Isle of the Dead

Layout

The Isle of the Dead features tightly enclosed corridors and a large, open middle area. The bases are adjacent to each other, making it possible to see members of the opposing team before the match actually begins. The defenders start in the southern base and the attackers are on the northern side. The flag stand is located far to the east in the central room, on the opposite side of the tar from the bases. Each base has two gates: an inner gate which opens directly out to the main level, and an outer gate that can lead both down to the main level or across a bridge directly to the enemy base.

Features

- Crypt theme, looks like the Catacombs in Pre-Searing Ascalon.
- Simple pathing between bases
- Tar pool around flag stand, causing slowdown.

NPCs

Both teams start with several NPCs.This includes some archers at the gate and doors. It can be a hard fight at the enemy guild lord, but with a strong build you might be able to get through.

Strategy

The area around the flag stand is reasonably large and is made even more so by the slowing tar. Getting pushed back from the flag stand makes the job for the flag runner almost impossible to fulfill, so usually retreats are only staged if absolutely necessary. The guild halls do not feature gates, therefore it is very hard to protect outer NPCs, however the guild lord area is more defensible and the lack of catapults makes it easier for a team that has been pushed back to turn the tide.
The central area also features several bridges that can be used to shoot at enemies from above (or heal team mates from a safe position) as well as a quicker access to the opponents guild hall.
A giant lake of tar surrounds the flag stand on the Isle of the Dead. Because tar slows movement by 30%, losing the battle over the flag stand makes it difficult for a team's flag runner to recapture the stand in time to prevent an enemy morale boost. Some popular tactics for this map include shifting the fight away from the tar to isolate the flag runners, or fighting beneath the bridges that span the tar and positioning casters on the bridges, where they can move around without the speed reduction. A player standing on the inner edge of one bridge can cast a spell on someone standing directly opposite on the inner edge of the other bridge.

Isle of the Dead