Your Favorite Type of Maps

I’m sure this topic were brought up before. What is your favorite type of map?

  1. Offensive - Kill objectives
  2. Defensive - Secure locations
  3. Escort - Slowly
  4. Collect - Parts and whatnot
  5. Combination of some of all of above.
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I usually like the combo of offense and defense ONLY when you have to push out. Granted, I play Swann so I’m slightly biased, but maps like Miner Evacuation and Mist Opportunities are great, since you have to clear an area, and THEN set up defenses there. Mist is great at this, since you have to defend from multiple angles at the same time. This can still be done on a few other missions, but these two in particular seemed designed that way.

Another fun compromise is something like Malwarfare, where you have to clear the bonus, and THEN can set up defenses there for when the bonus is activated.

Personally, I enjoy more consistent maps over any particular style. Maps where I know the timings are the same and can be predictably done makes it more enjoyable. The only three maps I know of that do this are MO, OE, and VL.

I like defense maps like Miner Evacuation where you need to fortify. Probably has something to do with me liking camping, the idea of making a “home” anywhere then move to another spot is appealing. Dehaka, Nova, Swann, and Zeratul all fit the bill here (Zeratul because he can teleport his towers).

Escort maps comes second (except Cradle), it allows me to take my time to build the units I like rather than just rushing the game.

I generally like defensive maps. I was never a fan of pushing, and then spawn camping (even though it is legit).

Another thing I prefer missions that take about 20 minutes of game time. Doesn’t drag on too long (like MO), but it’s still long enough to get in some decent upgrades and progress on the tech tree (so not the likes of L&L)

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I like any map that is paced sufficiently to let me field a late game army so yeah any map aside from lock & load and void thrashing.

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I just want new maps. I enjoy them all for various reasons.

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Same I just want some NEW maps added to the pool so bad!!

Please don’t listen to terry maps

Oblivion Express. I like trains.

Eh. Favorite type of mission/map… new. That still counts I suppose.

Still going to +1 this, despite not holding my breath on it. I’d be willing to pay for them at this point!

Yeah to be honest, there’s some push for short and quick maps and i get the appeal.

It’s fast xp and it can be really skill testing speedrunning times and also good exp. i remember solo farming like 9-11 minutes void thrashings when i was leveling my best commanders and just being out of my mind or hearing allies go. “OMFG i didn’t get to do anything” “Welp, why did i even load? " [They] beat the map before i even got to build a single karax/swann/bc/carrier unit!”

I can kinda get that feel, coop is a coop game and the fastest exp is the fastest map. I think i’ve once had a 7-8 minute lock and load game that just involved a dehaka or abathur ally just tunneling to all the spots and then i’d teleport over there. We’d just kill whatever came. It was the fastest game but it wasn’t really memorable.

Imo i think my favorite sweet spot for enjoyment are games you get to max out your commander and enjoy being a wrecking ball of destruction.

But you have enough units to kill and the fodder isn’t running out and just turning into a waiting for respawn game. (Oblivion express, Part and parcel, miner evac, vs boring Mists Opp, Void Launch, etc. ).

I also like temple of the past, imo the sweet spot i enjoy seems to be around, like 14-22 minutes for me. Enough you can kinda build one of everything and have fun.

But not enough the map ends before your ally builds a 13-15 minute carrier/battlecruiser and the mission just ends at the 11 minute mark and they gripe for ending the map before they got to play.

I used to be kinda a ally kill hog haha, now i try to support them but let them have their fights, but still rush in to heal them and open rocks while usually killing tons of crap and defending their bases from nukes unless im out of cds.

If they steal my resources or build their own base / steal gas 2 tiles away from the expo i had already started and opened/built my cc on, sometimes i don’t always help def as quickly though lmao. If they take their own expo im fine with that.

I do have a commander i like helping open rocks, but novas stealing the gas for the expo 2 tiles away from my cc i opened is a personal pet peeve of mine whenever it happens, even once lmao.

Still i have gotten back into DoN with tychus as i improved my micro and split pushing/ micro capacities. Lots of people call him skilless and f2a move, they criticize his raw building dps for challenges like full building clears, or people just f2a moving and dying.

But i find him a lot more fun to micro on, split push with p3 odin ± vega mc armies on malwarefare/ oblivion express in 3 groups. He tends to have varied yet rewarding comps even if you build them for a hell of it. (I’m quite partial to fighting for the 3rd base on oblivion express and taking a cannonball as the last outlaw.).

I don’t know the average time for tychus, but i know pre prestieges, his only don solo was like a 25-40 minute game that involved flying his base off the map to make it possible with his iffy base building dps blindspot.

Now even if my ally only does 0-20 building kills and 0 base defence, i can shave off my base tychus don brutal time from 22-24 mins without ally contribution down to 18-19 minutes no ally contribution. (And with ally, i’ve gotten a couple 15-16 minute tychus don brutal games. Probably not the best commander time, but hell for tychus’s 400 building dps with chainfire micro, top clearing army, split pushing south p3 odin, Solo defence with the new p3 odin, and optimized build orders vs some random quer’s 28-44 minute dons.

I’m happy with it. And it’s turned from a loathed to a fun map now as i learned it. Nothing quite like the whole map on fire to connect with your inner pyromaniacial past hate for pug que tychus don haha in case of 0 building kill ally. ) )

I do kinda think new maps could be pretty bomb though. There’s tons of arcade maps added all the time. I could really have gone for some fair boss fight ones, maybe mechanics you could target, bombs to destabilitze a boss.

Part and parcel comes close. But the hybrid is really just a giant meat brick you dps and occasionally dodge aoe from. Heroes from the storm seems fun, but my first experience was just being flooded with 6x 2000 hp self reviving and nuking ones by the 3 minute mark on Vermilion.

Where it seemed like one would be fun, but 3-6 at once was just overtuned and not always possible without just cheesing it with a time stop. Heard it was patched on later maps but man. A lot of wasted potential in there to target for a fun difficulty.

All of the above, thus achieveing bonus will give points.

I like most of the maps.

S Tier: Oblivion Express, Void Launch, Temple of the Past, Rifts of Korhal

A Tier:

Sythe Amon - Like the flexibility and the difficulty; But the bonus spawning can get a little weird if you expand first. I think 3rd bonus comes a bit too soon.

Chain of Ascension - I really like that hard 2nd wave and first hybrid spawn (I know it was a bug but it makes the mission kind of fun IMO), I think the flow to the mission is generally good, but the fact that you need to your ally to move Jinara can make this a problem if you and your ally have different agenda and different levels of awareness.

Mist Opportunities - I like the map. I don’t mind the length. Gives me a chance to fully max out on upgrades. But it doesn’t go into S tier because if your have a poor mobility commander and get caught out of place you can lose by surprise; not because you got overwhelmed or anything.

Part and Parcel - I like maps with a flexible clear style. The hybrid mechs are just awkward (not so much difficult) so it gets knocked down from S tier for me.

B -tier

Malwarfare - I do honestly enjoy this map. I don’t like that the bonus is both out the way, and gimps you economically as well. The bonus and awkward suppression tower spawn positions with an immobile commander knock it down for me.

Void Thrashing - Nice for XP grinding but too basic. I tend to either not fully tech or not really get many upgrades this map.

Lock and Load - It’s fine. But same issue with chain of ascension with ally cooperation but with spawns coming in multiple directions, and the need to defend and also take locks, if you don’t have an aware play it can make the map a pain. Sometimes you got Vorazun allies that trigger the space to go crazy. I feel a good map should reward Ally cooperation, but should possible to complete solo .

Vermillion Problem - The map is kind of meh. And the Donny’s annoying style knocks it down from A tier.

C Tier -

Dead of Night - Maybe because it’s over picked. BUT I also don’t like being economically capped at 27 mineral workers, and 9 gas workers.

D tier

Cradle of Death - I despise having to baby sit the darn trunk.

After some careful consideration I managed to rank them according to my preferences.

S Tier
Void Trashing, Rifts to Korhal, Part and Parcel

In my opinion Void Trashing and Rifts to Korhal are the two best maps out there: easy accessible and clearable expansions which allow for better eco early on if preferred, offensive playstyles get rewarded and there is no downtime since you can trigger the objectives whenever you want if you have time left (you don’t have to wait on a timer to trigger the next goal since you can trigger it yourself)

Part & Parcel: If the expansion was earlier accessible this would be my absolute favorite map: Some early pressure to get the parts, the requirement to be active on the map and the fact that the objectives are triggered whenever you get enough parts leads a smooth progression of the co-op on a map that actually looks nice

A tier
Temple of the Past & Death of Night, Void Launch

I will always have a bit of a soft spot for defense maps in co-op. Whenever I play Temple of the past it reminds me of the ‘in utter darkness’ mission in the terran campaign where you see what happens if Kerrigan would die. I miss playing it on the “Firstborn”-song in co-op though since that song really really gave me the perfect feeling to go with it.

Dead of Night is also a nice map which allows you for whateven playstyle you choose with whatever commander you select. It gives you a lot of freedom to complete it fast because it isn’t on a timer and you can choose whether you defend, clear or do both.

Another lovely map is void launch: Easy clearable expansions, and it requires you to be active on the map. The only downside is that the goals are on a timer and you sometimes have to wait a couple of minutes after you cleared the map…

B Tier
Oblivion Express, Malwarfare, The Vermillion Problem

All of these are nice maps which require mobility and force you to be active on the map. The only downside is that they take rather long to complete since you can’t rush the objectives on your own terms.

C Tier
Miner Evacuation & Mist opportunities

I like the mobility of those maps and the fact that you have to be active. I don’t like the fact that on Miner Evacuation sometimes your first ship to defend isn’t in the middle which delays expanding, hampering normal gameplay and I absolutely hate Stetman’s voice (otherwise Mist opportunities would be higher up).

D Tier
Scythe of Amon

I really just don’t like the map due to the slower expansion, the awkward bonus objectives, death grip crystals which make no sense. If I had the chance to veto some maps in co-op, this one would definately be in it.

F Tier
Cradle of Death, Chain of Ascension and Lock & Load.

As much as I like the co-op aspect in co-op games, sometimes it just feels like an absolute waste of time when you are mismatched with an absent troglodyte who isn’t carrying his own weight, or doesn’t do anything that completes or advances the mission. Basically on these maps you are completely dependent on the fact that your ally has to want to advance/ complete the mission, no matter how strong you are or how hard you can carry. I met most of the trolls on these maps including:

  • Specimens wanting to clear the whole maps before completing the objective.
  • Creatures having enough of Jinhara’s nagging loving it to see her fall into the pit and put higher priority anything else then moving her forward.
  • Very skillful drivers on Cradle of Death avoiding any artifact constructs.

Apart from that there are also those who make it last a decade compared to other games.

If played with a friend however I’m having a soft spot for Lock & Load, since with good teamwork that’s a gem of a map that can easily and fast be completed. However I still would hard veto Chain of Ascension (Jinhara’s nagging) and Cradle of Death.

Well, recently i reached an epiphany.

I hate Cradle of Death. So much so that I now stop using random map just to avoid it.

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