Tempest Rising campaign order: How to Play All Three Stories

The recommended Tempest Rising campaign order

The Tempest Rising campaign order is simple once you know the two base-game stories happen in parallel. Play the Global Defense Force (GDF) and Tempest Dynasty campaigns in either order, then play the Veti campaign from The Veti’s Wrath expansion. That sequence lets you experience the connected conflict before moving into the Veti’s follow-up story. If you are looking up the Tempest Rising campaign order before starting, the key is that the first two campaigns can be swapped, while the Veti story follows them.

You do not need to choose one base campaign as the “correct” first one: each shows the conflict from a different faction’s perspective. The campaigns feature 11 missions apiece, and the expansion adds another 11-mission campaign. The table below gives you the straightforward order to follow.

Order	Campaign	What it covers
1	GDF	One perspective on the conflict over Tempest
2	Tempest Dynasty	The other perspective on that same conflict; it occurs in parallel with the GDF story
3	Veti	An 11-mission follow-up campaign included in The Veti’s Wrath expansion

You can swap the first two rows without breaking the intended story sequence. The essential point is to play both base campaigns before starting the Veti story, which follows after them. This is a narrative order based on how the campaigns relate to one another, not a requirement to complete the GDF story before opening the Dynasty campaign.

A useful way to read the sequence is as two connected accounts followed by a continuation. The base campaigns both focus on the conflict over Tempest, but they follow different factions. The Veti campaign then picks up after the base campaigns. If you have limited time and want to plan your playthrough, this structure gives you a clear endpoint for the original pair before you move into the expansion’s story.

Why the first two campaigns can go either way

The GDF and Dynasty campaigns are not separate timelines where one replaces the other. For the Tempest Rising campaign order, that means you can start with either one: both stories are canon and run in parallel, forming a connected account of the struggle over Tempest. Playing one first changes which faction’s viewpoint you encounter first, but it does not make the other campaign unnecessary.

A useful way to decide is to treat the first campaign as your introduction to the conflict and the second as another angle on events. The missions make the competing interests visible, and neither side is presented as wholly good. Expect morally complicated choices rather than a clean hero-versus-villain setup. That framing can help you choose without treating one campaign as optional: each is part of the connected storyline.

Base campaign	Mission count	Perspective
GDF	11	Global Defense Force operations during the Tempest conflict
Tempest Dynasty	11	The Dynasty’s side of the same connected conflict

If you want to pick based on the opening mission, the GDF begins with “Signal Lost” in Iceland, where a harvesting operation has been disrupted and the commander is tasked with securing the area and restarting operations. The Dynasty starts with “Harvest the Tempest” in Croatia, with orders to recapture a base, reactivate its Tempest Rig, harvest nearby Tempest, and escort the Rig out of the area. These are different entry points into the larger story, not a required chronological order between the two campaigns.

The opening missions also offer a practical preview of each campaign’s setup. In the GDF story, the suspected interference comes from the Tempest Dynasty, and the first assignment introduces the conflict around harvesting operations. In the Dynasty story, the GDF has taken over a base in the Balkans, so the opening objective is to reclaim it and get the harvesting operation moving. Those summaries are enough to help you choose an opening without assuming that one faction’s story needs to come first.

For example, you might begin with the GDF to follow its commander’s assignments, then play the Dynasty campaign to see the parallel events from the other side. Or reverse that order if the Dynasty’s opening objective appeals to you more. Either route leads to the same recommendation for the third campaign: save it until you have finished both base stories.

Where the Veti campaign fits

The Veti campaign belongs after the GDF and Dynasty campaigns. In the Tempest Rising campaign order, it is the follow-up chapter: its 11 missions continue the story after the events of the base campaigns, shifting attention to the Veti and their attempt to restore their empire on Earth. The expansion’s first mission, “Stasis Breach,” begins in North Jutland, where a Nacom awakens after a long period of slumber.

The next listed mission, “Data Harvest,” introduces a threat involving K’uhul the Immutable and a GDF Data Core. The Nacom is told that K’uhul’s compromised neural core has led him to wage conquests against the ancient edicts of the Veti. With his prison weakened, the mission’s objective is to capture the Data Core of the GDF’s 37th Mobile Refining Battalion and find the location of K’uhul’s prison. That setup ties the Veti story to the larger Tempest War while giving its opening missions a distinct immediate objective.

Veti mission	Starting context from the campaign listing
Stasis Breach	A Nacom awakens in North Jutland and takes control of imprisoned Veti war machines
Data Harvest	The Nacom seeks information about K’uhul the Immutable and his prison

The Veti play a key part in the two base campaigns, and their campaign follows those stories. Playing it after both original campaigns helps you recognize the context behind the conflict and keeps the story’s broader progression clear. The campaign listing describes the base stories as connected and the Veti story as following up after them, which is why the recommended order places the expansion last.

A player video about the expansion describes it as an 11-mission continuation and discusses its opening stretch, but its creator says the video is only an early impression rather than a full campaign review. You can read that as a preview of the expansion, not a complete walkthrough: watch the player’s early impressions of The Veti’s Wrath. The video also notes that the Veti faction is available in skirmish and multiplayer for base-game owners, while the expansion’s campaign is single-player. For a story-focused playthrough, keep those modes separate in your planning: the campaign order concerns the three narrative campaigns.

A practical plan before you start

The cleanest approach is to choose one base faction, finish its campaign, then play the other base campaign before beginning the Veti expansion. For a Tempest Rising campaign order that keeps the connected narrative easy to follow, use the GDF and Dynasty campaigns as a pair, then continue with the Veti story. Since the first pair happen in parallel, choose whichever opening sounds more interesting. If you care most about narrative context, complete both before moving on.

Each campaign mission includes primary objectives required to finish and optional secondary objectives that can provide benefits, such as easier progress or more requisition points for the Armory. Before a mission, you receive a briefing and can access Doctrine and Armory customization menus. You can also replay previous missions from the pre-mission area. A good approach is to read the briefing before deployment, then check which objectives are required and which are optional so you can decide how to approach the mission.

Before or during a mission	What to keep in mind
Choose a difficulty	The game offers Easy, Normal, Hard, and Insane; difficulty affects enemy force numbers and starting veterancy
Review the briefing	Your superior provides mission information, with additional background available through interaction
Check optional objectives	Secondary objectives are optional and may provide a gameplay benefit
Use the pre-mission menus	Doctrine and Armory offer customization options before deployment
Consider replaying	The campaign menu allows previous missions to be replayed

Difficulty changes the number of enemy forces and their starting veterancy levels. If you are learning the campaign systems, choose a setting that gives you room to understand each mission’s objectives and faction tools. If you want more pressure, increase the difficulty; the campaign listing does not give exact enemy counts for each setting, so treat the labels as broad difficulty choices rather than precise force predictions.

The campaigns also use different balance from skirmish and multiplayer. As a result, a strategy or unit impression from a multiplayer match may not translate directly into a campaign mission. Focus on the current briefing, mission objectives, and the units available in that scenario. The campaign uses specialists, described as hero-like units with special abilities, and each mission features in-engine CGI cutscenes. These details can help set expectations for the campaign format without requiring you to know anything about the multiplayer mode.

Secondary objectives are optional, but their listed benefits can influence how you approach a mission. Some may make mission progress easier, while others can provide more requisition points for the Armory. A good approach is to review the objective text and weigh the stated benefit against the extra task before deciding whether to pursue it. The sources do not specify a fixed reward for every objective, so check each mission’s own instructions rather than assuming all side objectives work the same way.

FAQ

What is the correct Tempest Rising campaign order?

Play the GDF and Tempest Dynasty campaigns in either order, then play the Veti campaign from The Veti’s Wrath. The first two stories happen in parallel; the Veti story follows them. This Tempest Rising campaign order keeps both connected base stories ahead of their follow-up.

Do I have to play the GDF campaign before the Dynasty campaign?

No. Both base campaigns are canon and occur in parallel, so you can start with either one. Playing both gives you the connected story from each faction’s perspective.

How many missions are in each Tempest Rising campaign?

The GDF campaign has 11 missions, the Tempest Dynasty campaign has 11, and The Veti’s Wrath adds an 11-mission Veti campaign.

Should I play the Veti campaign first?

For the clearest narrative sequence, play it after both base campaigns. It is a follow-up to their connected story, and the Veti also play a key part in the original campaigns.