Maps

In this section, we'll give you a basic guided tour of each of UT2K4's plethora of included maps. We'll pick a spawn point in each level, and then run you through the level from that point, calling out important pickups and recommended routes (or lines) through the map. Feel free to take your own paths when playing the game, but if you're just starting out, you'd do well to follow our lead. On our favorite maps, we'll go into greater depth, including relevant strategy and tips. Due to the sheer volume of maps included with UT2K4, we had to limit ourselves in this section or we'd have released this guide around Christmas 2004. We encourage you to submit your favorite map strategies to us; if they're well-written and useful, we just might include them in a future revision of the guide!

Recommended Players: 6-8

Raia Antalus has become a popular tournament venue through the ages. Also known as "Valley of the Hunters," this exotic valley showcases some excellent potential for great tactics. In order to take advantage of Unreal Tournament 2004's weapons, a decision to stay on higher ground as much as possible in this medium-sized map would be a smart one.

Dodge jump this ravine it will save valuable seconds.

From the spawn point shown in the previous screenshot, immediately dodge jump over the canyon to the Flak Cannon. After this essential pickup, backtrack a bit and head through the open passageway to the Shock Rifle. For all you shock whores, a quick shock combo is a money shot from above the elevator and back from the way you came. Many unsuspecting enemies will find themselves being pulverized by your unseen shock combo. dodge jump over the elevator and clamber your way up the hill located in front of you. Once atop the hill, head right toward the centerpiece of this densely vegetated map, the top of the Temple of Linu. Go right, pick up the various ammo and jump onto the ledge to nab the Rocket Launcher. You may notice a couple of rocks placed a bit in front of you. If you manage to get yourself up there by double-jumping, the Flak Cannon and Rocket Launcher can prove useful in picking off wounded enemies dashing for the health pack as seen to the right.

A rocket or a flak ball can prove to be fatal from this roost.

Go back to the middle of the hill and head toward the Lightning Gun. From there, dodge jump over the canyon to the Minigun and its ammo. Head straight forward and when given the decision to head right or left, take a left toward a shield pack and 6 health vials. Go down, pick up the Link Gun and link charges and go right. Make sure to dodge jump and zigzag; enemies can pick you off from higher ground on your left. Elevator jump to the health pack on the right and pull out your Lightning Gun. This weapon is best suited for long-distance sniping, and your ability to pick off enemies running toward the far health pack or elevator could give you a couple easy frags. Proceed to the elevator and use it to get on top of a well-placed boulder as shown to the right.

While a bit vulnerable from up here, use the Biorifle to rain down green glop onto your enemies.

From the point shown in the previous screenshot, use your secondary flak or Rocket Launcher to frag the enemies to your right or left.

This line offers powerful weapons, vital shield upgrades, health and an extremely important advantage in Antalus: higher ground. While the Rocket Launcher, secondary Flak Cannon and Biorifle seem favored for firing from above, if you favor a particular weapon, it is not far off this easily modified line. Just remember, for the most part, Unreal Tournament 2003's weapons were not designed to be shot up and over a cliff. Make sure to take advantage of higher ground in Antalus.

Recommended Players: 6

Tight corridors and cramped rooms fill this rustic factory. While pretty straightforward, one can find himself in a couple useful locations through insightful use of the double-jump. A common spawn lies in this area.

Worry about the super shield pack later; grab the Flak Cannon up the stairs and to your right.

That super shield pack can be reached, but your most important objective, first off, is to find a powerful weapon. Just up over the stairs and to your right you'll find a Flak Cannon. Now you should beef yourself up a bit by getting to that super shield pack. Get on a railing and double-jump or dodge jump your way up.

Get on a rail on either side...

And dodge jump or double jump your way to a +100 shield bonus.

Dash toward the small passageway going up and collect the 6 adrenaline pills. Go left and take the elevator upward. Grab the damage amplifier if it's still there and dodge jump the opening to grab the Minigun. Immediately below you, you will find a small pond of water with a Rocket Launcher floating harmlessly in the middle. I don't like sitting in the water getting picked off, so I like to come from the top, take a little damage penalty from the fall, and get out of there with the Rocket Launcher and a lot more health. Immediately run toward the beautifully-detailed corridor with the water reflections. Don't admire the beautiful graphical details for long; you have a big keg 'o health to get! Keep heading forward and quickly dodge jump your way to the passageway to your upper left (feel free to get the super shield pack again, it will be back by the time you find yourself in this area again). A nice treat in the form of three adrenaline pills awaits as you climb the incline and run up the steps. Follow your way to the big keg 'o health. If you find yourself out of rockets or flak ammo, a cleverly-designed area at the very bottom of this room would be your place to go.

Collect the Rocket Launcher and ammo, but watch your back! This room also houses a Link Gun and a shield pack.

Quick reflexes and smart decisions will help you outwit your opponents and gain the upper hand. Epic said it best: "Asbestos; it'll kill you."

Recommended Players: 2-4

The name of the map says it all. A perfect duel level but still enough room for four people, this symmetrical map does not hold many surprises.

Compressed is basically made up of three levels (well, to be technically correct I should say four... but more on that later - wink, wink). The level is basically two stairway-type areas flanking each side of a middle area. To distinguish which area is which, I will define them by their unique item up above the open area. One is a Lightning Gun and the other is a super shield pack (both are accompanied by 4 adrenaline pills, by the way).

The bottom floor is connected by a hallway. In the very middle of this hallway is a shield pack. In the Lightning Gun area, a Minigun with ammo, six health vials, sniper ammo and extra grenades are lined up and in the super shield pack area a Biorifle with ammo, six health vials and extra grenades can be found.

The second floor houses the most firepower and two elevators. On the super shield pack side you will find a Link Gun with ammo, a Shock Rifle and a health pack. The Lightning Gun side offers a bit of an advantage. You'll find a health pack just like the other side, but also it has a Flak Cannon with ammo and a Rocket Launcher.

To get to the third level you can do one of a couple different things: Firstly, you can just run up the inclines to get there. Next, a nifty trick to get up to the third level would be to use the small lift on the first floor to get to the third floor as shown right.

Try to get a good angle...

And jump as the lift is going upwards. Viola! Quickest way to the third floor.

Or you can take the elevator on the second floor to the third (which doesn't even come close to comparing with the coolness of the second method).

The third floor, which I like to call the ammo floor, houses two packs of grenades, two packs of rocket ammo and two shock cores. Obviously, the only way to get to the Lightning Gun or super shield pack (which are, as stated earlier, on opposite sides of the map) is from the third floor because they are both on a higher platform.

The two elevators on the second floor not only transport you to the third floor, but they also house a little secret area. Face away from the way you came onto the elevator and elevator jump to get maximum air-time. If you get high enough, you'll be able to get to a small passageway that houses six adrenaline pills and a double damage amplifier. It's a good idea to elevator jump whenever you get onto one of those elevators to take advantage of this nicely hidden secret.

One of the two elevators: use it to grab the double damage amplifier.

With a good elevator jump, you'll own this power-up.

I like symmetry and high frames per second. This map offers both with its neat design and the indoor setting. It would be a good idea to whip out that shock combo or get the Lightning Gun ready while on that bottom floor going for that shield pack; if you find the enemy on the other side of the corridor, you'll be a step ahead and hopefully with good aim you'll also be a frag ahead.

Recommended Players: 4-6

An absolutely delicious map that flows incredibly well, Corrugation does not hold any secrets; what you see is what you get. However, taking advantage of the many adrenaline pills strewn around the map can get you up to full adrenaline in no time flat giving you quite an advantage.

This spawn point is where we'll begin.

Beginning at the spawn point indicated in the screenshot above, going left will net you a Lightning Gun, and with a hop over the gap, you'll be in good position to grab the super shield pack in the middle-top of the map. If you choose to go right instead and hop up to stay on the higher level, going left from there is a quicker way to get to the super shield pack, but going right you'll head right toward a Minigun and eventually a little hallway with five adrenaline pills. Following the path of the adrenaline pills leads you directly to a Shock Rifle, then three health vials. In this next room, you have a few options. Going straight nets you a normal shield pack and a Minigun. If you go right, however, you can grab the Rocket Launcher; go through another hallway picking up five more adrenaline pills before reaching the normal shield pack!

The other option you have at the beginning spawn point is to drop down to the lower level. When you drop down, head to the left to pick up a Flak Cannon along with four adrenaline pills, and then you'll come to a stairway leading up to the Minigun on the upper floor. Going right after you drop down, continue to the Link Gun. By going left a little earlier, you would reach a grassy area where you can head straight toward the Shock Rifle, through the red area for a Flak Cannon and through the tubing which rewards you with a Biorifle. Continuing straight from the Link Gun will ultimately give the opportunity to pick up a shield pack as well as a double damage amplifier.

Sure, they may have beaten you to the super shield pack, but you can whip out that Shock Rifle and punish them for taking it.

Upgrade your weaponry. If you hold a long-range weapon as well as a powerful close-range weapon, as well as keep control of the super shield pack and adrenaline pills, you will dominate this map.

Recommended Players: 4-6

I'm sorry, no original opening this time. This passage is so cool and it comes straight from Unreal Tournament 2003 itself! Here is the description of DM-Curse3: "Feel the walls closing in on you? A little claustrophobia maybe? When the flak starts flying and the shock combos fill the air, as you find yourself backed into a corner by a relentless pursuer you'll come to learn the meaning of the word cursed." Simply badass. This map was featured in Unreal Tournament as DM-Curse2, but in Unreal Tournament 2003 they added another number to make it 3 and made the place a bit more spooky. Memorizing where the weapons are and finding key spots on the map will help you feel less cursed. Let Dr. Baldy help.

If you've played Curse2, it will only take a little bit until you realize you're playing a cooler version with almost the exact same layout. I just spawned next to the giant dragon head and a Link Gun to my left as shown right.

Spawned.

I like being higher in this map more than lower; better weapons and I feel less paranoid that someone is watching me. Grab that Link Gun and take the elevator up to the third floor. You'll find four health vials to your and right in front of you. Dodge over the gap and basically you are forced to go right. You could drop down to the second level and grab some ammo; but if you did indeed drop down, you would miss a very important power-up. Straight ahead of you it looks like a dead end, shown to the right.

Just a wall? I THINK NOT!

Run straight forward into the wall. As you do that and pass through the wall, you'll realize that you just picked up a super shield pack!

Go back a little and find your way to the place that has no roof. You'll find a Shock Rifle and if you are running low on ammo, the rest of the top floor offers more than plenty ammo. I like running to the roofless area and dropping down on top of the Flak Cannon. As you land and pick up the Flak Cannon, peek through one of the small windows to the first floor and give yourself an opportunity for an easy frag. Wheel backwards under the staircase behind you and grab the shield pack, adrenaline pills and flak ammo.

From this point, I almost exclusively go right up the stairs. It gives quicker access to the Rocket Launcher and a vital powerup. Go up the stairs and decide on whether you want to grab a Rocket Launcher (by going left then take the next right) or get a double damage amplifier. To get this hidden powerup, go right after the stairs and grab the Lightning Gun (just to let you know, you can go right as you grab the Lightning Gun into a hole and find your way to a secret area if you climb out, go left than right into the wall, shown to the right, that holds sniper ammo).

Another fake wall on the x.

As you round the next corner and go right, swivel around almost looking where you came from. You can faintly see a purple hue. Shoot the little gate and you will find a nice double damage amplifier. Due to the nature of this map, a Flak Cannon is a very powerful weapon. You'll find yourself almost running into enemies as you round corners and with a direct hit with the flak, they will be toast. Just be careful, you don't want to kill yourself and negate that frag.

Recommended Players: 4-8

Every single original Unreal player, when they read the map list and saw Deck17, was instantly excited. Deck16 for the original Unreal was perhaps the most popular map of any shipped with the game. It had almost perfect balance, a great mixture of up-close situations and long-range opportunities, and (in UT99) the Redeemer; what more do you need from a Deathmatch map? The great news is that Unreal Tournament 2004 shipped with an updated version of the map with the same weapon placements and only one small added area.

That is an awesome touch to this map.

Starting at this point (which is one end of the deck), there is a Biorifle with ammo and continuing up the stairs there are four adrenaline pills, then a Flak Cannon with ammo. Down at the far end of that hallway (we're just circling around the middle-it will be talked about in detail later in this write-up) is a Sniper Rifle with ammo. Down this next hallway there are two lifts to the left to go down to the lower level and come back up, but continue forwards. The opening of the next hallway has three health vials on your left and right and a little further down there is a Rocket Launcher with ammo on your left. At the end of the hall there's a pretty dangerous pathway down to the Flak Cannon. Watch your step; the lava isn't there just for decoration. Following the outside direction you will find two health packs, a double damage amplifier and a Shock Rifle and you are back where you came from.

The only way to get the double damage amplifier is by dropping down from a higher place.

Onto the middle part of the map; there is a Minigun at the other end of the walkway. Jumping onto a higher part on the right there is a Link Gun with ammo and a few health vials. Going up one of the slanted walkways you will find a Biorifle with ammo at one end of the hallway and a normal shield pack by the boxes and a Sniper Rifle with ammo. The bottom-middle part of the map, because of the lava, is incredibly dangerous. Always know where you are because one step in the lava and you're toast. Just under the main walkway going from end to end is a little beam where a super shield pack spawns. If you plan on going for it, make sure to get on there and get off quickly; the last thing you want is to grab the shield then get shot off onto the lava and waste it. On the end where the two lifts are, you will find a Shock Rifle, a normal shield pack, two health packs as well as four adrenaline pills on each side. If you take a little time and grab both sides, that's sixteen quick adrenaline points. There is a booster that shoots you up to the middle walkway and further down on the ground level is a Rocket Launcher with ammo. Taking the teleporter, you will warp to the other end of the map under the shiny "17" to a Redeemer. Be extremely careful though, do not just shoot the Redeemer when you get it or you'll pulverize yourself; find a good spot and guide it to the middle where most of the action most likely is taking place.

Use the heightened terrain in the middle to stalk your pray; if you have the Sniper Rifle, snipe at them and if you get tired of that just drop down from the higher level with a Flak Cannon and give them a facial. Don't forget to switch to beam/sniping weapons when at more longish parts of hallways, and when turning corners use close-range weaponry. If you are a fan of the game mode instagib, low-gravity instagib and this map were made for each other.

Copyright © 2004 Stratos Group Inc.