Proud Shoulders* – Awarded for evacuating four or more LCACs in Operation Long Shot (Mission 06). Aegis Penetrator* – Awarded for destroying all ten Land Aegis ships in Operation Triumph (Renamed to Operation Ogre Pitfall, Mission 09) Rapid Dragon Slayer* – Awarded for destroying the Rapid Dragon before the cruise missiles were launched in Operation Worker Bee (Mission 12). Awarded for avoiding all radar detection in Operation Homing Pigeon (Mission 14). Awarded for eliminating all targets using only Joker Flight in Operation Broncobuster’s primary mission (Mission 17). Awarded for completing Operation Dawn Rising without causing any damage to the escort target (Mission 21). Land Piscivore* – Awarded for destroying all land ships in Operation Rumbling (Mission 23). Awarded for eliminating specific enemy forces in Operation Paint it Blue (Mission 25). Awarded for destroying large numbers of enemy units in a large-scale chain reaction in Operation Rootbreaker (Mission 27). Awarded for intercepting all threats against the escort target in Operation Showdown (Mission 30). Awarded for completing every campaign mission (that allows aircraft selection) using only attackers. Awarded for completing every campaign mission (that allows aircraft selection) using only fighters. Awarded for completing every campaign mission (that allows aircraft selection) using only multirole aircraft. Awarded for completing every campaign mission (that allows aircraft selection) using only EW aircraft. Awarded for completing the campaign without taking any damage. Awarded for completing the campaign using only machine guns.
	By the Book Completed campaign mode and successfully completed all takeoffs, aerial refuelings.
While playing the campaign mode, you will be prompted to hold  to skip a scene. Don’t! Never skip takeoffs, landings, or aerial refueling throughout the campaign and you will get this as you take off for the final mission.
	Yes, Sir! In campaign mode, a wingman destroyed an enemy after Forward Atk, Dispersed Atk, and Cover commands.
Wingman commands are tied to the D-Pad. Pick an easy target using the button. Then press for Cover, for Dispersed Atk, and then for Forward Atk, which will end with all your wingmen concentrated on a single target. For safety, also hit to authorize the use of special weapons and you’ll get All Weapons Free as well when your wingman shoots down the target.
	A Record of Rivalry Obtained all assault records.
There are a total of 83 enemy pilots who appear in the Data Viewer > Campaign Data > Campaign Assault Records screen. Over half of them are Lux Lunae units that will appear in the normal campaign, with a special cinematic and title placard. The last 31 of them however, are named enemy Aces that have special conditions that must be met before they will appear. Also you must be playing on Veteran difficulty or above, otherwise enemy Aces will not spawn at all, and once you’ve shot them down you will have to complete the mission for the kill to count. See Ace Combat 8 All Assault Records & Enemy Aces for details.
	Aircraft Annihilator Destroyed a total of 3,000 aircraft in campaign mode.
This will occur during normal play, and will take approximately one and a half playthroughs to accomplish.
	Need A Bigger Bank Obtained 16,000,000 MRP in total.
See trophy below MRP Aplenty.
	MRP Aplenty Obtained 25,000,000 MRP in total.
This trophy will take a significant amount of time and is by far the longest time factor toward platinum. A full campaign playthrough will net you between 3-4 million MRP, depending on your performance. There is also a multiplier to your destruction score and your time bonus for difficulty level, so it’s worthwhile to grind on Ace difficulty. If you want a single mission that yields the most money, it’s Mission 28: “A Thousand Points of Light”, hands down. There are lots of aircraft to shoot down, and you can reload at the Cima Island airstrip as many times as you want. Bonus, you also have plenty of bombers and slow aircraft if you’re trying to get machine gun kills.
	All Weapons Free In campaign mode, allowed Special Weaponry use and a wingman downed an enemy with a special weapon.
See  Yes, Sir!
	Bolstered Forces Obtained at least 5 aircraft types in campaign mode.
See  Patron of the Parts
	Fully Kitted Out Obtained at least 20 aircraft types in campaign mode.
See  Patron of the Parts
	Budding Buyer Obtained a combined total of 15 special weapons and upgrade parts in campaign mode.
See  Patron of the Parts
	Regular Customer Obtained a combined total of 100 special weapons and upgrade parts in campaign mode.
See  Patron of the Parts
	Patron of the Parts Obtained all aircraft, special weapons, and upgrade parts in campaign mode.
Spend your 25,000,000 MRP by buying everything in the Aircraft Tree, including planes, weapons, and parts to unlock this trophy.
	Air-to-Air Ace Destroyed a total of 100 enemy units using air-to-air special weaponry in campaign mode.
When choosing your SP Weapons for your plane’s loadout, any weapon that has a blue missile indicator next to its name counts as an Air-to-Air weapon, eg: 2AAM, 4AAM, 6AAM, LAAM, QAAM, SAAM, SASM, HCAA, HPAA, HVAA etc. You have to shoot down 100 enemies with any of these weapon types to earn this trophy.
	Anti-Ground Ace Destroyed a total of 100 enemy units using anti-ground special weaponry in campaign mode.
When choosing your SP Weapons for your plane’s loadout, any weapon that has a red bomb indicator next to its name counts as an Air-to-Ground weapon, eg: 4AGM, 6AGM, 8AGM, GPB, LACM, LAGM, LASM, UGB,RKT, SOD, SFFS, XSDB, etc. Kill 100 enemy ground units with any of these weapon types to earn this trophy.
	Like the Wind Successfully made a post-stall maneuver in campaign mode.
The following aircraft are verified as capable of post-stall maneuvers: F-22A, F-35C, MiG-29A, Su-33, Su-47, FA-36, X-40. A post-stall maneuver is executed in a similar fashion as a high-G turn, but at much lower speeds. The easiest one to perform is called a Kulbit maneuver. When in an aircraft that is capable of a post-stall maneuver, slow down until you’re below 500kph. To start the maneuver, you must release the throttle so that your plane will begin to speed up again back to cruising speed. Before you get back above 500kph, press and hold & and pull back on the left stick hard. Once you see your nose start to lift, release  & then push and hold to throttle up and power through the loop. Keep the left stick back until you reach level flight. Another variation is the Cobra, which starts the same way. Again, slow down until you’re below 500kph. Release the throttle, then press and hold & and pull back on the left stick hard. Once you see your nose start to lift, release  & then push and hold to throttle up and at the same time push the left stick forward until you reach level flight. Post stall maneuvers have to be performed in campaign mode for this trophy, not in Free Flight.
	Birds of a Feather Purchased the same aircraft for wingmen in the Aircraft Tree in campaign mode.
After you buy the first aircraft of a type, you can purchase three more for a reduced price so that all of your wingmen can also fly that type. Once you buy those additional aircraft, this trophy will pop.
	Aircraft Inspection Previewed an aircraft using the aircraft viewer in campaign mode.
From the Campaign menu, select Data Viewer > Aircraft Viewer. View any aircraft to unlock the trophy.
	Birdwatching Watched a replay in the replay viewer in campaign mode.
After you’ve completed a mission, your replay will save. Then from the Campaign menu, select Data Viewer > Replay Viewer, select the replay you just recorded and watch it to unlock the trophy.
	Plane Coordinator Customized an aircraft skin or emblem in campaign mode.
Finishing the campaign once will unlock Aircraft Sets on the mission menu. In that menu, choose any slot to reach the Edit Aircraft Set menu, then choose Select Skin. Pick any of the skins you’ve unlocked in the campaign to unlock the trophy
	Welcome to Boot Camp Cleared one mission in training mode.
From any mission menu, select Training to unlock a series of training missions. Complete any of them for the trophy, and an easy 1000MRP.