The map is much bigger and has a lot more cover. But in this case, you will be fighting for it a lot. Just like in Equator, Bay 5 only has a single objective point. There is verticality, line-sights of all ranges, a good mix of concrete and shipping containers (which helps a lot with the audio) and much fewer chances of being blown up by grenades as you are running out of the spawn. You can have fun playing this map whether you are playing CQB or Marksman, and you'll fill useful in both cases. This is the one that gets closer to the ideal of being a playground that is fun for everyone, no matter the class or preset. For example, on smaller maps like Equator, the time between the start of the round and the objective becoming capturable should probably be much shorter.īay 5 is the best map in Escape From Tarkov: Arena. This problem could be fixed by having dynamic round timers, depending on the map. Nine out of ten times, the round will be over before the objective even becomes available, so we don't really get a chance to see how only having one point changes the way Arena is played. As you might imagine, this is not fun at all.Īdditionally, the map is so small that you'll rarely ever get to a point where you have to control the objective. If you are going against a team with a lot of Assault presets, you're probably going to get killed by a grenade at the beginning of the round at least once. Grenades are extremely overpowered in this map. With that said, the smaller size and the initial chokepoints give us two problems. It is the best map if you want to engage in close quarters combat and, since it just goes all-in on that premise, it just works wonderfully. The center of the map is where the objective is, with cover from both sides.Įquator is just constant. Two wider, more diverse chokepoints between the middle and the edges. It makes things simpler to design by having a single objective point instead of two, which makes sense because it is the smallest map in the pool. If no one picked a a Marksman preset and your enemy team has at least one, you've probably lost too, because no one will be able to contest the enemy sniper sitting comfortably in a massive tower with plenty of cover available. If you have too many Marksman in one team, you will probably get demolished because, ideally, only one sits in the tower, or you will lose control of the objectives. If you are not in a five-stack, you will have to gamble between choosing a Marksman preset or hoping someone else did. This is a problem in general, but it becomes tenfold in Bowl. This map looks great on paper, but the way the preset system works just doesn't allow it to function correctly.Īrena does not let you swap presets during a match or check what your teammates are using before you are locked-in. Unfortunately, the two sniper towers at the edges of the map absolutely ruin it. There is a great mix of close, medium and long range engagements with a lot of visual variety on display. Controlling the chopper in the middle of the map is hard, but rewarding. This map actually executes most of the things that failed with Air Pit's design. Bowl is the most similar map to Air Pit in Arena, but it suffers from a completely different issue.

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