10. Bank
https://youtu.be/jAO7ItPsi_U?si=h8KzW50N98xkqmFg&t=79
Bank used to generally favor attackers, but because of its relatively recent rework, it now favors defenders more. Now, attackers cannot snipe defenders on the second floor anymore by going on the rooftop of a nearby parking lot. Sure, there’s still a spot on the map’s western side that snipers can use, but they would have to rappel. Doing so would make them vulnerable to defenders on the Loan room or even from the third floor if the defender has good long-range capabilities like Rook or Kaid, especially since it’s easier now where to expect the sniper.
When the objective spot is on the second floor, attackers can harass the defenders on the CEO Office from the windows, but they can easily be countered by a roamer on the ATMs. For its second best objective spot which is the basement, attackers pushing from the tunnel can easily be held back by a defender on the back server area if they’re supported by anti-projectile utilities from Jager or Wamai. Even when the attackers manage to get through and occupy the Servers area, they can be countered by a defender manning the hatch on the Lower Skylight area.
Why Bank is Great for Defenders:
- The recent rework on the map made it so that attackers can’t snipe anymore from a nearby building. Now, from the west area of the map, they can only effectively snipe from one spot and through by rappelling.
- The attackers harassing the defenders on the CEO Office through rappelling by its windows can easily get countered by a roamer on the ATMs as that area has a clear view of the outside of the CEO Office
- Most of the time, attackers will try to push through the Tunnel, but it’s a choke point and can easily be held even by one defender if they’re supported by anti-projectile utilities like Jager or Wamai’s special gadget
- The basement objective spot will also be easier to defend when a defender is manning the open hatch on the Lower Skylight area because that’s very effective for countering attackers who manages to push through the Tunnel
9. Chalet
https://youtu.be/RPFDmLimRq4?si=KcC2nQImBWF-33ZN&t=86
Chalet has been reworked to make it more balanced like the Bank map above, and it now generally favors the defenders, especially when they have the right team setup. Most of the time, the defenders will pick the Office and Bedroom as their objective, and for good reason. That’s because if they manage to prevent the attackers from breaching the walls on the ‘halfwall’ area, they’ll be able to force attackers to go through choke points like the door on the Office from the balcony, the entrance from the Library Hall, and the stairs on the Solarium.
All three areas would be very hard to attack because attackers will be forced to go through tight angles. As for the basement objective spot, the first thought of many would probably be that it’s an attacker spot, because it has an external wall and it’s very vulnerable to vertical attacks. However, defending roamers can easily counter vertical attackers from the second floor, and the basement’s external wall is one of the easiest to prevent from being breached if the defending team’s setup is right. Even if the attackers manage to breach it, there are a lot of covers for the defenders to use for preventing the attackers from pushing and planting.
Why Chalet is Great for Defenders:
- If the defenders are able to prevent attackers from breaching the wall of the ‘halfwall’ spot on the CEO Office, it’ll force attackers to push through choke points like the Library Hall, door from the balcony, and Solarium stairs, which is very hard to do.
- While there’s a large wooden floor above the basement objective spot, vertical attackers are very vulnerable to defending roamers who will use the second floor to harass and frag them.
- The external wall on the basement is one of the easiest walls to prevent from being breached with the use of Kaid and Bandit tricks, especially if they’re supported by anti-projectile operators.
- Even if the external wall of the basement is breached, there’s plenty of cover and flanking spots that defenders can utilize to prevent the attackers from pushing and planting the defuser.
8. Favela
https://youtu.be/2a0yH3HboSU?si=1zbcuqf6yBpvMBk7&t=135
Favela is another map that has been reworked and thanks to that, it’s now playable on ranked matches. The first version of Favela very heavily favored the attackers because there were an abnormal number of external walls in the map. The new version changes that, and now, the number of external walls per objective spot is more or less the same as most maps. There are still external vantage points that attackers can use to camp and wait for defenders to come into their view, but it’s also very risky for them because they could be wasting a lot of time there, especially since the view of the inside that they can get is very small.
The main thing that makes Favela a map that generally favors defenders is that inside the mission building, there are so many covers. This allows the defenders to ambush the attackers more effectively and hide afterwards. There are so many objects inside mission building that attackers will have to look out for, and that’s to their disadvantage. Another thing is that it has a lot of soft walls inside, and the defenders can rework them to create more lines of sight for peeking and ambushing incoming attackers.
Why Favela is Great for Defenders:
- Unlike the first version of the map, the Favela now doesn’t have so many external walls, and the external walls on the objective spots on the top floor are choke points so they’re easy to defend.
- There are so many objects and general items inside the map which the defenders can use as cover and hiding spots, and that makes it easier for them to ambush the attackers.
- There’s an abundance of soft walls inside the mission building and defenders can rework those walls to create more lines of sight that they can use to peek and frag incoming attackers.
7. Skyscraper
https://youtu.be/LfE41dpYQ_8?si=YMVws-akgQpM4odZ&t=63
Skyscraper is one of the most fun to defend because its objective spots allow for a lot of creative setups. Its most defensible objective spot, the Karaoke and Tea rooms, can have as many as three rotation holes, which allows the defenders to respond better to the attackers. One of those rotation holes connect the Karaoke to the Geisha room which is an area that is important to defend so that attackers won’t be able to take control of the Karaoke. The thing is, Geisha can easily be held as long as there’s support from anti-grenade operators.
Even if the attackers manage to vault through the window of Geisha, they’re susceptible to being peeked and fragged by a defender through the soft wall on the ‘drum box’. As for its second best objective spot, the Office and Expo, it has an external wall and it can be challenging when it’s breached, however, a good defender behind the bomb on the Office can hold off the attackers on the balcony. The Display area is also pretty easy to defend because it’s a choke point. A well-placed kill hole on the wall between the Office and Expo can easily hold off attackers outside the window on Display, as well as those who are pushing through the stairs.
Why Skyscraper is Great for Defenders:
- Its objective spots allow for a lot of creative map setups, and this is one of the maps where it’s much easier for defenders to really utilize their rotation holes.
- The reworked Skyscraper is quite big and it has three stairs, so it’s harder for the attackers to watch their flanks as there are many paths where defending roamers and flankers can appear.
- The Karaoke and Tea objective spot is quite easy to defend with proper rotation holes and anti-projectile gadgets, and most of the time, if defenders prevent attackers from taking control of Geisha, they’ll win.
- The Office and Expo objective spot has an external wall, but even when it’s breached, a single defender behind the bomb on the Office can hold off attackers on the balcony as long as they’re supported by anti-projectile gadgets from Wamai or Jager.
6. Stadium
https://youtu.be/PEzbz_QX_IM?si=ruWaPLESOChVZrUo&t=91
Stadium is another very fun map to defend. Right off the bat, the defenders have a clear advantage because through its large external bulletproof glass windows, they’ll be able to see attackers outside, so unlike in most maps, it’ll be easier for them to predict where the attackers will be pushing from. Both of the objective spots on its second floor are the defender favorites because even with only one anti-projectile operator like Wamai or Jager, they can be defended quite easily.
Another big reason why Stadium is great for defenders is because of its sheer size. It’s one of the widest maps in Siege and that makes it a great map for roamers like Vigil, Caveira, and Ela, because they’ll have more hiding spots. Speaking of hiding spots, like Favela in one of the entries above, the inside of the mission building has a lot of covers which defenders can take advantage of as they’ll really help them when it comes to holding off pushing attackers.
Why Stadium is Great for Defenders:
- A large part of it is made of bulletproof glass so the defenders will be able to see attackers outside, and that will be a huge help for them in predicting where the attackers will be pushing.
- The Armory has an external wall and is basically a replica of the Armory of border, but even if that wall is breached, it can be easy for defenders to hold it because there’s a lot of cover inside.
- The Bedroom and VIP areas are quite easy to defend, especially as they don’t have any external walls, so defenders will only have to worry about attackers going through doorways and windows.
5. Lair
https://youtu.be/wurGNo7a9zE?si=IItmEZjnq0I47zD4&t=73
Lair is the newest map in Siege. It is appropriately named because it’s the main base of operations of Deimos, the antagonist in Siege’s current narrative. That is why it has a very militaristic aesthetic. Lair is one of the most complex maps in Siege and it can be quite hard to familiarize yourself with it unlike maps like Border or Coastline. Of course, that goes for both attackers and defenders, but because defenders spawn right inside the map, have the time to set themselves, the area, and their gadgets during the prep phase, they’d have the advantage, especially in the first few weeks of map.
Right off the bat, there’s a spawn peek angle that defenders can utilize to frag unsuspecting attackers coming from the Lift Exit going to the rooftop. Inside the map, defenders who have set themselves up on the Mezzanine area have a great vantage point on attackers coming in from the Main Stairs and Reception. The 1F Briefing Room and Bunks have an external wall, but even when attackers breach it, the defenders have a lot of cover to repel their attack. Inside the map, especially the top floor, there are a lot of soft walls that defenders can use to set up lines of sight to frag incoming attackers. Overall, especially since it’s a wide map, it generally favors the defenders, especially roamers.
Why Lair is Great for Defenders:
- The top floor especially has a lot of soft walls, and defenders can use those soft walls to create more lines of sight for fragging incoming attackers.
- It’s one of the most complex maps in Siege, and since it’s a new map, defenders will have a clear advantage over the attackers, at least for the first few weeks of the map.
- The Main Stairs and Reception area is a prime hunting grounds for the defenders who have set themselves up on the Mezzanine area as it has a great vantage point.
- Most angles inside the mission building are wide, and that makes it great for camping defenders as they’ll be able to see incoming attackers well. There’s also not a lot of cover on hallways.
4. Outback
https://youtu.be/EjADXcaRrOY?si=SzplTm1vnyBdKrR2&t=89
Outback lacks verticality but it’s quite wide. It has a lot of wide angles and wide angles inside the mission building is generally not good for the attackers as it makes them easier to see. Theoretically that applies to the defenders too, but they have the advantage as they can set themselves up in the map and wait for the incoming attackers. The usual first choice for the defenders as their objective spot is the Laundry and Piano room, and they’re quite easy to defend despite the Dorms room adjacent to the Laundry having an external wall.
That’s because even if the external wall on the Dorms room is destroyed, the attackers would still not be able to directly enter the objective spot. Attackers attempting to push through the breach will have to contend with defenders holding the bathroom angle as well as the door on the Dorm beside the stairs. The second best objective spot, the Party Room and Office is quite similar in that the external wall near it is still not directly linked to the objective spot, so even when the attackers breach it, they’ll still have to contend with the defenders from many angles. In the case of the Office Supplies area, defenders can frag them from three different angles.
Why Outback is Great for Defenders:
- Its usual first pick for the objective spot, the Piano Room and Laundry is quite easy to defend as the external wall near it is not directly connected to the objective spot, so even if it’s breached, attackers can still quite easily hold the objective spot.
- The inside of the mission building has a lot of wide angles and that generally favors the defenders as it makes incoming attackers easier to spot while defenders can set up their ambush spot beforehand.
- The Party Room and Office objective spot also has an external wall that is not directly linked to the objective spot, so even if the attackers breach it, they’ll still have to take control of the first area which is the Office Supplies.
- The mission building has an abundance of soft walls that defenders can use for fragging incoming attackers through murder holes or lines of sight that they created by destroying portions of the wall.
3. Fortress
https://youtu.be/ndh8-JAxg98?si=3YRHeBFirllLv-8-&t=24
Fortress is another map that has a lot of wide angles inside the mission building, and as explained above in the Outback entry, wide angles generally favors the defenders as they make operators easier to see. That’s a disadvantage to the attackers because they’re the ones that will be incoming while the defenders can set themselves up with their ambush spots in anticipation of an incoming attacker. On top of that, Fortress is a map that has a lot of cover for the attackers, is pretty wide, and has a lot of flanking spots.
The abundance of ways to go up or down allows defending roamers to be more effective as it makes it harder for the attackers to anticipate where they’d be coming from. Another big reason why this map generally favors the defenders is that all of its objective spots do not have an external wall. That means that attackers can’t just breach a wall on the objective spot and have the convenience of shooting the defenders from the outside. Its objective spot on the lower floor is also not that vulnerable to vertical attacks.
Why Fortress is Great for Defenders:
- The inside of the mission building is full of wide angles and that’s generally a disadvantage to the attackers as it makes them easier to see while the defenders can set themselves up with ambush spots.
- All of its objective spots do not have an external wall, so even if attackers breach an external wall near the objective spot, they’ll still have to take control of other areas before the objective spot.
- There are a lot of ways to go down or up and that’s an advantage for defending roamer as it makes it more difficult for the attackers to anticipate where they’d be flanking from.
- Compared to other maps, the objective spots on the lower floor of Fortress aren’t that vulnerable to vertical plays, and attackers attempting to do it can easily be countered by defending roamers.
2. Emerald Plains
https://youtu.be/eW5j71qb3dQ?si=7ig5csLa7MfW0l0Z&t=68
The usual first pick for the defenders is the CEO Office and the Administration room, and while the Administration room has an external wall, it’s still very defensible. That’s because to breach that external wall, the attackers will be forced to put themselves in a choke point from the balcony. Because of that, they won’t have much room to move even if they breach it. Attackers trying to push that wall are very vulnerable to getting mowed down by suppressive fire especially if the defenders have control on the hallway above the stairs.
The CEO Office on the other hand is also easy to defend. Most attackers will try the window behind the desk but that can easily be held by a defender behind the bomb. There’s also a huge wall between the CEO and the Meeting room that defenders can use for murder holes. As for the Painting and Ceramic Gallery, there’s also an external wall on its Vault, but all the defenders have to do is to destroy a large portion of the soft wall beside the Vault and they’ll be able to shoot attackers from different angles in case they breach the external wall.
Why Emerald Plains is Great for Defenders:
- If the attackers want to breach the external wall on the Administration room, they’ll be forced into a choke point, and oftentimes, breaching that wall and pushing through it is not a really good idea for the attackers.
- The CEO Office can easily be held by a defender behind the cover of the bomb, and other defenders can use the wall between the CEO Office and the Meeting room to create murder holes.
- The map is also wide and offers a lot of cover for the defenders. There are also vantage points where defenders can easily peek at attackers from above.
- Like Fortress above, even if the defenders pick the objective spots on the lower floor, they won’t have to worry much about vertical plays except for the hatches, so if they have a Kaid, they’ll be more protected.
1. Nighthaven Labs
https://youtu.be/rryzKpBZD64?si=eVazMpj2lzPuqOZ3&t=105
Nighthaven Labs has a lot of verticality, and that’s great for defenders because it offers them a lot of vantage points that they can use for peeking attackers that are coming from a lower floor. Most prominent of those vantage points is the platform on the Warehouse. The most defensible objective spot in Nighthaven Labs is the Command Center and the Servers because it doesn’t have an external wall that directly links it to the outside. There is an external wall near it which is the one on the IT room.
And yes, attackers would usually breach that wall and when they’re successful, attempt to push through it. However, the IT room is quite a narrow room so attackers pushing through there are actually in a choke point. If the defenders have control of the Warehouse platform, the attackers on the IT room can easily be fragged or be repelled. As for the basement objective spot, it has wide external walls, both on the Animus and Assembly areas, but even when attackers breach those walls, the defenders are left with so many defensive areas full of covers that they can take advantage of.
Why Nighthaven Labs is Great for Defenders:
- It has a lot of verticality which offers vantage points for defenders to peek and frag attackers that are coming from a lower floor, and the most prominent vantage point is the Warehouse platform.
- The best objective spot, the Command Center and Servers, don’t have an external wall directly linking it to the outside. The external wall nearest to it is on the IT room which leads attackers to a choke point.
- While the basement objective area has wide external walls, even if the attackers breach them, the area is still full of covers that defenders can take advantage of for holding the map and preventing attackers from pushing.
- It also has a lot of ways for going down and going back up, which defending roamers can take advantage of as that will make it harder for attackers to anticipate where they’d be coming from.
Attention operator, please be advised. There is a new directive from Six. Read up on these related articles, and prepare for deployment:
