Pilots, get ready! Your battles are about to take a new twist.
We know that every match is a test of your skill, but sometimes you want a fresh challenge. We’re very excited to introduce two new maps that feature brand new underwater combat!
Combat changes in the fathoms below
The dev team is so excited to finally introduce this new style of play, as they worked long and hard on making the gameplay fun but still challenging, as an underwater battle should be!
Don’t worry, you won’t have to learn an all-new set of controls- all your time in your favorite Mobile Suit is not wasted. But Mobile Suits function differently in water, so let’s dive on in!
Keeping things cool
Perhaps the most strategic and advantageous reason to dive in and take your combat underwater is to take advantage of the cooling to your thrusters. When underwater, all Mobile Suits will have:
- Increased recovery rate when your thrusters overheat
- Decreased consumption rate for your thrusters
- Increased recovery rate when your beam weapon overheats
- Decreased acceleration
Pilots can use this great equalizer of water to avoid overheating when they take their battle under the waves.Â
Made for the waves
Our players will be familiar with the fact that some Mobile Suits are suited for either ground combat or taking the battle into space. With the introduction of combat underwater, we want to highlight the Mobile Suits that are best suited for the underwater combat: Acguy, Agguguy, Juaggu, Z’Gok, Z’Gok E, Zogok, Hy-Gogg, Gogg, Zock, Ram Z’Gok!Â
These Mobile Suits will have a few advantages if they draw their enemies to the water:
- Will be able to dash while jumping in
- Will be able to dash fire while underwater
- Dash speed, movement speed, turning speed will be slightly faster and you’ll find you’re a little more buoyant (lighter!)
Why you may want to stay out of the water
Of course with bonuses, comes limitations! So you’ll always have to choose your Mobile Suit and decisions in battle carefully.
All Mobile Suits will find it harder to see an enemy Mobile Suit in the water when they are on solid ground as their radar range will not extend as far. For Mobile Suits that aren’t meant for underwater combat, radar range will also be reduced while fighting under the waves. This reduction in radar range means you shouldn’t rely simply on radar but keep your eyes on the horizon as well to prevent enemies from stealthing their way to you for an attack!
A couple weapons will also not work when submerged, perhaps unsurprisingly the flamethrower or Smoke Discharger!
Port Base (High Tide)
This is a variation on the Port Base map, with flooded areas. For those wanting to dip their toe into water combat, try Port Base (High Tide) first!Â
With all the water in this map, players will find limited visibility and even more limited radar range. Water makes stealthing extremely powerful, as it is undetectable above water. Make sure to share health bars with your allies using the Observational Data Link (and look out for Jamming), otherwise with reduced visibility, your allies may go down from a stealthed enemy with you none the wiser!
Take me somewhere that’s green
We’ve moved off the base and into the Jungle! It’s a new lush visual experience, with new gameplay mechanics and styles to consider.
In the new map Jungle, there are many trees that obscure visibility. While you’ll still be able to move (and shoot) through, you’ll find that it will be more difficult to scope and track your enemies from afar. But they provide great coverage! Keep an eye for the perfect area that hides you and allows for perfect sniping.
In the spirit of our new underwater combat, the Jungle also features a river that flows through the center of the map and can take you straight to your opponent’s base on shore or below the water line! The bases are 1.2 km apart which eagle-eyed players will note is wider than the mountainous area. Players will also notice that the water in the Jungle map is much murkier, much more so than Port Base (High Tide). With such poor visibility to hide you, jumping into the river will lend itself to surprise attacks. The steep walls are difficult for a pilot on foot, but with thrusters, you’ll be able to scale those steep walls no problem. Lie in wait in the water and then use your thrusters to initiate surprise ground combat!
The area around relay points E and F is likely to become the main battlefield, as it is relatively flat and open. But keep in mind the river that flows through the center of the map, so taking the plunge will be key to cutting line of sight.Â
And be careful as you tread into opponent territory and keep your head low if you are in line of sight for relay points C and D, which are small hills with thick vegetation. These are prime sniper locations because the line of sight runs inward to the center.
The dev team is excited to make the underwater combat not just a new challenge but a strategic benefit for players. In their eyes, the benefits outweigh the challenges that come with diving under the waves, so encourage everyone to jump in!
