Advance Wars

Get more help and discuss this game in the Advance Wars forum.

In-game reset:
Press Start + Select + B + A during game play. Note: Do not use this while the Game Boy Advance is linked to a Gamecube or it may cause data loss.
Information in this section was contributed by KSFIREFOX and Videoman13.

Deleted saved games:
Hold L + Right + Select when turning on the Game Boy Advance.

Ghost mode:
Hold B during your turn.
Information in this section was contributed by Legojoe6.

Glowing field training:
To make the field training glow bright flashing gold at the beginning of Advance Wars, get an "A" rank on every mission in field training.
Information in this section was contributed by Slickglick90.

Advance campaign mode:
Successfully complete campaign mode. Enter the battle maps screen and buy the "Advance Campaign" item for one coin. Hold Select and select campaign mode to begin and advanced campaign, with a more difficult CPU opponent.
Information in this section was contributed by Hemorrhage.

Field Training bonuses:
Successfully complete field training mode to unlock the "War Room", "Campaign", "Design Maps", "Stats", and "Special Intel" options.

Quickly finish Field Training:
Select the final battle in Field Training. Win that battle to quickly unlock all options that normally require Field Training to be completed.

Hint: Commanding Officer descriptions:
Information in this section was contributed by Shamu200.

Andy
You start out with him. Andy is a well balanced CO with a pretty good CO Power. He is good with all types of units and has no real weaknesses. CO Power: Hyper Repair. Hyper Repair restores two Hit Points to every one of your units. It also gives all of your units stronger attack power for the turn you used Hyper Repair.

Max
Max's main strategy is to strike fast and hard. He is the best CO with direct combat units, but his skills with long-distance weapons are pretty bad. CO Power: Max Force. Max Force boosts the attack power of all direct combat units. Direct combat units can only attack enemies from adjoining squares. For example, a Tank is a direct combat unit but Rockets are not. It also increases their movement slightly for that turn.

Sami
The third CO to join you is Sami. Her specialty is Infantry and Mech units. Her troops cover more ground and capture cities and bases faster than any other CO's units. CO Power: Double Time. Double Time increases the movement range of all her Infantry and Mech units for one turn.

Olaf
Olaf is unaffected by cold snows that slow other units down, but rain tends to give him a lot of trouble. He is not the smartest CO, but his troops are well rounded. CO Power: Blizzard. Blizzard causes a lot of snow to fall. Snow sharply reduces an enemy's movement while leaving Olaf's units unaffected, but it does not last long.

Grit
Grit is the mellowest of all the CO's, but do not be fooled by his low key manner. He is a sharpshooter with long-distance units, but his direct combat units have a low firepower rating. CO Power: Sniper. Sniper increases the range and power of Grit's indirect combat units. Since Grit's units already have an impressive range, Sniper makes them almost untouchable.

Eagle
The skies have always called for Eagle, and as a result, his air units are the best in the business. His naval units, however, are extremely weak. CO Power: Lighting Strike. Lighting Strike allows his units to attack two times in one turn. In the hands of an experienced player, a well-placed Lighting Strike can end a battle before it has begun.

Kanbei
The best-trained troops fight under Kanbei's banner, and their defensive ratings are the highest in the game. It costs extra credits to deploy Kanbei's units though. CO Power: Morale Boost. Morale Boost gives Kanbei's troops a burst of energy and increases each unit's offensive rating for a single turn.

Drake
A master of the seas, Drake employs the best naval units in the business. Drake's weakness is air combat -- his air force is widely regarded as little more than cannon fodder. CO Power: Tsunami. This attack creates a giant wave that takes 2 Hit Points from every enemy unit, including air units.

Sonja
Kanbei's daughter, Sonja, is an information junkie. Her units are average across the board, but they can see farther than any other CO's units. Enemies cannot see her unit's HP. CO Power: Enhanced Vision. When used, her CO Power will increase every unit, even letting you see what is in reefs and forests without having to be directly next to them.

Sturm
Not much is known about Sturm. CO Power: Meteor Strike. A giant meteor comes crashing down and takes every unit it lands on down to 6 HP.

Strum is not affected by the area, meaning that the land will not reduce his troops movement.
Information in this section was contributed by wendydolce.

Sturm is a power house in many ways. His power homes in on the most amassed troops, depending on the cost of all the units in the area and if there on a building or a base. His power is very easy to trigger. Powers are increased by you being attacked or you attacking the opponent. When you are attacked, it increases more that if it were you that is attacking. It increases more depending on the unit's cost. When he powers up in campaign mode, his offense increases and defense drops. However, in other modes it is the opposite. Sturm's powers are average but his strength is his movement on terrain. He moves without worry of movement cost. His weakness is snow.
Information in this section was contributed by Eagle.

Hint: Drake:
Use Andy to win the Captain Drake, Naval Clash, Wings Of Victory, and Battle Mystery missions in campaign mode. Drake can be bought for 50 coins at the Battle Maps screen after the campaign is over.
Information in this section was contributed by Shamu200.

Hint: Eagle:
Use Sami to win the Captain Drake, Naval Clash, Wings Of Victory, and Battle Mystery missions in campaign mode. Then, win the Rivals battle. Eagle can be bought for 80 coins at the Battle Maps screen after the battle is over.
Information in this section was contributed by Shamu200.

Hint: Grit:
Use Max to win mission 4 in campaign mode. Grit can be bought for 50 coins at the Battle Maps screen after the campaign is over.
Information in this section was contributed by Shamu200.

Hint: Kanbei:
Successfully complete campaign mode under the normal difficulty setting. Kanbei can be bought for 50 coins at the Battle Maps screen after the campaign is over.
Information in this section was contributed by Shamu200.

Hint: Nell:
Win the Advance campaign. You do not have to get S-ranks in the battles -- just win them. You do not have to win any of the War Room missions, but when you get Nell, you will be able to use her in War Room and Versus modes.
Information in this section was contributed by Epyon346.

Hint: Sonja:
First, win the "Kanbei Arrives" mission in less than 9 turns; the "Mighty Kanbei" mission in less than 11 turns; and the "Kanbei's Error" mission in less than 13 turns to unlock the bonus Sonja missions. Win the bonus Sonja missions in campaign mode. Sonja can be bought for 60 coins at the Battle Maps screen after the campaign is over.
Information in this section was contributed by Shamu200.

Hint: Strum:
Unlock Grit, Eagle, Drake, Kenbei, and Sonja. Strum can be bought for 100 coins at the Battle Maps screen.
Information in this section was contributed by Shamu200.

To get Sturm faster, use Max in as many battles as possible.
Information in this section was contributed by Jlcjlc88.

Hint: Easy money:
If you defeat a country's factory but do not have the money to buy any COs or maps, just restart the campaign. None of your early COs or maps will be gone. You can replay the campaign and do all the easy missions and get about 300 points every time then easily buy the COs and maps.
Information in this section was contributed by cjporter.

Hint: Stop enemy from building:
Place a medium tank or any other troop type on an enemy building.

Hint: Load more units to transporter ships:
Deploy an APC and load a unit inside it. Next, load the APC to a Lander. You can also deploy T-Copter and load a unit to it. Then, load the T-Copter to a Cruiser.
Information in this section was contributed by Renzokuken.

Hint: Search fog of war maps for troops without wasting moves:
To see if an area covered by fog of war has troops in it, move your troops over that area. However, instead of telling them to wait after moving, press B to go back and search another area. If nothing happens, the space is empty. If occupied, your unit will be forced to wait. Note: This uses a lot of fuel.
Information in this section was contributed by B. Stepping.

Hint: Select who you want for the final battle:
During campaign mode, do what you have to do to buy a C.O. For example, to play as Grit do mission 4 as Max. If you want to play as Max and Sami, do not complete the requirements to unlock a C.O.
Information in this section was contributed by dolcej.

Hint: Final battle:
One of the best teams is Max and Eagle. To get them, use Andy in Max Strikes and Sami for all four Green Earth missions. To defeat Sturm, move Andy in a defensive position where he is located. Move Eagle's forces over the mountains behind Andy. Move Max's forces north. Make sure that Max takes the first Meteor Strike. After you have destroyed Sturm's initial force, push up into Sturm's area and beat him up.
Information in this section was contributed by gameguru.

Hint: Defeating Sturm:
Instead of having Sturm take out units vital to your success with his Meteor Strike, build a large group of APCs and leave them in a corner of the map. Spread out your other forces as well to minimize damage if he still decides to attack your main force. Make sure that you build the APCs with a team member that can spare the money.
Information in this section was contributed by Eric Earl.

Hint: Kill opponents units faster:
When attacking, hold A and press the D-pad.
Information in this section was contributed by rhaselm1.

Hint: Quick Advance Campaign:
Use the "Edit Campaign mode maps" glitch and delete all enemy units (not cover with your units), or delete enemy HQ using terrain features. You may have to try several times because it skips squares unless you hold A (it might still skip) and occasionally freezes. This also increases your rank and money.

Glitch: Edit campaign mode maps:
Enter design maps mode and design a map by doing the following: fill the entire map with only plains, then at the upper left corner in the map and in the first row, lay down six infantry units. Next, in second row make six mechs, building towards the left. In the third row make Md tanks, towards the right. In the fourth row, make rockets, towards the left. By the end of this, you should have a 4x6 block of units. Then, go into field training and lose to Olaf in the "Naval Forces" mission by either destroying your T copter or lander. Go back and open the design map that you created and delete all the units. If done correctly, Nell should pop up and tell you "The Orange Star Army has lost!". Now comes the tricky part -- exiting design maps mode without saving. Exit by choosing "Options" and "Exit Map" by pressing the A as you in any other battle mode to bring up the menu. However, never touch "Select" until you are done. Once you are back to the mode select menu, choose either "War Room" or "Campaign" Use L and R as you would in design maps mode. Once you are done editing, find the save option and save your edited map. Now turn off the Game Boy Advance and turn it back on. Note: From now on, all you have to do to take advantage of the glitch is lose at Naval Forces and delete the units in your glitch map. Also, any changes before saving are permanent.
Information in this section was contributed by geckoconrad.

Glitch: No CO:
When selecting COs in campaign mode, select a CO in the first slot. Select the second slot. Select "No CO". Select the second slot again and choose the same CO. Select the second slot again, then select "No CO".
Information in this section was contributed by ayork.