Territories Mode
Territories distills Angels Fall First into a pure control struggle: five flags, ticket drain for the team holding a majority, and no surprise jump to capital boarding mid-match. It is the best mode for learning map lanes, loadout basics, and how bots behave when population is low. Every ground map in 1.0 supports Territories well, with Darsalaam and Errah among the most popular post-launch. This guide explains majority rules, spawn discipline, vehicle rotation between flags, and map-specific habits that stabilize ticket leads against chaotic public lobbies. Master Territories before Incursion — five-point flow teaches ticket math that every later phase still uses underneath the UI. Even veterans warm up here after patches to feel recoil and capture timing changes. A stable three-flag hold with positive ticket drain beats a flashy five-cap wipe that flips thirty seconds later.
Five-point rules
Five capture zones appear on the minimap. Owning more than half drains enemy tickets; owning all five accelerates drain dramatically on most servers.
You do not capture in sequence — fight for clusters your team can hold. Three stable flags beat five contested ones.
Ticket and spawn discipline
Deaths cost tickets. Spawn on threatened flags with teammates instead of default spawn sprinting across map. IFVs rotate squads faster than foot marathons on Irega and Errah.
When trailing tickets, gamble on two-flag flips together rather than solo hero caps.
Vehicle rotation
One tank anchors a central lane; LAVs flanks weak flags; gunships if enabled punish clustered enemies. Repair Support extends pushes on Darsalaam industrial routes.
Map notes
Fortress and Yin Tao Shan: verticality and CQB — mechs and shotguns. Errah and Irega: armor and anti-armor duels. Darsalaam: mixed choke and flank — LMG anchors meta post-1.0.
Space maps running Territories compress fights into station modules — less vehicle, more infantry density.
Bots in Territories
Bots capture undefended rear flags. Assign one human or mark a bot-heavy point when rotating. Ignore bot kills farming while losing majority.
Three-flag defense core
Stable Territories wins often look like 3-2 splits rather than 5-0 blowouts. Identify three defensible flags forming a triangle — rotate as a pack instead of chasing a distant fifth point with one lonely bot.
When ahead on tickets, defend the triangle and let enemies bleed on contested caps. Overextending for style loses more matches than conservative holds.
Communicate which flag is flexible — usually the farthest from spawn — so teammates know where to sacrifice when pressure spikes.
Winning close Territories games
When tickets are even at eighty percent match time, stop chasing highlights — triple-cap defensively and let enemy overextend into your LMG on Darsalaam ramps.
Spawn timing: dying with ten seconds left on a lost cap wastes more than dying early with time to respawn on a winning cap.
Vehicle last stands: one Partisan delaying three enemies on Irega central road buys ticket drain elsewhere — communicate intent so team holds majority.
Bot backfill means rear caps flip silently — assign one human every other rotation to sweep home flags.
Flag priority heuristics
Center flag often acts as hinge — hold center plus one adjacent instead of spreading five ways with bots.
Spawn-adjacent flags are easiest to retake after loss; do not panic-rotate entire team if one home flag flips.
Territories teaches ticket awareness that Incursion still uses under phase UI — never skip this mode in your first week.
Five-flag swing games often decide on one bot-captured rear point — sweep home flags before heroic center pushes.
Majority math is simple: three stable beats five contested — apply that heuristic on every ground map in 1.0.
Spawn on the contested flag your team can reach in ten seconds — long death runs lose more tickets than one lost duel.
Territories remains the recommended first mode on every ground map listed in this wiki.