A Guide to Highland

[GeeVuh 1,647]

 
Highland. An interesting map, to be sure - no matter what combination one chooses to play, success is practically guaranteed. Though the map is actually quite small relative to other popular maps, the variety of play in this arena is endless. The map is open to play starting from the low rank of  Gefreiter. All four battle modes - DM, CTF, CP, and TDM - are playable in Highland. Sixteen players at a time is the maximum number of players in Highland, allowing for a hectic 8v8 or a blood-rushing 16-player deathmatch.
 
A complete map of Highland is found here.
 

 
 

Even though Highland DMs are only found very rarely, they can actually be quite a lot of fun. Compiled here is a list of the most effective combos to use in a Highland DM.


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This champion of the field is absolutely devastating in Highland. Because of Railgun's unlimited range, the hull paired with it does not need to be fast. So, Viking quite obviously follows, having a mix of heavy armour and a respectable speed.
 
This is the best spot for a Railgun-Viking in Highland.
 

 
This position can be easily kept and strengthened with mining spots such as these.
 

 

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Most would think somewhere along the lines of this - "Magnum paired with Wasp? High speed with super-long reload? Pfft. That idea belongs in the trash." However, the proposition is more promising than it sounds.
 
A little-known fact of Tanki - some places that you would expect to be off-limits in a normal battle aren't actually off-limits. This is easily exploited by OMP-ing up to this position. (This was done with M1 Magnum and M0 Wasp in a non-format battle.) While hiding in this little nook, it is nearly impossible to be hit by anything but an enemy Magnum. It's just as Obi-Wan Kenobi said... "I have the high ground."
 

 

 

Highland CTFs are actually quite popular - and no wonder! These battles are action-packed and filled with sneaky snipers and epic flag returns. A list of superior combos in Highland CTF is arranged here.

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Every good team needs at least one good sniper, and this is no exception. The ability to one-shot a medium hull of the same modification is an advantage that even Magnum does not have. With a relatively quick reload speed compared to Magnum, Shaft is an absolute beast in Highland.
 
Blue Team Positioning
 
This sniping spot allows oneself to demolish anyone reckless enough to venture onto the second level of the red base, while still keeping an eye on most of their lower base. It is also easily protected by mines.
 
 

 
The second location has a view straight down the center of the map; however, the first location is preferable, since with this spot, there is a fence and a pile of bricks blocking a clean view. This position does have its strengths, since the hull is mostly hidden behind a physical wall that also allows for peeking in and out.
 

 

 
Red Team Positioning
This position has a large area in its scope. With a clear sight line into the blue team's base, it is possible to support any attackers going into their flag by picking off the defenders once they come out of hiding. It can easily become a defensive position by simply turning the turret ninety degrees right.
 

 

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Just as every team must have a good sniper, every team also needs a reliable defender. An apt decision would be to choose Freeze, as its freezing ability makes it a natural defender. An even wiser choice would be to pair the king of defense with Viking. Viking's speed just barely edges out Hunter's. That's just as well, since attackers often use Repair Kits to try to get away from Freeze's curse. The extra speed on Viking should be just enough to catch the enemy once again.
 
Strategic positions for both teams are shown below. 
 

 

A tank parked in this location is extremely hard to hit, even from the second level of the blue base. Once an attacker runs into the blue base, ambush them and reduce their tank to scrap metal.

 

 

Defending the red base is significantly more difficult in comparison to the blue base, simply because there are less structures to hide behind. Though many position themselves along the fence, that spot is easy to hit from the second level of the red base. A better spot is shown below.

 

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A famous saying goes, "The best defense is a good offense." With a number of flat walls to ricochet Hammer's pellets off of, Highland and Hammer go hand in hand. Though Wasp and Hornet have the same amount of hit points, Wasp has a slightly higher speed. Even though the difference is minimal, every thing counts at the end of the day.
 
There are many good attack routes, one of which is listed here.
 
Blue Attack Routes
This is a route that involves predicting when the supplies will drop. If, while escaping the red base, a Repair Kit drops into the center, switch from the light blue route onto the darker route, allowing oneself to pick up the Repair Kit on the way back to the blue flag.
 

 

A circle implies that a drop should be there to pick up.

 
 
Red Attack Routes
The same principles used in the blue routes should be used here. Again, it is absolutely imperative to be able to predict the timing of supply drops.

 

 

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To have a successful offense, a team must have a good support role. Isida-Viking plays the part perfectly, as Viking has enough hit points to hold its own should the enemy team target it, while still having enough speed to keep up with a fellow attacker. Be sure to leave most of the drops for the attacker, as Isida-Viking is still only a support, not an attacker.
 

CP mode in Highland is quite a challenge to win. With points located in the most dangerous places on the map, each team is required to work together by destroying enemy snipers to allow teammates to capture the points.
 

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Central control is imperative. A method of this is with suppressive fire. Magnum is perfect for this, as most enemies will recklessly drive their tank into the middle in an attempt to capture the point. Hopefully, Magnum-Viking will cause it to be unsuccessful. Shots taken from this position should be fired at 35° and 20% power. Each bullet should land in the center of the map, demolishing any careless fool's tank. 
 
 

 

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An old classic, Thunder-Mammoth easily strikes fear into any tanker, having an immense amount of hit points while being able to return fire. Mammoth is superior to Titan in this case because it can push enemies off of the point, allowing its team to capture it. Thunder-Mammoth has the job of heading out into the center of the map to capture the middle point.
 

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As previously stated, Isida can play an excellent support role, having the ability to heal teammates. The low speed comes as a compromise for the huge amount of hit points. When an attacker goes out into the middle, Isida-Titan has the hard job of getting into the fight with them, providing healing for them so they can survive as long as possible. 
 

TDM is a rather neglected mode. With tons of fun waiting inside Highland TDM, though, it is an exciting battle to play in.
 


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Guidelines for sniping are the same as in CTF mode, slightly modified to fit TDM mode.
 

 

Blue Team Positioning

This sniping spot allows oneself to demolish anyone reckless enough to venture onto the second level of the red base, while still keeping an eye on most of their lower base. It is also easily protected by mines.
 

 

 
The second location has a view straight down the center of the map; however, the first location is preferable, since with this spot, there is a fence and a pile of bricks blocking a clean view. This position does have its strengths, since the hull is mostly hidden behind a physical wall that also allows for peeking in and out.
 

 
Red Team Positioning
This position has a large area in its scope. With a clear sight line into the blue team's base, any blue team member who decides to take the central route should be dead within a second of coming out of hiding.
 

 

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Highland has numerous wall that Ricochet can bounce its plasma balls off of, and Viking is just one of the best attacking hulls. They combine to make  a high-power duo that can only be defeated by a few close range turrets such as Isida and Firebird. Be sure to play conservatively and use the ricocheting ability, since Ricochet cannot reliably win in one-on-one situations.
 

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The tanker who uses this combo carries a huge responsibility. A good Isida-Wasp should keep his teammates alive, which lowers the death count of his team while allowing them to get more kills. Wasp's speed should be used to an advantage to flit around teammates, healing each one of them impartially. Remember to stay aggressive, as Isida's DPS is the highest in the game. 

Protection is one of the major parts of the game, so listed here are the modules that function well on this map.

Boasting protection from Hammer, Magnum, and Shaft, Griffon T-G offers amazing protection against snipers.
 

With protection from Isida, Freeze, and Ricochet, this module blocks off the turrets that most players would use for defense.
 

Lion T-C protects against Hammer, Ricochet, and Freeze. Hammer is also a turret that plays a major role in defense, so protection against it is good to have.
 

Though paints no longer offer protection, camouflage on any map is also important. 

Needle and Guerilla both sport an odd ability - If a tank stay motionless,  from a distance it looks as if the tank is dead. This often causes enemies to target someone else, allowing an opportunity to attack. Perfect for snipers.
 

Sandstone's colour scheme blends in with Highland's almost perfectly. It is a wonderful, cheap paint that provides advantageous camouflage. Useful for anyone on Desert maps.
 
That brings us to the end of this guide. Good luck in future battles!

Edited October 12, 2017 by Blackdrakon30

[Hex 11,520]

Approved!

 

Edits -

1. One rephrasing to make the sentence flow smoothly.

 

Feedback -

This guide is amazing and falls just a bit short of Reporter-level quality. A little more detail and better formatting, it would've been perfect.

 

In the meantime, I would really appreciate it if you correct the corrupt spoilers in your post.

 

 

On a side note, please do not start discussion on why this guide didn't win any prize in the Wikimania contest. The winners have already been announced; doing so will start flaming which might lead to warnings or bans. Thanks!

Edited August 4, 2017 by Hexed

[Blackdrakon30 2,943]

I do like me some Highland. If I remember right, the map is being boosted up to 10/10 and getting an expansion, right? Also, I really love Dragon as a camouflage paint for this map. The scaly tan texture fits in perfectly with the dry grass texture of the ground.

[Sliced 819]

Well if you're observant, the "camouflage" wont matter

[S-H-A-R-V-A-N 84]

Nice article dude!

I really liked it

[marc.jp_44 20,837]

Lol recycled Wikimania Guide. :P
Nice guide, though.

[Skills.n.Girls 767]

Imagine if all the applicants in that contest thought their entries are good enough...

You don't have to re-post that since they can already find the best ones in the main topic for Wikimania contest. ;)

[Im_a_tanki_master 62]

~topic~

good work and i died while a gold box dropped on Highland DM.

Edited September 15, 2017 by Flexoo
Please do not quote whole topic. It decreases the readability of the page.

[Destrod 2,634]

A really in-depth guide with all the tactical points of view explained. Like Hex said, a little bit of formatting and a few extra details here and there can transform this guide into Reporter Standard.

[zaintahir 458]

Although I didn't fully read it, it looks like a brilliant guide

[Mjro7 2,837]

oohh Man Great Article I Really Like it :)

[GeeVuh 1,647]

In the meantime, I would really appreciate it if you correct the corrupt spoilers in your post.

How exactly would I do so? I can't seem to get them to work, even deleting and retyping doesn't work.