Maps ‣ Deathmatch ‣ Duel at Dawn
| Duel at Dawn Specs | |
|---|---|
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| Map Statistics | |
| Type: | Deathmatch |
| Size: | 1500m×1500m |
| Wind Strength: | 10 m/s from the West |
| Modes: | 2v2 |
| Related Map: | Hunt at Dawn |
| Minimap | |
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| “ | Some scores can only be settled in combat. Choose a second and meet your foes on the field of battle to duke it out once and for all. May the best team win. | ” |
—Lusse's Travels | ||
Duel at Dawn is a very small deathmatch map for 2v2 mode that was originally designed to be a 1v1 map. The same obstacles that are found on Battle on the Dunes such as The Ribs, Leviathan and a warship are present in a much smaller arena. The height ceiling is the same as that of Dunes: around 500 meters.
Both teams initially spawn in ribs in the North West and South East of the map, already in range for most long range weapons, but clouds and cover from the ribs prevent instant spots. In the center of the map is the big warship in the sand but with a possibility to go below at the South Eastern end. The Leviathan occupies the South Eastern corner of the map and ships may go around to the South East of it, through a small corridor between the Leviathan and the map border trade winds.
Layout
Blue Spawn and Northern Ribs
The blue spawn area is in the North East of the map inside ribs and just North of the Leviathan. These ribs provide a very good cover against sniping ships at any altitude and allow for quick charges and also ambushes. There are always clouds inside these ribs.
Red Spawn and Southern Ribs
The red spawn area is on the opposite side of the map in the South Western ribs with one spawn outside between the Western entrance and one end of the warship. Like the ribs on the other side of the map, the Southern ribs also provide excellent cover against incoming mid and long range fire and prevent most charges from outside. At the Eastern end there is access to the path around the Leviathan in the corner, allowing flanks on the Blue spawn from the East.
Map Center and Warship
There are a lot of clouds in the center area of the map with the big warship on the ground providing soft and hard cover. It is even possible to go below the warship (except with a Spire) at the Eastern end to attack the opposite side.
Leviathan
In the South Eastern corner is the Leviathan. It is possible to go around it at the corner of the map but the passage is quite small. It allows entry to the opposing side from the East.
Common Tactics
The map's very small size almost enforces short range engagements even though it is possible to snipe from ribs to ribs. Due to the cloud cover, equipping a Beacon Flare Gun is recommended.
Each ship has a few good brawler builds, therefore each ship can be easily utilised on this map, with one exception: due to constantly ongoing winds, the Mobula, with its low mass and big balloon profile gets pushed quite noticeably, making her bump quite often into ribs or at least giving the pilot a hard time maintaining gun arcs.
The tiny size of this map doesn't allow for complex flanks. Engagements on this map are quite often straightforward. A quite common tactic in higher level play is to rush down an enemy and camp the enemy's ribs, not allowing the opposing side to regroup and forcing a meatgrind. Game duration for this map is in general quite short.