Skydock is what it says, a massive orbital docking station. The map takes you in and out of the SDF destroyer Cydonia, and onto parts of the docking station it’s attached to.
Skydock is largely symmetrical, with three distinct lanes crisscrossing through the center.
Other than connectivity at the edges, the lanes don’t cross over, so if you’re facing down enemies at the other end, you generally don’t have to worry about being flanked frequently unless you have no coverage at all in the other lanes.
The center of the map connects all three lanes. Expect heavy traffic, even more than on most levels, as it’s the only way to move between them.
Defense
In objective modes , playing defense wins matches. In deathmatch modes , playing defensively is more likely to net you a positive k/d ratio than aggressively pushing unless you are already quite skilled.
Note that playing defense isn’t full-time camping, at least not usually. There are relatively few areas where you have such perfect line of sight and easy reads on incoming enemies that you can simply sit in one location and rack up kills while covering an area.
Even if you do manage to find an easily defended position, if you stay there long enough, you’re guaranteed to annoy someone on the enemy team enough that they intentionally seek you out with a sniper rifle or grenades.
Defensive play is also an easier (far easier!) method of earning high end scorestreaks than playing aggressively. In most cases, you want to use a flexible mid-range weapon, often an AR, but LMGs or snipers can be extremely effective on some maps and modes . If you’re using an LMG or sniper (or your AR is customized for long range combat ), bring a pistol to give yourself a fighting chance against SMG or shotgun rushers. The modular AR and sniper can also be used in this manner to some effect.
It’s still quite possible to play defensively with an SMG or shotgun, but it’s map and mode dependent (i.e., covering Hardpoints physically, or defending a bomb site at short range). In general, playing short range is more dangerous than mid to long, simply because there’s a good number of weapons that can’t effectively compete against you when you’re at a distance.
Once you have the right loadout, you should defend an area and think zone defense. Pick an area or an objective on the map and make it yours. Anyone who comes into the area should be in your line of sight, or you should be able to hear or otherwise detect them and act to eliminate them swiftly.
While defending your area, move around often. Don’t stay behind the same piece of cover (and don’t go sticking your gun out of windows, back up!). By constantly shifting your position, you have an edge against anyone going for a revenge kill.
Even if they know you’re likely to be defending the same spot, you can make yourself a tougher target if you aren’t in the exact same position. And remember to think during a match. Many players run to their death against your covered line of sight repeatedly before they wise up—if they ever do!
Finally, remember that playing offense or defense for an entire match isn’t necessary (or even always a good idea). Play the role that suits your mood, your skills, and the current situation on the map. Sometimes that means aggressively pushing the enemy spawn. Other times it means reactively defending an area. Being flexible and aware enough to play the role that’s most useful for the current situation makes you a better player all around.
