Mapping the Progress: Canyon

Description: Canyon offers a battle for the only available road in the region running through a gorge. The mountainous terrain, humid climate, and low cloud ceiling have forced the opponents to suspend the offensive and consolidate on the high ground in anticipation of aerial victory.

 
The highest map of World of Warplanes

The first thing that will catch your attention upon entering a battle on Canyon are the two massive mountains on either side of the map. The two previously highest levels, Adriatic and Fjords, that were boasting an impressive 2,700 and 2,200m elevation respectively, have now been dethroned in that category by the 4,500m-high giants that you can find on Canyon. A word of advice up front: Don’t try climbing to either of the mountain tops! It can be a dangerous undertaking even with the twin-engine monster boost of a German Heavy Fighter. If, for some reason, you do decide to take in the postcard view from the summit, try using a high-tier jet. Don’t aim straight at the top while climbing and be prepared to fly in shallow spirals to avoid stalling out!

Land Aplenty!

Along with Lighthouse, Canyon is also the largest map that we currently have in the game at 12.6 x 12.6 km. Granted, a lot of its terrain is insurmountable (even for the seemingly unhindered warbirds of the sky) but even the lower, accessible areas are still large enough to make Canyon a sizeable map that’s best adapted for planes of Tier V and higher.

The eponymous canyon digs its way along the entire length of the map, dividing the land in two halves that get progressively higher towards the edges of the level. Its luscious, green fields and sporadic vegetation are reminiscent of Asian Border – another Asian-themed map that was inspired by Burma, not far from Nepal, which acted as a reference for Canyon. 

Aerial views of Canyon seen from the North (left), South (middle) and East (right).

Surviving ‘The Corridor’

On Canyon the particular layout of the elevated terrain creates a corridor that both teams have to pass through if they want to reach enemy territory. The northern team spawns at A5, C6 and B9 on an elevated plateau filled with three groups of ground targets consisting of convoys, tanks and fortifications. The southern team drops in at J3, J5 and K7 in close vicinity to their own collection of settlements that are fortified with ground targets of the same type. What’s notable about the layout of these ground targets is that the majority of them are concentrated in one main “base-like” area on a large open field, deep within their team’s territory. There are very few scattered, lone targets, which means that if you find yourself in the vicinity of one ground target, you’re also in the vicinity of almost all ground targets (and AA guns) of the entire enemy team.

Naturally, only strong-armoured Attack Aircraft are able to sustain the kind of damage that is dealt out from the ground here. Hence, for the most part, all dogfighting on the map concentrates in the narrow passage between the northern and southern half around E5-6 and F5-6 where the cliffs are too steep to allow ground target coverage. With the surrounding mountains in the way, Attack Aircraft are forced to descend deep into the canyon to seek shelter from the action above. However, this corridor, which is pretty much the only passage to the other team’s base, is a blessing and a curse at the same time. Sometimes aircraft that descend into the canyon don’t make it out at the other end of the map. Manoeuvring in this compact space takes a lot of finesse and, additionally, an Attack Aircraft that gets caught in the canyon has little room to dodge or change its trajectory.

The populated areas of the map are tucked away on multi-level plateaus that hide behind a huge, mountainous defence wall.

Strategy Is Everything

In the end, success or defeat on Canyon depends on how intact a team makes it past the initial confrontation-zone clash. Either both teams collide in the middle and fight it out on the spot without moving past the centre, or some units make it through into the enemy half, which spreads out the combat area and changes the gameplay completely. At that point the game becomes all about protection. With this many ground targets in close vicinity to each other (almost 30 per side), the team that manages to keep their Attack Aircraft in action the longest usually flies away with the win due to the huge bonus that ground target destruction gives to your superiority meter.

Clever teams will coordinate well to decide early in the game if they want to battle it out in a single confrontational dogfight (for which there’s really only one suitable place on the map) or if they want to try their luck piercing the natural defences, which means accepting the thrill (and danger) of the complex ground-target game.

Will you dare to descend into the canyon, pilots?