Hey there! This is my first submission to Forge Hub, and I really hope you guys enjoy it.

A Few Words: I originally built Canyon of Strife in the hopes of making a large infection map that provided players with a large, open, natural landscape to fend off the zombie horde. For this reason, structures are sparse and located distantly from one another, and an emphasis was placed on the natural environment moreso than interior outposts. Rather than narrow confines and sharp corridors, I opted for player freedom.

I designed the map with a large number of players in mind, hence the size, but never managed to test with more than 10 at the time, so feedback on games with a higher player count would be greatly appreciated.

The Survivors

Survivors begin the game scattered and vulnerable, armed with only the Magnum and either the sprint or evade armor ability. Survivor statistics remain at default, making them easy prey for a stray blade in the darkness. Motion sensors are only functional in locating nearby allies, and are incapable of detecting the infected.

This means the survivors must remain on their toes at all times if they want to stand any chance at all to last the night. Flying solo only throws yourself into infected hands sooner!

The Infected

Equipped with an energy sword and gravity hammer, the infected are already a deadly force to be reckoned with. Combine this with the evade armor ability, increased movement speed and jump height and you have yourself some of the most visceral, agile infected to ever plague the land.

The infected lack shields, however, so if quick-thinking survivors anticipate a their movements, they're as good as dead.

Infected players spawn on the cliffs overlooking the canyon, generally out of reach of the survivors, allowing swift, calculated strikes from above. A fully functional motion sensor allows the infected to locate survivors within a wide radius, giving the rampaging beasts an upper-hand in tracking and infecting those still alive.

Map Overview

Canyon of Strife utilises the entire canyon area of Forge World to dwarf the survivors and make them feel entirely at the mercy of the infected striking from above.

Barring the Central Bunker, every key outpost contains a weapon specific to it, and once it's picked up, it won't respawn until the following round. Make every shot count.

Vehicles and turrets each take a full 3 minutes to respawn.

A guide of a few key locations are as follows (not all are included):

Central Bunker

The Central Bunker is both the most useful location and most dangerous to the survivors in the canyon. Accessed primarily by the teleporter beneath it, a gravity lift on the interior level will bring you out onto the top, where a selection of turrets make it possible to defend against the infected horde. Notably, the bunker is circular and so is greatly susceptible to attacks from all sides and angles. This poses a massive issue when survivors realise this bunker stands as the only reliable source of magnum, DMR and shotgun ammo on the whole map. Expect to make frequent visits here.

I chose to make this outpost the only reliable source of ammo in order to minimise camping in corners and tight locations elsewhere on the map. Camping in the central bunker is more difficult than anywhere else in the canyon, thanks to it's circular design. Players may hold out anywhere, but the question is - for how long?

Abandoned Facility

A decrepit, ramshackle facility serves as a better holdout than one might think. Crates and collapsed buildings form the basis of this outpost. A Grenade Launcher can be found inside the main building, while a totalled Rocket Warthog lies outside. This, aswell as the variety of materials to take cover behind, provides a strong incentive to make the journey here.

The Gauntlet

With a name verified by the screenshot above, The Gauntlet is a highly vulnerable outpost, designed with a single path to it's heart. The primary goal here is a Ghost and focus rifle: plenty reason to test your nerve and wit. A mongoose is located at it's base, vital for meeting with other survivors early in the game, should you spawn nearby.

Beach Outpost

The updated screenshot I took of this outpost hasn't uploaded to Bungie.net, so I'm using this older shot from a previous version.

Arguably one of the safest holdouts on the map, the Beach Outpost is located facing the rest of the canyon, providing clear vision into the distance, which proves vastly useful to the survivors. Featuring a mounted machinegun on the bottom floor, and two shade turrets on the main level, a defence can be established, albeit a weak one, due to the infected's ability to dodge and weave efficiently. A branching tower stands as this outpost's tallest point, featuring a one-time sniper rifle for any survivor who thinks themselves quick enough to pick off infected at distance.

Gravity lifts allow survivors to access each level of the outpost, where a Revenant waits at the top. A mongoose lays on the beach nearby for easy transport.

Warthog Cave

A dimly lit cave houses two Rocket Warthogs: deadly and versatile weapons in the right hands. These are ideal for traversing the canyon and function well over the rough terrain. However, beware of gravity hammer attacks...

I chose to use Rocket Warthogs on the map over Normal or Gauss because I found that in testing, it would be very easy for survivors to pile into the 'Hogs and drive around the map endlessly, decimating the infected with little threat to their health, and little effort required. As a result, I replaced the old Warthogs with their rocket-launching counterparts, balancing out the two teams. Rockets - fun for all!

The Canyon

Even originally, the canyon portion of Forge World was filled with bumps and hills, making it difficult to traverse in the driver's seat. I emphasised this by placing natural objects, such as large rock stacks and slabs, making the whole environment itself more threatening and dangerous. This allows the infected a more stealthy angle to approach outposts and will make Warthoggers think twice about hiding behind the wheel for too long.

Tipping your vehicle proves a grave mistake...

Other minor outposts and nooks can be found on the map that I haven't detailed here, each with their own tools and weaponry to help dispose of the infected, but in all, this is Canyon of Strife.

I'd greatly appreciate it if you could let me know of any issues you find, suggestions or criticisms while playing.

Note: My screenshots were taken using two different sets of filters. If you find that the filters aren't to your tastes, (the final version of the map is using the darker combination of filters) they're in front of the Beach Outpost in Forge.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy playing Canyon of Strife!