Map Description

1. 

   "These Sacred Grounds have been subject to the war's bloodshed for over 5 years.
   
   'Mdama's lapdogs have chosen to attack this tranquil place, time and time again, to remind the Arbiter that no place on our home world is kept safe from our civil war.
   
   The Arbiter, in turn, placed a battle cruiser in the nearby skies to remind the Covenant that those who crossed him would pay. Dearly.
   
   The Covenant didn't think so.
   
   The Covenant were wrong.
   
   However, despite the victories, and the departure of the Arbiter's cruiser, these grounds would now bear the scars of many defeats of brothers-turned-dishonorable cowards. And while their souls would be lost forever on the winds, their remnants would serve to remind the Swords of Sanghelios that this war did indeed touch all corners of their home world.
   
   Now, the humans have adopted this serene place of beauty as training grounds for their Spartans in their...simulations. Fake or not, it would seem that these canyons have found a taste for bloodshed, for it continues to be the epicenter of it.
   
   Curious things, these grounds.
   
   These Sacred Grounds...."
   
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   Sacred Grounds is a BTB map set on lush canyons on Sanghelios. This map is the spiritual successor of the CE BTB map "Ice Fields" and in many ways is a remake, but weapons, vehicles, and spawns have been changed to better fit Halo 5's flow. Additionally, the completely new aesthetic has led me to refer to it as a "re-imagination".
   
   As this is a Ice Fields remake, it is HEAVILY RECOMMENDED that you play this map with Big Team CTF, as the original map played best with CTF as well. The map has been rigorously playtested and I believe it is finally complete, but I am always open to changing things should enough people think it's unbalanced. NOTE: Map is now Slayer and Strongholds compatible!!!
   
   LAYOUT
   
   The map has four main areas of conflict where players converge: the Bridge, the Underpass, the Blue Base and Red Base. The Bridge poses the easiest and most strategically advantageous ground to traverse, but because of this (and also the fact that three of the map's four power weapons are located on or near this area) it is almost always a heavily contested area by both teams. Players can use the SPNKr Rocket Launcher located here to take out enemy Sword Needle Hogs/Ghosts or take out players out in the open. Additionally, the Bridge's high ground lets the team that controls it fire down at enemies that are contesting the Underpass. The Halo 2 Beam Rifles located near each team's path to the bridge on a rock platform allow snipers a good view of both the Bridge and Underpass areas.
   
   The Underpass is the path that goes under the Bridge. To compensate for this area's exposure to the high ground, this area has plenty of sightline breaking cover and foliage that make it difficult to keep line of sight from any angle. However, this area is also a riskier path for the vehicles as they're more exposed to enemy fire. Also, players can quickly get to the Bridge's Beam Rifle locations by taking the one-way teleporters directly under their location on the above Bridge area. You can also use these teleporters to assassinate snipers perched there. Next, there is a Camo and Overshield power up on the elevated terrain on the left and right sides of the Underpass's cliff walls, respectively. Lastly, a Plasma Caster is located between the Bridge's supports that can be used to counter the vehicles and also be used to kill enemies who may be hiding behind the plentiful cover located in the Underpass.
   
   Red and Blue Base is where the Flags spawn for each team. Additionally, a Shade Turret is on top of each base for overall defense. Additionally several tier 2 weapons are located at each one for use in the rest of the map. Lastly each team gets two Sword Needle Hogs and a Sword Ghost. Due to the distance between each team's base, proper use of Warthogs is needed to effectively get flags away. However, if Warthogs are not available to use for escape, a one-way teleporter that takes players to the middle of the Underpass area can be used by any flag holder in order to instantly take the flag halfway, though it should be noted the enemy can take the teleporter behind you and chase you down.
   
   The layout is identical for Slayer aside from dynamic spawning instead of static, but it is slightly different in Strongholds. The Strongholds are located at the Underpass, as well as the Blue and Red Ramps that lead to Bridge. Underpass is the most heavily contested Stronghold due to its neutral location and the one-way teleporters that lead to it from each base, but the dynamic spawns present during Strongholds, as well as the Bridge paths, both allow for flanking tactics and other ways to capture the other Strongholds.
   
   All in all, the map plays almost exactly like the original Ice Fields!
   
   
   
   
   GT to download is "Lor Tarkam" but you can also click the Waypoint file browser link too.
   
   YouTube video showcase coming soon!

   N3gat1veZer0, ravenking91 and Ryouji Gunblade like this.