Titanfall 'Zone 18' map will bring dangerous rooftop skirmishes to IMC Rising

Titanfall's third and final map pack will release 'soon', but not before Respawn has detailed each of its three arenas. The second one, entitled 'Zone 18', is unfortunately not a futuristic golf course , but instead an IMC robotics research base. According to Respawn designer Geoff Smith, Zone 18 was originally a test map for the Last Titan Standing game mode, but has now been rejigged with a few minor twists. It's generous with its rooftop shooting perches, but just try sticking around up there without getting shot.

“In most of Titanfall's levels, pilots climb to the highest rooftops for safety and to gain a better firing advantage, but in doing this they get separated from other pilots, friendly and enemy,” Smith wrote.

“I wanted to see what would happen if most of the rooftops were the same height, so it would be harder just to sit up high and avoid the ground combat.” As a result, more stealthy pilots will probably stick to the ground, or keep to the underground hallways which connect each of the map's three Hardpoints, providing they're playing in that mode.

“Zone 18 is roughly broken into two equal sides divided by a central path,” Smith wrote. “This main path has a few alleyways cutting off it which are great for Titans to escape engagements very quickly and provide pilots with fast wall runs across the map. Zone 18 is a fast-paced map that can be overwhelming for pilots who decide to venture onto the rooftops. With minimal cover on the tops of buildings, the underground paths are a better choice, assuming the goal is to stay alive…”

A substantial free update for Titanfall earlier this month, introducing a new Titan-free game mode among other things. The IMC Rising DLC pack has no firm release date, but expect it before end of year.