Disturbingly rude, headset-wearing preadolescents who don’t understand the difference between camping and simply cowering in a corner can really wear on your self-esteem when you’re just learning fresh maps. It’s hard to avoid playing the role of a bullet sponge as you painstakingly discover where all best perches and choke points are. That’s why we’re here to help you bypass all that trial and error and get down with the pwnage as quickly as possible.
It should be said before we get started that working as a team basically trumps any other kind of tactic on any map. But as anyone who’s seen a team of eight dash off in eight different directions at the start of a match can tell you, coordination with anyone other than your close friends is a lost cause.
Convoy
Map Tour
Convoy features a collapsed highway running over another section of road and some surrounding properties including a gas station and motel. It’s a fairly small map with relatively few extended sightlines, therefore short to mid range weapons work best. There are also lots of places to hide and take cover, so make sure to check your corners when moving around the outside edges of the map.
Be careful when rushing the bridge at the start of matches. As you might expect, many players will blindly throw grenades over to your side during the first few moments of play. Try not to be goaded into lobbing your own ‘nades in return and instead wait until you can actually see your targets on the other side.
Above: Isn’t it a tad dangerous to shoot guns and throw grenades around a gigantic missile?
The bridge is at the center of the map, and most of the match will be spent fighting for control of one or both sides of it. If you do wrestle control, make sure to keep an eye on the entrances at the middle on either side, as well as the gaping hole in the middle.
Above: Taking zero tolerance seatbelt laws to a whole new level
The high walkways above each end of the bridge are prime sniper/camper nests. Always look up here before sprinting across the bridge (which you shouldn’t do very often) and don’t be afraid to chuck grenades up there when approaching from behind.
Alternatively, if you can hold one of these walkways with a friend or two you’ll be doing your team a big favor by picking off those foolish enough to wander onto the bridge. Keeping an eye out in the direction opposite the bridge is just as valuable a tactic (if not more so) since those areas have higher traffic.
Above: That’ll teach you to use a van for cover
You can blow up vehicles like this one to cause some nice area damage.
The second floor of the motel is a great perch. From here you can take out players climbing the ladder that leads to the walkway above the bridge. Though you’re fairly exposed on the balcony, the door and the stairs that lead up here are relatively easy to guard, especially with a teammate or two.
Having an RPG, M72, or grenade launcher as part of your loadout comes in handy for clearing out the perches above the bridge, especially at the start of matches.
Hotel
Map Tour
Set on the roof of a sky-high luxury hotel and casino, Hotel has it all - maintenance rooms, lavatories, long corridors, open areas, and sniper perches. Your loadout will vary depending on what you plan to do, which will probably change as the match progresses given how big the map is.
Above: This is just plain mean
This office up here is perhaps the most coveted area since it provides a great view of the map and because it’s easier to defend than the perch on the opposite end. The narrow hallways that lead to it are perfect for bottlenecking and claymore traps. For you snipers out there, you should make the balcony to the left and the opposite window your top priority when peering out.
One underutilized strategy is to place a tactical insertion in the corner of the perches zones or somewhere close by. That way when the opposing team storms the room and cuts you down, you can spawn a few moments later and knife everyone in the back.
A great way to counter players sniping from the windows is to flank around the side of the map and throw a grenade in from underneath.
Above: No diving!
The pool may look inviting, but going anywhere near it or the surrounding central area is a bad idea. It’s a classic n00b farm, and you’ll likely get shot from a thousand different angles if you decide to go for a swim.
Like many other maps, you can basically do laps around the outside paths to avoid the frontlines. Unfortunately most of the pathways on Hotel are very long, so be prepared for any enemies coming around the distant corners. They’ll have the advantage if you’re not ready, since they can simply turn back whereas you may have nowhere to hide.
The casino is a very colorful and almost disorienting place. As a result it can be hard to spot enemies lying in wait. Like this idiot.
Have some fun with the elevators. Send them up or down empty while you flank via the stairs, put a claymore inside for a nasty surprise, or ride them in a cloud of your own smoke for a confusing ambush.
Stockpile
Map Tour
Stockpile is set at the site of a secret WMD facility disguised as a barn. It’s a circular map with long sightlines around the edges, but the central building is a different story. With its many entrances on different levels and numerous small rooms, this building will be the site of a lot of close quarters killing.
Above: Don’t be this guy
These doors can be open and shut from either side, but be aware that doing so is a slow and noisy endeavor. If you are holding out inside this building, try and keep it shut. Just be careful - the doors close with enough force to kill.
This house is a great place to hold up in. From the second floor, you can see a good portion of the map and pick off players who are trying to enter the central building. There’s even a section of the balcony fencing missing where you can go prone. Just be aware that there are stairs along the side of the house in addition to the ones inside.
The missile room in the central building is a high traffic area with loads of entrances at multiple heights. This makes it an extremely dangerous place, so be very careful when entering by yourself.
This little alley area here is a great place to stake out and pick off players going in and out of the hole in the side of the central building.
Be careful running around the border of the map. The small buildings around the edges are spaced pretty far apart, and any time you spend out in the open you’re vulnerable.
Zoo
Map Tour
This abandoned Zoo isn’t quite as festive as it used to be. All the animals are gone, and the monorail that runs around the map is partially destroyed. The drab environment can make spotting enemies particularly difficult, so make sure to be extra vigilant with your scans before moving through an area.
Keep out of this central plaza area. This is where the bad players get killed by the good players.
Above: Tactics like these are only good for a kill or two before you need to change positions
This place isn’t exactly a colorful place anymore. Going prone among all the grays, browns, and greens is a particularly effective tactic - especially for ghosts using suppressors.
Above: Don’t send more time than you have to doing this
There are two monorail stations that are high up and serve as great vantage points. They are connected by the track, but running along said track greatly exposes you during team deathmatch. In Domination though, it can serve as a nice shortcut to the other end of the map.
This animal pen features a passage that takes you right to the map’s central plaza. This can be a great way to sneak into the B objective area in Domination.
Controlling the central area from above can be the key to victory in any game mode. Perching up in the buildings and shooting from the windows is your best bet, and keeping your eye on the doors leading into the plaza below is a good way to rack up kills - especially during Domination.
Above: Random attacks from escaped bears would make this map 200% better
The top of the bear pen is a good perch, but the very wide ramp leading up to it means you may have trouble watching your back with a single claymore
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