Team Strategies

Warzone & Execution

It’s important to begin each round with a sprint forward and to the left, regardless of your spawn location. Climb the ramp to the elite weapon nearest you. The higher ground provides a good vantage point when you attack enemies on the ground, but you can also use these elite weapons to attack players on the opposite balcony. Focus your attacks on that location first. Once that threat is removed, you’re free to attack forces on the ground. Coordinate with teammates to accompany you up to the balcony to watch your back and to serve as a spotter. If you’re going for the theater balcony where the Hammer of Dawn (or Mortar) is located, your best bet is to stick close to the marquis on the corner’s apex. If you’re racing for the Longshot (or Torque Bow) atop the arcade, be sure to mantle over the divider near the weapon to gain full 360-degree cover.

With no objectives to worry about other than eliminating the opposition, you’re free to target the exploding cars in the area. This is especially true if you down a player near one of these makeshift bombs and see a teammate coming to revive him. Shoot in anticipation of the downed enemy’s teammate because it takes roughly two seconds for the tank to explode. The car’s explosion won’t necessarily kill the player, but it might be a big enough diversion to give you the upper hand. This technique can help you accumulate multiple kills quickly.

Not everyone can be the first to sprint up the stairs to the balconies. If you prefer to remain grounded or you simply get outpaced on the initial rush for weaponry, consider heading to the arcade to get the Boomshield. Combine this powerful melee-neutralizing shield with the pistol pickup in the building on your right as you head out of the spawn. The combination of arcade cabinets and the Boomshield provides a high degree of cover. You may not like the idea of camping, but this is a great place to dig in and force opponents to get up close and personal, thus giving you an advantage.

Submission

The Stranded member spawns down either of the two short side streets to the east and west, where the teams do not spawn, near the center. Regardless which side he spawns on, he’s equidistant from both teams and usually near one of the cars that can be detonated. The capture location to which you must bring the Stranded can be as close as the Boomshield or pistol locations, or as far away as the balcony atop the arcade.

Working around the Seeder hole’s perimeter in the middle of the map forces you to skirt the edges, leaving you open to attacks from ahead and behind. Have two teammates advance ahead as an escort, one with the Boomshield, while the other two guard the rear.

Send team members to one or both of the special weapon locations to provide covering fire while moving the Stranded. The path to the goal usually leads from one side of the street, around the intersection, and over to an opposite corner. The ability to pick off enemies with the advanced weaponry—especially the Hammer of Dawn—while advancing the Stranded is key. The player on the balcony should use his or her initial Smoke Grenade on the stairs to cover his or her back. Even this might not be enough, so pay attention to flanking maneuvers as you follow the action below. We recommend this tactic only for a full team of five players, as leaving just one or two players to advance the Stranded without proper aerial cover is not effective.

Wingman

Acquiring the elite weapons isn’t always necessary in Wingman because enemies must be executed, but the weaponry on this map’s balconies is capable of one-hit kills. There is only one way to access the Longshot and Hammer of Dawn combinations up on the balconies, so move to those locations together and have one teammate take the weapon while the other covers the stairwell. On their way up to the balcony, both players should set their Smoke Grenades on the stairs—spaced adequately apart—to serve as an alarm.

While using cover is always critical to success, it’s arguably even more important on Day One. Using the many cover objects—cars, arcade games, barricades, etc.—to flank opponents gives you an offensive advantage, and it keeps you hidden from those on the balconies. Exploit these features in Wingman by instructing one teammate to stay in cover and blindfire with the Lancer or Hammerburst. Meanwhile, the other teammate flanks the pinned down or distracted opponent and attacks. A great place to employ this defensive approach is inside the arcade, where the counter and the Boomshield offer substantial cover.

Guardian

The Boomshield provides a decided advantage in Guardian, and you should consider your team lucky when you spawn nearest the arcade. Have the team leader grab the Boomshield and stay behind the counter in that building with at least one teammate for protection. This gives the leader additional armor and keeps him safe from Mortar or Hammer of Dawn attacks. Be sure to use your Smoke Grenade as a proximity mine, as the arcade cabinets provide more than enough cover for attackers to get in close.

Another approach worth considering is to use the Hammer of Dawn or Mortar. When you spawn on the side of the map nearest the theater, have the team leader climb to the balcony where the Hammer of Dawn spawns. Send at least one teammate along to protect the stairwell area. The team leader can use the weapons here from cover. This is important because a skilled sniper can eliminate him with a single shot from the opposing balcony.

Annex & King of the Hill

All of the capture points are on the ground level: the two pistol locations and the Boomshield spawn. Because the Smoke Grenades that players start with are the only grenades available, all teammates should use them as proximity mines around the capture point’s perimeter once you control it. The Boomshield can be very helpful for defending the capture point because the Hammer of Dawn and the Mortar cannot reach the interior capture locations. Take the Boomshield with you as you run between the different capture points.

One can reach each of the capture locations fairly quickly, so camping out between them isn’t as crucial here as it would be on larger maps. Nevertheless, you should always be aware of the time remaining for each capture location and start moving out before time expires. There’s no telling which Annex location will be targeted next, so move to the center of the map to avoid confusion regarding which location the icon points toward.

The capture locations provide a great deal of cover from which to down opponents rushing the area. As you try to overtake enemy-controlled capture points in King of the Hill, throw a Smoke Grenade in first to take down anyone in the circle—at least one enemy has to be there for the opposing team to gain points. Then rush in for the score. The Boomshield location can be very well defended, so being the first team to secure it is vital in King of the Hill. If you’re unable to do so, fall back and regroup with the Longshot or Torque Bow, and then make a concerted push to retake it with your whole team working in unison.

On this map, the special weapons have very different applications in the territorial game modes. Both the Longshot and the Torque Bow can take out opponents inside the capture points. The Hammer of Dawn and Mortar cannot reach enemies within the capture locations due to overhead cover. These weapons can only destroy or slow down opponents as they transition from one capture point to another. Using them in this way isn’t as critical as artfully wielding a Gnasher or Lancer. So, send the teammate least skilled in run-and-gun warfare up to the theater balcony to lend this additional layer of support.

Horde

This is a challenging map on which to play Horde, but the two balconies give players an elevation advantage. They also force the Locust to funnel through a single approach (one per balcony). This map offers a lot of places to set up a defense, such as inside the arcade or at the end of a longer street. But these positions don’t offer the sweeping views of the battlefield, and they require longer runs to the heavy firepower.

Employing a crossfire-based strategy centered on using the balconies controls the flow of enemies from multiple spawn points. It also diverts the attention of the Locust. Many of the Locust spawn at the northern and southern ends of the street, while a lesser number originate from the building with the UXO banners. Regardless of where they spawn, they instantly split between pursuing teammates at the arcade and those on the balcony by the theater.

It’s important to keep your head down even when you’re on a balcony, as the Theron Guards and Boomers can arc their weapon fire over the protective railing for an instant kill, particularly during the latter waves. Similarly, the team should be in constant communication to alert one another where enemies are appearing, how close they are, as well as which ones they’re targeting. Ammo can be scarce for those manning the Mortar and Torque Bow, so it’s important that these two people don’t waste shots by targeting the same enemy. Lastly, many of the larger enemies wield a Boomshot, Boomshield, or Mulcher. Prioritize these enemies (and any others you see), divvying them up throughout your squad. Even the lowly Wretch eventually proves hard to kill with standard weaponry.

Know Your Role

The following tactics correspond to the numbered positions marked on the accompanying map. Follow these tips carefully for maximum survivability. These tips assume a five-person team.

Each of the roles discussed here is critical to your team’s success, but having a highly skilled sniper is vital. Let the person most experienced with the Longshot and Torque Bow move to the arcade balcony and set up shop near the center of the roof. Ammo isn’t abundant, so don’t waste it on lesser foes or those in a dead sprint toward your other squad mates. Instead, focus on enemies far in the distance and those that are difficult to bring down without a precise headshot or two. Strafe back and forth between the corner of the building and the divider near the weapon spawn, and drop your two standard weapons in favor of the Torque Bow and Longshot.

This player’s primary role is to serve as bodyguard for the sniper. Stick between the sniper and the stairs leading down to the street, and fire on anything that moves no matter how small it may be. This player should also call out enemy locations when possible and assist teammate #3 in defending the western side-street. Help bring down enemies from the balcony, and descend to the street only when you need to get additional ammo or revive player #3.

This person has to be a skilled close-range combatant. This player’s role is to serve as the frontline defense against the Horde ambush and to accumulate weapons and ammo from the deceased. Stick to the western side-street’s far end, and retreat up the stairs to the balcony only when necessary. This player should be able to accumulate extra grenades from fallen Locust members. Use them on the cars and on the wall adjacent the stairs leading up to the balcony to better protect the two players stationed there.

The addition of a fourth player gives the team the luxury of a comrade on the theater balcony. This person can use the Hammer of Dawn (or Mortar) to annihilate the Locust as they appear at the street’s north and south ends. Place a Smoke Grenade on the stairs to guard the balcony’s approach. Focus on groups of large enemies and avoid using this location’s elite weaponry on singular enemies.

A fifth player really turns the tables in your team’s favor by giving the Hammer of Dawn and Mortar operator much needed protection on the balcony. The fifth teammate should take up position on the stairs leading up to the theater balcony. This position allows him to protect the player on the balcony and spot enemies as they approach from down the street. Collect the weapons of the deceased littering the street and retreat to the balcony where they can be put to better use.