Hello, everyone! For those of you that might not know me, I am Eric. You probably have seen me running around in Capture the Flag (CTF) matches, wearing an alternate universe (ie. golden) Bender skin!

While I might currently sit atop the Blockstorm CTF leaderboards, I'm actually not usually a first-person shooter kind of guy. In fact, aside from the old scool classics like Doom, I generally hated the genre. I did not like multiplayer FPS games until I found Blockstorm, and I wasn't a big Blockstorm fan until I found CTF!

With this guide, I hope to shed a little light on how I got to this point, despite being a FPS noob, and share some tips, tricks, and strategies so you too can improve your CTF game! A lot, if not all of this is intended towards newer players, but even if you've been around a little while, you might find an explanation as to why you see players doing certain things. There probably won't be much for higher level players, though. (Sorry folks, I'm sure you already know everything I know!)

NOTE: As someone who almost always plays the role of flag rusher, I have recruited the one and only BecKz to give us some tips for flag defense! He is, in my opinion, the best flag defender around, so be sure to read his excellent defensive strategies below!

The following ideas should apply to any (official) CTF map you are playing. That said, keep in mind that any and/or all of the tips in this guide may not apply to the highest of skill players. Sometimes the best of the best can (and will) go directly against these ideas, and it'll work for them! BUT... You are (probably) not them, so read on!

I die a lot. In every game mode, but especially in CTF. Death means very little in CTF, however. Obviously you want to avoid dying if you can, if you're waiting to respawn, you're not actively helping you're team, but the only thing that matters is capturing the flag, so don't get frustrated if you die.

Don't get me wrong, under certain conditions it can be very helpful. I understand that you are trying to help, I really do. But more often than not, it becomes much more of a hinderance than helpful. There is a reason you see very few high level players building elaborate constructions in CTF; they just get in the way. If you insist on building, at the very least, leave an easily accessible path for your flag runners to use. Your impenetrable wall is absolutely worthless if your flag runners get shot in the back trying to get passed it to capture the flag.

It's a good idea to check your mini-map every few seconds. It will give you information on where your teammates are, as well as potential enemy locations.

If there's enemy gunfire, or you saw that a teammate died, look on the mini-map to see the direction of where it came from.

While the mini-map can be of great help, it can also be of great harm. You can easily get killed as a result of focusing too much on the mini-map instead of what's happening around you. Check your mini-map often, but not too often.

This applies to all of Blockstorm, really. Just listen.

A lot of newer players seem bewildered at how someone could know they were coming around that corner. No, it's not hackers! Whether it's your footsteps, or you shooting randomly like a crazy person, they heard you coming.

Sneaking will make you quieter, but still not entirely silent, so always expect they know you are coming.

This isn't anything official, but it's how I like to view a CTF team.

• Flag Runners / Rushers
  One or two players whose ONLY goal is to take the opponents flag, get out alive, and score for your team. More often than not, the flag runners of your team are going to end up with the most points, that's just the nature of the beast. However, don't fight over this position. If you are fighting over who gets to run the flag, you're not going to be paying close attention, and you're going to get killed. Taking out a lot of enemies can get you a good amount of points as well!
  
  
• Flag Defenders
  Two or three players keeping watch over your teams flag, and stopping any of the opposing team who comes near it. A highly skilled defender can often handle this on their own, for a while anyway. But they shouldn't have to, so give them a hand if they could use it!
  
  
• Cover Fire
  Everyone who isn't running or defending the flag. Kill everyone you see, especially anyone trying to kill your flag runners.

Yes, a highly skilled player might be able to carry his or her team to victory against lesser experienced opponents, but they shouldn't have to do everything. And, against skilled opponents, they are going to need your help!

If your teams flag keeps getting taken, and you aren't doing anything vital, help defend it. If your flag runners keep dying, move up and help cover them.

Being so team focused, CTF benefits greatly from good team communication. Spot a tunnel the enemy is using to sneak by your defenses? Let your defenders know. Enemy sniper causing problems? Call out their location so someone can take them out. See a weakness in their defense? Share your strategy with your team.

That said, be careful not to focus too much on talking. If you're busy typing, that shotgunner coming around the corner will get a free kill. If you are explaining some elaborate strategy, the other team is busy taking your flag.

And keep in mind that some players will have no interest whatsoever in listening to, or working with you. That's just the way it goes.

As you become more familiar with other players, communication becomes easy. For example, if I am on a team with BecKz and we're both near the enemy flag, without any words exchanged, I know he wants me to take the flag while he covers me. The more you play, the more you see how other (specific) players like to do things, and you won't have to rely on the chat box quite as much.

Although hated by many (A spawn campers dream, according to some. See below for the solution.), this is probably my favorite CTF map (at the moment, anyway). Unfortunately, a lot (A LOT!!!) of newer players do things in this map that sound helpful at first, but actually hinder their own team.

This section might end up just being a list of things NOT to do...

This map is perfectly symmetrical, so no matter what team you choose, do NOT, under ANY circumstances, block off the first window right outside of your spawn room.



I know why you think it's a good idea. This map has the highest chance of your team being spawn camped, so blocking off this window sounds like a good idea. One less place for you to be shot or grenaded from, right? WRONG! Not only is this window a quick route for your flag runners to use, it is actually a good solution itself to the problem of being spawn camped! If you block this window, you are actively making it easier for the opposing team to camp you, by removing a quick exit (Throw a block at the base of the window, creating a step to exit quickly). Instead, grab a shotgun, dive through the window (since you didn't block it off), and blast the spawn campers outside the window in the face! Yes, it might take you a couple of tries to clear them out, but every kill will make it easier for the rest of your team to successfully escape the spawn camp.

In fact, don't build ANYTHING between your spawn room and this window. Similarly, don't plant your C4 or claymores right outside of your own spawn. When the enemies' grenades inevitably rain down here, you are just creating bigger death traps for your teammates.



There are times when an opposing sniper will sit behind their teams' window, and snipe through your spawn window. Still, I can't stress this enough, DO NOT BLOCK THE WINDOW! Simply exit spawn, duck down as you sneak passed the window and out the main exit. Cross the green water and chuck a grenade through their sniper's window. If it didn't kill them, they surely backed off for a moment, so go take them out. If they continue to try the same tactic, keep doing the same thing. They will most certainly give up after they get killed a few times.

Which leads me to my next point...

Newer players seem to gravitate towards the sniper rifle and the rifle, for some reason. I don't know why, but they try it all the time. This is not the map for it. Underground Duel is small and confined, if you miss, you're gonna get killed while you reload. There are some highly skilled players who can definitely pull it off (For example, Groovy is an exceptional rifler, even on this map), but chances are you would do MUCH better with a different weapon.

I personally go with the shotgun, but the AK is also very effective here.

My second favorite CTF map (currently, anyway), Holy War is much less confined than Underground Duel. Snipers and Riflers are much more effective here, although I would still recommend the AK for newer players.

Yes, you can get a few easy kills shooting towards the opponents spawn, but you can't shoot fast enough to get them all. And once they get passed you, you're an easy target. Not only that, you are actively encouraging the other team to attack your spawn, which will only upset your teammates trying to do other things. It's not worth it, move to a more open area away from spawn if you want to snipe/rifle.

Flag runners and flag defenders need more help on this map. Flag runners have a harder time getting through a good defense here. There are more places defenders can hide in the flag room, and they can be at many different angles, so help cover your flag runners here.

Same goes for flag defense. You really got to pay attention here (ie. quit building that wall and look around!), or attackers will sneak in, kill your defense and take your flag.

Holy War features walkways above the ground level of the map. This can be benefitial or a problem, depending on the tactics of both teams. Some players like to take them out of the equation as quickly as possible (by destroying them), to avoid an overhead attack, but I say try to keep an eye on how they are being used, and by whom. Sometimes they end up being a great asset to your flag runners, escaping with the flag with relative ease. But if you find the opposing team using them frequently, it might not be a bad idea to destroy them, or at the very least, add some defense of your own up there.

My least favorite CTF map. Not that there is anything specifically wrong with it, but it often gets heavily populated with Snipers and Riflers. If that's how you like it, then this is definitely the CTF map for you. Personally, I think two or three snipers/riflers on a team should be more than enough to cover it, but often you'll find four or more, which (to me) slows the pace of the match dramatically. But, that's just my personal preference. On the bright side, this map has the least amount of ways for you to accidentally hinder your own team! (Also, building is a bit more welcome here.)

Do not destroy (or "clear out") buildings. Any of them, really. Your teams, the opposing teams, it doesn't matter. Yes, yes, I know you saw that silly [duk] do it and it worked well, but you are not him! For 99.9% of us, myself included, it's not a strategy we can pull off. And when it fails, which it will, we're just going to get steamrolled because you no longer have any cover!

Like I said, snipers and riflemen love this map. If you're one of them, focus mainly on killing the other teams snipers and riflemen! Your teams' flag runners have a better chance to successfully capture the flag if they don't have to worry about a sniper hiding atop a random tree somewhere, and they have less of a problem dealing with the enemies they can actually see coming.

NOTE: The entirety of the 'Defending the Flag' section has been contributed by BecKz!

While capturing flags is how teams win matches, defending your own flag from the enemy team is just as important. A flag rusher's job is to capture as many flags as humanly possible from the opposing team, but a flag defender's job is to make sure the opposing team captures the fewest number of flags as humanly possible, preferably zero. It doesn't matter if you have to die protecting the flag. If you protected it, you have done your job. If you were killed numerous times, yet the enemy team's score remained zero, you have done your job. I cannot stress this enough.

CTF is a highly team-oriented and tactical gamemode. That being said, it's of the highest importance to work with your team to achieve the objective. You should not be roaming around trying to improve your own individual score. If a particular course of action benefits you, but not your team, you probably shouldn't do it. This applies to every role in CTF; that includes flag defense. If you're in your flag room, and you see an enemy from across the map, it's NOT a good idea to chase after them if they pose no threat to your flag. You would be leaving your flag vulnerable, and consequently, be a burden to your team. Be mindful and just remember: You're on a team!

Now that we've covered that, there's something I should get off my chest. As a flag defender, you probably won't be the highest scoring player on your team. I'm sorry, it's just how the point system is set up in this gamemode. Flag rushers get +500 points for every flag they capture. Players can also get +100 for every flag they return. The rest goes by the TDM point system (+100 for a kill, -100 for a death, and so on). Additionally, players of the winning team receive a 3X multipler to their scores at the end of the match, which is more reason why your team should place more importance on flags, rather than frags. Thus, the team's flag rusher will more than likely be at the top of the scoreboard, not the defender. However, what matters most is being able to work together as a team without regard to personal scores. This is what makes or breaks a team!

There are several different approaches when it comes to defending. Some of them work effectively, while others usually do more harm than good. Here, I'm going to show you good, effective ways of defending the flag that have worked well for me in my own gameplay. Remember, what works for me may not neccessarily work for you, and that's perfectly fine! The more you play the game, the more you'll develop your own playstyle, and you'll learn what works and what doesn't through experience. In any case, I hope you can at least learn a thing or two from this guide.

A proactive defender is almost always on the move. He/She is the one who is checking all entrances, and killing enemies before they have a chance to get close to their flag room. It is common to be seen, and likely be caught in a face-to-face encounters when using this approach. You will have to out-gun your opponents most of the time, which is why having quick and accurate aim is important.

After a while of playing the maps, you will get a sense of the common places enemies will come out of. Pay close attention to these places, but always check other spots as well. It's also important to have good perception. Take in everything you see and hear. Did you hear any footsteps? Where are your teammates? Where did that gunshot come from? The list goes on.

"The Camper Approach", as the name suggests, camps. Contrary to popular opinion, there's nothing wrong with camping, as long as you do it well. You must be able to find camping spots that are unexpected, not too open, cannot be seen from too many angles, and allows a good view of either the flag OR entrances to your flag room. Don't stay in the exact same spot after multiple kills. It's good practice to change locations after every one or two kills. This is so they don't start catching onto your camping spot, where they can then throw a cheeky grenade or pre-fire you.

Like the previous defending approach, you should be listening and watching at all times. If you hear someone sneaking up on you, get out of there! Re-adjust your position so you can fight them effectively. Don't wait until they come to you. By that time, you're already at a disadvantage.

When choosing your loadout, you ideally want something mid-range, since that's where most of your encounters will occur. The AK47, MP5, or Rifle will do nicely. While the shotgun is great for flag rushers, it has limited defensive capablities due to its lack of range. For secondary, go with either the pistol or the uzi. NEVER use the shotty. It's remarkably weak, and with your speed and range, it won't help you much. As for explosives, a claymore or two at busy entrances will be benefical. Some like using C4, which is fine. I just like the hands-off approach of the claymores. Grenades can be useful for those face-to-face encounters; they can get you out of a bind every now and then.

There's something I will strongly advise against. NEVER block up the entrances in your flag room. It may slow down enemy rushers slightly, but it also slows down your team's rushers from capturing a flag, which is precious time! You should also never block up your flag, or stairs leading up to your flag unless there's another easy route. Be mindful of your team's flag rusher. Don't make their job harder. Leave an easily accessible path for them.

A good defender uses sound to his advantage. I know this was already mentioned a few times throughout this guide, but it's so important! Flag defense arguably relies on the element of sound more than any other role in CTF. Sound can tell you whether an enemy is near, but can also tell you which direction they're going to come from. After a while of playing the maps, you can almost pinpoint where the enemy is by the volume of their footsteps, the change in direction of the footstep's sound, and the sound of the block material he's stepping on (like wood, grass, sand, etc.) Keep your ears open, doing so will help you greatly!

Remember, it's okay to switch defensive approaches several times throughout a match depending on the circumstances. I would even consider that normal. I could write everything I know about the topic, but it really comes down to what works for you. We have given you the foundation to be a great CTF player. It's up to you to make it your own!

I don't claim to know everything, so try new things, just keep in mind that you are on a team. Something might be awesome for keeping you alive, but it has to work for your teammates as well!

Most importantly, the flag rules all! Without the flag, you have nothing!

Get the flag! Get the flag!! GET THE FLAG!!!