| Arx Novena | |
|---|---|
 Click Image for Full Size | |
| Map Size | Large |
| Terrain Type | Plains |
| Remake? | No |
| Capture the Flag | Yes |
| Flag Exposure | Moderate |
| Gen Room Entrances | 2 |
| Base Turrets | 2 |
| Capture and Hold | No |
| CTF Blitz | Yes |
| Team Deathmatch | No |
| Arena | No |
| Rabbit | No |
Arx Novena is a Capture the Flag and CTF Blitz map in Tribes: Ascend. It is set on the outskirts of a city occupied by the Blood Eagle Tribe. The main city seems to be being attacked, indicating that this is a planet-wide conflict of which the current battle is only a small part.
Terrain
The ground is plains-like, there is a bridge in the center of the map with pillars below it. These pillars are great cover. If you use the waterways (not the river) you can go on the bridge. There are buildings on the edges and they seem to look like streets. All along the perimeter of the map are large aquaducts, and there are some fairly deep ravines where the river runs through.
Bases
The bases are mirror images of each other and appear to be Itailan styled Villas that have high tech basements. The Generator is located in the center of the basement with storage rooms on either side. The flag-stand is on the roof and can be accessed from four directions, two through hallways. There are two Base Turrets on towers; one in front of the villa and the other behind near the Vehicle Pad. The Radar Sensor is behind the main structure, between it and the aquaduct. There is one Inventory Station inside the base, one near the vehicle pad, and one far out on a hillside away from the main base.
Offense
If you have a spinfusor|spinfusor, go behind the pillars under the bridge. Then pop in and out of cover, shooting the base turrets. This is one of the simplest, easiest ways to take out the turrets. If you are a Sentinel or Juggernaut, go to the buildings on the edges of the bridge. On each street, there is a courtyard behind the temple (each street has one temple). Nobody will be there (most of the time, if there is, melee them in the back). This can serve as a great place to snipe or do mortar strikes.
Flag Routes
Starting at the top on the left of your base, you can get enough speed going down the hill to get to the enemy's flag and get enough speed to continue back to your base. You can also use the waterways when escaping the enemy base with the flag.
Defense
Flag Defense
The flag is very vulnerable up on the roof. Cappers can come at you from any side, so blocking up the tunnels is a good starting point. Force fields are commonly placed inside since they are reasonably protected from mortar attack. The base turrets help slow down cappers who favor a front-back route, but they are so exposed that they won't be around much of the game without constant attention. Light turretscan be placed to help make up for the loss of their larger counterparts, but they too will be open to long-range mortar or spinfusor|spinfusor bombardment and need replacing. For this reason it's a good idea to call-in and Inventory Station somewhere on the roof or just behind the base, especially if the gen room defense is spotty. A skilled Sentinel on the roof is always helpful, as is a Doombringer to scare off Shrikes and sit on the flag.
Doombringer
Place your Force Fields inside the tunnels to protect them as much as possible from Mortars. If you only have one FF then put a mine in the other tunnel. Place additional mines on the slant at the front and back of the flag stand, this will help protect then from cappers as they shoot the flag on their way in but still allow you to hit them. Since you are outside the Chain Gun is probably the best choice although If cappers come from the sides you will have a good shot for the Heavy Bolt Launcher.
Technician
Deploy turrets on the corners of the roof above the flag stand; you can put one on each corner if there are more Techs defending. Put motion sensors just inside the tunnels on either side of the flag, this will help drain cappers energy from every angle. Be prepared to replace these defenses often due to the ease of bombardment.
Generator Defense
Arx Novena's gen room has two choke-points which help with defense. On the side closest to the vehicle pad there is a long hallway with boxes stacked inside it. Bloking this hallway with a force field and laying mines sets a good trap for Infiltrators trying to get in unnoticed. Light turretsplaced behind the force field in the next room can be effective, though most enemies will expect them.
On the other side of the base is a short passage which drops into the only room with an inventory station. Enemies often come from the river which is just outside this passage so a mine or claymore placed right at the corner will often kill them. Turrets should be placed inside the room where they cannot be seen from outside; otherwise enemy players will simple destroy them from a distance and take no damage. Of course motion sensors can be deployed with these defenses as well and a turret in with the generator itself will help finish off anyone who gets through wounded. The most important thing to remember however is not to leave the gen room with zero players in it. Even newbie players can break through any defensive set-up with no one to defend it.
Doombringer
Place a mine in the front corner of the entrance near the river, this will hit most players who try and rush inside. Put a Force Field in the doorway to the gen room itself, on both sides if possible. You could block the actual entrance but many players will destroy the field from a distance and it will prevent you from firing into this area when your mine goes off. On the opposite side of the base hide mines in the hallway with the boxes and if you have enough put one right inside the door facing the enemy base to get players who ski inside. Use the Heavy Bolt Launcher to back up these defenses.
Technician
Place a motion sensor on the inside edge of the entrance near the river to reveal Infiltrators and put a turret in the room where it can't be easily shot from outside. If there is another Tech defending the generator you can fit two turrets in this room. On the other side of the base put a Turret in the room with the ramp in the middle and a motion sensor right behind the door to reveal enemies to shoot. Again if there are more Techs put two turrets here. Leave a final sensor in the gen room itself in case Infiltrators get through.
CTF Blitz
In CTF Blitz mode the flag changes positions each time it is captured, changing the tactics needed to capture it again. Sometimes this makes the flag easier to defend, and sometimes it makes defense more difficult. Usually the final flag position is in a covered area. On Arx Novena, the CTF Blitz flag locations are:
- Standard Location
- On the roof sitting next to the small tower nearest to the river.
- On the ground behind the flag stand just outside the tunnel beneath the stand.
- Next to the wall in front of the main base near the base turret.
- Inside the hallway that leads to the generator below the vehicle pad.
Video Guides
Flag Route: 3 Routes by Vol1tion