Mapping the Progress: Harbor

Description: Harbor offers a battle for a seaport and an adjacent city. The defending team attempts to prevent the enemy from seizing strategic locations in the dockyard and from entering the city. The attacking team, supported by robust naval gunfire, aims to expand its foothold for launching a ground offensive.
 

Less Land, More Water

Harbor is, next to El Halluf, one of the oldest maps that we have in the game and rightfully one of the favourites of many pilots. This popular level houses low-tier battles and is therefore one of the first maps that new players get to see in World of Warplanes. Our designers therefore wanted to make sure that the map is as easy and as fun to play as possible, while at the same time including a geography and layout that remain rich and interesting, even if you come back to it as an experienced player.

When the map got a makeover for Version 1.1 early this year, the focus for our level designers was to accentuate the maritime character of the scenery. Harbor 1.0 was largely a basic summer map on which barely 20% of the surface was covered by water. The eponymous harbour was already present of course, however, with the old bases (pre-complex ground targets of Version 1.5) in place, it seemed somewhat secondary to the other landmarks and gameplay hotspots of the level. Therefore, Version 2.0 shifted the focus on what’s most interesting about ‘Harbor’: the open water space with the shipyard at its centre.

Two Sides, One Conflict

The redesign gave the map a clearer sense of direction, which makes it now easier for pilots to know their position in the sky, based on the surrounding landmarks. Depending on the side that you get assigned to, you’ll either be coming in from the water, heading always in-land, or you’ll start out above ground, targeting the open sea.

The Southern group is divided in three squads of five planes dropping in at H6, H8 and G8. Attack Aircraft should avoid following their fighter-brethren to the harbour in the middle of the map and instead opt to use either the left or right flank for a more tactical approach. While the land in the West is flatter and thus presents an easier target, you are more hidden by both the mountainous terrain and low-hanging clouds if you steer to the East. Be prepared for a couple of AA guns and the occasional tank groups if you choose to follow the mountain pass over B5-C7. 

The harbour area is much more detailed now while the ‘new’ delta now features a bridge (middle). (click images to enlarge)

The main group of fighters is going to head straight towards the central basin, where the fortified harbour-area (C3-E6) is protected by 5 small ships on the water. The good news though, is that only the one at the delta entry carries an AA-gun, which gives you relatively safe grounds to battle over as long as you stay clear of the coast.

The land itself is covered by three tank groups on either side of the incoming river that act as “breadcrumbs”, leading to the main ground target of the map – a huge Ammunition Depot at B4. Be careful as you approach it, regardless if you are in an Attack Aircraft or a lighter plane, for this mammoth of a building is surrounded by a plethora of convoys, tanks and AA-guns that can cause you much harm if you can’t neutralise them in time.

Fighting Off the Armada

Playing as the Northern team, you start in the immediate vicinity of the harbour at D2, B3 and C4. Here too, clever Attack Aircraft pilots should determine early on which path they’ll want to take on their way to the heart of the enemy’s fortification – a freshly established bridgehead on the far South-Eastern coast featuring an Ammunition Depot at H9 that’s just waiting to be demolished.

Depending on the kind of targets that you want to encounter, you’ll either head West, where a numerous but heavily-armed armada of small ships advances in the open bay, or choose to follow the mountains East, where there are fewer targets but also less resistance. Should you manage to slip past the enemy fighters, you may opt to stay in the hinterland where you can pick off a lone convoy on the ground advancing towards the harbour at F6, or discover a huge factory at C8 that’s protected by a group of feisty tanks.

Everybody else (Fighters and Heavy Fighters) is going to want to enter the main battle arena around the port. If the initial clash happens a bit too quickly for you and you’d rather prefer to shoot lone planes one by one, try banking off behind the central mountain pass. There you can find the aforementioned occasional Attack Aircraft as well as their (hopefully) supporting wingmen. 

Among the landmarks of the map are its Northern and Southern bases as well as an unreachable lake in the East (middle). (click images to enlarge)

Jump into the Clouds

If you want to have a different kind of gameplay experience, try flying directly into the thick cloud canopy at F3-D2 (left bank) or B6-E7 (right bank). The cloud layer becomes impenetrably dense, limiting your view, starting at 600m altitude and continuing to stay that way up until 1,200m on the altimeter. It can be an incredible adrenaline-rush to be chasing your foes ‘in the blind’ without knowing your relation to the ground. Use the clouds to escape a bogey on your six or dive out of them for a surprise attack on your unsuspecting enemies!

Whatever you do, don’t get your wings wet on Harbor, pilots!