High Ground

Beach Area

The base area has three principal points of ingress: the main gate (which may be closed at first), the bunker on the left (via the hole in the wall and the trapdoor above it), and the broken wall section on the right.

The pipe provides a direct route into the base, but is the easiest entry point for a defending team to guard.

The beach is a happy hunting ground if you favor stalking newly spawned players, but don’t forget that other combatants will be equally inclined to prey on the vulnerable.

Beware of snipers in the beach area, especially down by the water’s edge and on the upper rock ledge.

The Ghost is a particularly powerful tool for sniper suppression (though less so if the sniper is positioned on the rock ledge, of course).

When you attack the base in objective-based games, you can take advantage of the Ghost to provide an armed escort for Mongoose raiding parties. However, both Ghost and Mongoose drivers should be extremely wary in this area – it’s very easy to stick either vehicle with Spike Grenades.

If you are defending the base, consider sending a Ghost driver out to destroy the opposing team’s vehicles as they appear, and to terrorize their spawn area, hampering any attempt to organize a structured attack.

When you attack the base, securing and deploying the Grav Lift to reach the Spartan Laser spawn point or the gate controls is important, but it’s vital that you coordinate with your teammates before you place it. The defending team will aim to destroy the device immediately.

If you hear combat as you pass the Spartan Laser spawn point, you can sometimes score easy kills by throwing grenades up there. This is a tactic best suited for free-for-all games only, though – indiscriminate use of explosives will not make you particularly popular in team-based matches.

To blow open the trapdoor above the bunker, you need to either shoot at it or hit it with a grenade. In team-based games, there is a less noisy way to open it if a stealthy approach is your objective: simply drop a Bubble Shield on top of it.

In Territories games, you can temporarily prevent your opponents from using the trapdoor entrance to the bunker by dropping a Grav Lift beneath the opening, which may gift you a few valuable extra seconds. If you encounter this trick, you can try to destroy it from above, but watch out – clever players will throw a Spike Grenade at the floor to greet your imminent arrival…

With a little practice, it’s possible to climb certain trees on the hill area, walk to the end of a branch, and crouch to hide in the leaves. There are two trees in particular where this can be a fruitful tactic. The first is the tree opposite the main gateway. The cover here is reasonable, though the element of surprise is lost the moment an opponent knows you are there. The most interesting tree, however, is the one nearest to the Grav Lift spawn point (Fig. 1). If you carefully run to the end of the branch pointing in the direction of the ocean, only players with eagle eyes, outstanding luck, or remarkable prescience will be able to see you. Unfortunately, the leaves that conceal you also greatly reduce your view of the battlefield. However, a gifted sniper will appreciate the gaps in the foliage that provide views of the cave entrance, the Rocket Launcher spawn point and, to a lesser extent, the Spartan Laser spawn point.

Fig. 1

In Assault games, the team attacking the base can benefit by stopping to pick up the Bubble Shield, which can be deployed over the arming spot to protect the player with the bomb.

Base Area

You can jump from the broken wall to reach the roof above the base flag spawn point (Fig. 2). This provides an excellent view of the entrance to the pipe room, the main gate and, of course, the flag below.

The top of the missile launcher at the back of the base is also a good sniping spot, providing a clear view of the main gate.

The turret on top of the gateway enables defending teams to devastate incoming vehicles, guard the Rocket Launcher spawn point, and to encourage opposing teams to channel their attacks via the two caves, which slows them down. That said, the turret operator can be picked off with ease by a sniper. Attacking teams should make it a priority to destroy this gun emplacement immediately, and ideally turn the turret against the base occupants.

Fig. 2

If you are defending an objective point, the Power Drain is an effective way to break up concerted attacks, or to prevent your opponents from escaping with the flag in a vehicle via the main gate. Don’t waste it frivolously!

There is a small camouflaged ledge just over the wall from the Spartan Laser spawn point. It’s a good avenue of retreat in the heated battles that take place in this area (less knowledgeable players may assume you have jumped to the ground below), and is also a great position for launching surprise attacks.

Fig. 3

As every fraction of a second counts in the rush to secure the Spartan Laser in certain Game Types, base-side soldiers can reach the spawn point by jumping to it from the metal platform above the gateway.

In the room that contains the pipe exit inside the base, there are two thin metal supports that extend from the far wall. You can jump on these and use them as ambush points. The one behind and above the pipe is especially good for free-for-all games (Fig. 3) – even people entering the room may fail to notice you, and anyone emerging from the pipe will be oblivious to your presence. The other one enables you to fire (or throw grenades) at enemies as they walk through the pipe, which makes it a better choice while defending the base in objective-oriented games.

In the same room, there is another hiding spot behind the pipe. You can sometimes escape pursuing foes if you can conceal yourself here, gaining vital seconds for a shield recharge, or you can lie in wait for oblivious enemies to pass by before leaping out to strike.

Remember that anyone traveling through the pipe will be crouch-walking as they move, and therefore invisible to radar.

The Brute Shots located in the base are highly effective against the Mongoose, which makes them vital tools in CTF games. A furious, well-aimed barrage will at very least weaken (and potentially dismount) both driver and passenger, which makes it very hard for the opposing team to escape with your flag.

Quick Facts