War Zones: Control Points

Feb.18.2018 BY KIXEYE_Chris

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The update we brought to the War Zones in January set the framework for Control Points, and now with Control Points in place, alliance gameplay can truly grow to full force. Let’s dive into these changes and explore what they mean for War Zones gameplay.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

Control Points are PvE targets within each Contestable Zone Area.

Defeating these PvE targets multiple times results in a declaration of war between the current owner of the Control Point and the alliance that’s attempting to take it over.

The winning alliance owns the CP, and is the only alliance that will receive the benefit of occupying its ZA.

ATTACKING CONTROL POINTS

If there is a Contestable Zone Area that your alliance has decided it wants to take over, the first thing your alliance needs to do is arm itself and defeat the Control Point.

When your alliance achieves at least one victory against the CP, it will change to its “Under Attack” phase.

The Under Attack timer lasts for 20 minutes, so get your victories in before that timer runs out. Additionally, note that the amount of victories you need against a Control Point can vary, but most will require around 25 victories. Much like a Stronghold, Control Points can be attacked at the same time by multiple members of an alliance.

Once the CPs Victory meter fills up completely, the CP changes to its “War” phase.

Once the CP reaches its “War” state, the real battle begins!

ALLIANCE CAGEMATCH

A CP moving into its “War” state triggers a 1v1 Alliance War between the alliance that already occupies the Control Point and the alliance that declared war on the CP. No one else can attack these alliances within the ZA while its War is underway. So, once a war is on, it should be the only focus of your alliance.

The war lasts for 8 hours.

The objective of the defending alliance is to shift every single attacking alliance member’s HQ out of the contested Zone Area.

The objective of the attacking alliance is to have at least 1 eligible alliance member’s HQ still in the Zone Area when the timer expires.

If the defending alliance has accomplished their objective, they retain ownership of their CP and its Buffs. They are the winners!

However, if the attacking alliance still has at least one HQ in the Zone Area when the War timer expires, the alliance war enters Sudden Death.

SUDDEN DEATH

During Sudden Death, when an HQ is shifted out of the ZA, that player is no longer eligible for the attacking alliance’s win condition, even if they jump back into the ZA. In the Sudden Death phase, when you’re out, you’re out.

Sudden Death lasts for 30 minutes. Once it ends, whichever Alliance has accomplished their primary objective is declared the winner, owns the CP, owns the Contestable Zone Area, and is the only alliance that receives the CP Buff when they occupy that territory.

SECURED

Following the War/Sudden Death phase, the Control Point becomes “Secured”. During the Secured state, a Control Point cannot be attacked. This gives alliances time to regroup following a war.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

If you fail to successfully take over a territory as the attacker, you cannot attack that Control Point again for 7 days. If you fail to successfully retain a territory as the defender, you cannot attack that Control Point again for 14 days.

Alliances must have at least 25 members to take on a Control Point.

Alliances must be at least 3 days old to take on a Control Point.

A player needs to have been in an Alliance for at least 3 days before they can attack a Control Point on behalf of the alliance.

An alliance can own a total of 2 Control Points at a time, though this number will likely grow later on. However, much like FOBs, there is a maximum amount of each CP level you can own. Example: An alliance can own one CC4 Control Point and one CC5 Control Point, it cannot own two CC4 Control Points. This cap is higher at higher level CPs.

HQ Shifting cooldowns now only happen in Control Point Wars, their length changes based on how much time is left in the War, and only apply to the defending alliance. The invading alliance can jump back into the ZA as soon as they’re kicked out, if they choose.

This new form of War Zones gameplay in which alliances compete for CPs provides clear start and end conditions for alliance warfare, as well as clear benefits for territory control.

Tune in tomorrow for an update on what benefits your alliance can receive for owning these territories.