Here comes another guide by our friends at War Robots University. Be sure to check them out if you're looking for more!

By Professors Werdna and Yat

In the newest War Robots game mode, pilots will notice several striking differences from Domination and Beacon Rush. The most fundamental — teams fill their own beacon bar, instead of draining the enemy team's. On the field of battle, only one beacon is active at a time, resulting in furious skirmishes for control.

At War Robots University, we have tested the new mode and are prepared to offer the following recommendations for a successful play in King of the Hill:

Understand capture points and the order of beacons

Decide whether to contest the active beacon

If you decide not to contest, intercept the enemy or traverse to the next beacon!

Capture points

In King of the Hill, it takes 1000 “capture points” to win the match. These points are stored in the active beacon and can be awarded only to the team in possession of the beacon. The points go unclaimed if the beacon remains neutral.

Each beacon offers 200 points. They fall to zero in just over 3 minutes if they remain neutral. Once a beacon is captured, it will take 1 minute 35 seconds to drain. If additional robots on the team in possession enter the capture area, those pilots receive points as well, and the transfer speeds up.

Gathering capture points is important for individual pilots in King of the Hill, since the end-of-match rankings and rewards are given for capture points instead of damage. Capturing the most beacons also provides five gold as an award, like Beacon Rush and Domination modes.

Capture points — not damage — rank the pilots in King of the Hill!

Contesting the active beacon

The first fight in KOTH always occurs at the center beacon. Subsequent beacons will be lit basically in the order TEAM A SIDE — TEAM B SIDE — TEAM A SPAWN — TEAM B SPAWN. The next beacon to illuminate will have a faint smoke plume reaching the sky. It’s decision time — will you contestor not?

Beacon cappers are important in King of the Hill, so don’t rush into no man’s land if your opponents will immediately scrap your bot and claim the beacon anyway. Taking stock of the enemy, decide whether your robot is best used here or elsewhere. You may wait for this beacon to be safer, or to head toward the next beacon — remember that faint plume in the sky. Use any available cover — KOTH, like Team Deathmatch, has extra shielding around many beacons.

If you are piloting a heavy robot, your team may need you to hold the territory or dislodge the enemy. By arriving after the cappers, brawlers and close support builds can claim the advantage of defensive positions around the beacon. They can clear off enemies that attempt to steal the beacon or break the defense in order to reclaim the beacon. Sometimes holding defensive positions around a red beacon will still allow you to “bleed” the enemy, destroying or crippling them and making the skirmish very costly.

If the enemy does not contest a beacon, consider heading to the next beacon before the current one is completely empty. The team that arrives first has a defensive advantage and forces their enemy to approach. If you are not contesting the current beacon, we recommend choosing between traversingto the next one or intercepting the enemy team as they move.

Traverse

One option for a pilot who is not directly involved in the fight at the active beacon is moving toward the next. Look around for the faded plume of the next beacon, and traverse toward it. Are faster robots already heading there? Is it adjacent to the opponent’s spawn point? What cover can you utilize? Choosing not to contest again starts you on a slippery slope of letting the enemy have all the beacons!

Having decided not to contest, Vityaz is on a traverse toward the next active beacon...

... where he can gather all the capture points for his team ...

… and intercept the enemy as they move toward the next beacon in the sequence!

Intercept

Do you ever spawn a Trident Fury in Beacon Rush mode to smash enemies as they appear? If so, you might intercept the other team as they head to a beacon they intend to contest.

Making sure that any beacons deep in your territory won’t be left neutral, and take position for better vantages over each beacon or the travel lanes to the next one for maximum effect.

Some pilots are so focused on racing their allies to beacons that they fail to see the battlefield. These tunnel-visioned targets can be brought down either by waiting at the next beacon with burst weapons or by gunning them down from afar with bullets.

Set yourself up around a corner on the path to the beacon, or head further out and stop approaching enemies even earlier. If they have to take a different route, take greater risks, and/or lose robots because of you, then you’re doing your job well.

A Punisher Fujin gathering capture points and contemplating a target rich environment!

General Advice

Don’t waste time at a beacon that has two or more allies if there are no incoming enemies, especially if this is early in the match. If too much of the team dedicates itself to a single area, your opponents can control the battlefield.

As always, mind your team’s robots and equipment, keeping balance between speed, durability, and firepower.

Don’t get caught in an ambush while dashing headlong into the next beacon! The skirmishes in King of the Hill usually occur at the active beacon, but some (smart) enemies will be watching your movements and planning to intercept you.

Utilize weapons with splash damage. Because of the shields providing cover from line-of-sight weapons, pilots tend to cluster in the small space around beacons. Catch them — but don’t get caught!

Finally, we’ve provided an example video of a battle in King of the Hill mode. Enjoy responsibly!