We'll start with our trailer for the new game mode...
All about Ascent
Today's blog will explain the gameplay systems of Ascent and the new map - how does a game mode about climbing actually work? You'll be able to play from April 10th until April 24th, and earn a special Ascent medal for taking part - if you have more questions about the event itself, check out the FAQ here. For gameplay, you're already in the right place - let's get into it!
The Objective
The Ascent map only has one objective - a capture point at the top of the mountain where the Austro-Hungarians have established a command post in a few snow blasted wooden huts. However, it's really more about the journey than the destination this time - there are 10 forward spawn points for the Italians scattered across the various ledges on the Marmolada cliffside, and the Austro-Hungarians have almost as many.
Combat around the command post. It doesn't look like much, but the strategic value is enormous.
A rush to the top won't work - the Italians need to advance ledge by ledge, destroying the Austro-Hungarian forward spawn points and establishing their own. The final step is getting a foothold on the top of the mountain with one or both of the two forward spawn points up there, and finally storming the command post. How hard can it be?
Climbing
Scaling the mountain is the only way up for the Italians. Hand over hand, clinging to the unforgiving rock of the cliff face. There are no alternate routes or clever shortcuts.
The mechanics of climbing are not too complicated - approach the cliff and press the button to switch from regular movement to climbing. A prompt will show up when you're close enough, in the same way you get prompts for mounting heavy weapons or cutting wire.
Alpini reaching the top and preparing to assault the command post - there's a long way up before you get here though!
Once you're on the cliff, you move the same way as usual, except that forward takes you up, backwards brings you down, and left/right will trigger a sideways hop. This kind of sideways movement isn't especially quick, so it's highly recommended to plan your routes to minimize how much sideways shuffling you're doing - but sometimes it's the only way to navigate an overhang or stay out of sight.
And you will want to stay out of sight, with 16 angry Austro-Hungarians shooting or throwing rocks down at you. There's no yellow paint highlighting the best routes, so take a moment to scope out the mountainside, and experiment with different paths.
Pitons and Ropes
Luckily, you can improve the odds - at least for people following you. While climbing, you can place pitons into the cliff. During the First World War, pitons were actually still a relatively new technology, originally used only to aid a descent!
Pitons and ropes in-game.
In Ascent, if you place multiple pitons close enough together they will be linked by ropes. Once that's done, climbers following the same route will get a boost to their climbing speed. There's no need to attach yourself to ropes or anything like that - just stay reasonably close to the ropes and you'll move faster.
Do be careful about where you place pitons or which ropes you follow! You might be faster while following a rope, but you're a long way from being able to outclimb bullets. A lovely straight path with pitons and ropes is nothing more than a deathtrap if the Austro-Hungarians have good lines of sight to it.
A historical aside
Did you know that Marmolada was a key site for some of the earliest use of pitons in climbing? In 1901, expert climber Beatrice Tomasson was the first to ascend the 'South Wall of Marmolata', which was the biggest vertical wall ever climbed at the time - more than 600m/2000ft.
Beatrice Tomasson, right, alongside fellow climber Arcangelo Siorpaes, left.
Rocks!
It's not an April Fool's joke, the rock (not that one) will be a lethal weapon in Ascent!
Rocks fall into the category of 'easy to learn, hard to master'. The basics are: find rock pile, take rock, throw rock at enemy. If you avoid throwing it directly up above your head you'll be fine!
But once you're in battle, you'll find there's more nuance to it. Rocks are physics objects, and will bounce on their way down the mountain. You can adjust the power of your throw by holding down the fire button, to allow you to target climbers who aren't directly below you. It also means you can stay away from the edge if you want - depending on how sharp eyed the Italians below you are, it might be dangerous to silhouette yourself against the cliff edge while aiming a rifle downwards.
These piles are where you can draw new rocks from.
Heroic climbs!
Ascent is inspired by the many daring climbs made during the war in the Alps - both the recorded ones and the ones done by soldiers whose names are lost to history. We also shouldn't forget that climbing itself is dangerous, all the more so back then when much modern safety gear wasn't yet invented or in widespread use. It takes bravery to scale any mountain, even if you're not actively being shot at.
Two names we do know are Ugo Vallepiana and Giuseppe Gaspard, Alpini veterans who made a series of climbs during the war. One of their most dangerous was during the Italian operation to capture the Castelletto, a strategically important piece of high ground. Vallepiana and Gaspard planned to climb past the enemy positions on the Castelletto and occupy a ledge 10s of meters above them, from which they could shoot down.
Their journey was not an easy one - a slip of his foot would have killed Gaspard, except he had the incredible luck to land in a snowbank thick enough to cushion his fall. Further along, the Austro-Hungarian occupants of the Castelletto spotted them and a sniper shot Gaspard in the arm. When that didn't stop them artillery was fired into the mountain they were climbing, sending shrapnel and rock fragments through the air around them. Somehow they still reached their ledge, and were able to haul up some heavier weaponry!
As often happens in war, their heroic achievement was sadly not as decisive as hoped, and the defenders of the Castelletto remained well dug-in. Ultimately the Alpini would dig into the rock below the Austro-Hungarians and detonate a mine - you can read about that in our previous blog!
An image from the other blog post, taken from Itinerari Della Grande Guerra. As noted there, it's included with an article about the Castelletto, but seems more likely to be an Austro-Hungarian mine at Monte Lagazuoi.
The Altitude Units Pack will arrive with Ascent
You can already wishlist our upcoming cosmetic DLC on Steam, which is full of cold weather clothing that will suit any of our colder maps, including the vertical cliff face of Marmolada in Ascent!
Gear up for Altitude!
The assault begins on the 10th and will run until the 24th of April. Get your ice picks and rocks ready...
