Hellstone

Hellstone
Basic Information
Developer(s):	Unknown
Map Info
Environment:	Halloween
Setting:	Nighttime, overcast
Hazards:	Pitfall, Pumpkin bombs, Ghost, Skeletons, MONOCULUS, Lava Horseless Headless Horseman
Map Photos
Map Overview

Hellstone is a community-created map that appeared in the Scream Fortress 2015 update. It is a Halloween version of the community Payload map Millstone, and takes place near Hell. It portrays Zepheniah Mann's Australium mine in Badlands, and a poster in the mine is dated to late 1850, the year of Zephaniah's death. The entire map is modeled in dilapidated RED-themed wood construction, with the single exception of the Veikko Industrial building housing the BLU Base. And why is there a blue miner's hat in a boarded up section of Zepheniah's mine?

Zephaniah Mann's Australium mine in Badlands.

From that base, BLU is contracted to carry "Veikko the MANNLY BLU Ghost" to Hell. The Payload cart holds Veikko's ghost, and any RED player who approaches the cart will be haunted. When certain checkpoints are reached by BLU, the Halloween Ghosts, Skeletons, Horseless Headless Horsemann, and MONOCULUS spawn.

Magic Spells are scattered around the map for players to use. Accesses to non-spawning rare Magic Spells are unlocked as certain points are captured. The Skeleton King drops an additional rare Magic Spell when defeated. A respawning rare Magic Spell is found in the Purgatory underworld that is accessed by jumping through the purple portals left behind by MONOCULUS, and several rare Magic Spell are scattered in the Hell that opens up when a MONOCULUS is defeated.

Some of the few rare Magic Spells are unlocked in locations advantageous to the RED team's defense; however, if cart progress is slow, the monsters will spawn in or behind RED's defense.

Locations

Veikko Industrial
(housing BLU Base)

The first two stages of this map follow a narrow road that enters into a wider yard before winding through a two-story building and entering the final Hell Pit stage.

ROAD TO HELL

Road to Hell.

• Road: The cart path starts as a long and narrow winding road with three side passages.
• Freight House: The first side passage: The doorway overlooks the entire BLU spawn area.
  • When the round starts, a Ghost spawns from the third BLU spawn to the front and left of the Freight House and haunts the first stage of the "Road to Hell", taking a single rectangular route.
• Cubby Hole: The small room after the first U-bend of the tracks is a common ambush and Engineer nest site.
  • Some of the skeletons from the first wave can spawn from this room.
• Mine Shack: The second side passage overlooks both the road and the RED spawn yard. A one-way gate closes after the first point is captured.
• Second spawn: The third side passage is the location of the BLU spawn after the Horsemanns House is captured.
  • Skeletons spawn at either end of the passage, depending on the progress of the cart.

HORSEMANNS HOUSE

Yard with RED spawn and Horsemanns House (right).

• Yard: The road widens at the "Horsemanns House", which is opposite RED spawn.
  • At the first Witching Hour (one gong), three Skeletons spawn in the rear of the Yard behind the lumber stack, and three more spawn next to the second BLU spawn exit under Clock Tower.
• Horsemanns House: The Horseless Headless Horsemann spawns in a rear ground floor room of this building, which opens when the second point is captured.
  • A rare Magic Spell is located in the same room as the Horsemann's spawn.

HELLS BELLS

Caved-in tunnel hiding a rare Magic Spell.

In the second half of the map, the track winds through a two-level building with multiple ways between the levels.

• Foyer: A room with flanking cover and a Pitfall.
• Third spawn: The doors smashed open by the mine cart becomes the front and rear doors for the BLU spawn after the fourth point is captured.
• King spawn: The Skeleton King spawns at the base of the stairs across from the "Hells Bells" capture point, beneath the sign: CAUTION CROCODILES AND GORILLAS BEYOND THIS POINT.
  • A rare Magic Spell is hidden in the caved-in tunnel that opens behind the King spawn. The first BLU player that enters the tunnel explodes the cave in, freeing the rare Magic Spell and clearing the tunnel.

MONOCULUSMOS MONSTERINUS

• A single small room with six flanking access points on two levels.

THE HELL PIT

The Hell Pit.

• Red spawn: The final RED spawn overlooks the final Hell Pit fighting area.
  • A rare Magic Spell is located on the lean-to rooftop over RED's spawn gates.

Purgatory and Hell

• Purgatory and Hell are Underworld locations that are reachable only through portals that are created when MONOCULUS teleports or is killed.
  • Players jumping through the purple teleport portals are restored to full health and transported to the top of a rock in Purgatory. Here, players suffer the Underworld health drain, increasing in damage with time. Crossing a short jump and stepping into the white portal instantly teleports a player back into the main map, granting invulnerability, a 200% overheal, a speed boost, and a crit boost for a limited time.
  • Players entering the floating Bombinomicon that appears if MONOCULUS is killed are teleported to a location in Hell that also has health drain. Several rare Magic spells are scattered about and Bombinomicon greets players that make it to his end of Hell. Players entering the Bombinomicon portal are teleported back to the map with a buff.

• 

  Purgatory

• 

  Hell

• 

  Bombinomicon in Hell.

Monster spawns at control point captures

The various monsters spawn at captures of specific stages. Also, if the points are not captured soon enough, additional Skeletons and certain boss monsters will spawn.

• First point capture: Skeletons spawn from small areas behind and in front of the cart.
• Second point capture: The Horseless Headless Horsemann spawns, and the second half of the map opens up its gates. The gates can also be opened when clock first hits midnight.
• Third point capture: The Skeleton King spawns with his minions, and three bell sounds are heard with an evil laugh. When a small switch is triggered soon after the third point, a mine cart is let loose and travels through a small passageway before opening up a new path to the final area.
• Fourth point capture: MONOCULUS spawns near the last point, generally around the Hell Pit.
• Fifth and final point capture: The ghost travels down into the Hell pit entrance and the round ends.

There are also timed events, based on the clock that ticks within the map. When its hands hit midnight, skeleton groups and MONOCULUS will spawn. If there is more than one MONOCULUS after the fourth point, their health bar shares the same space in the HUD. Whichever MONOCULUS was damaged most recently is the one that will show its health on top.

Strategy

Main article: Community Hellstone strategy

See also: Community Mann Manor strategy for Horseless Headless Horsemann

General mechanics for dealing with or exploiting the monsters on other maps apply here as well. However, the monsters that are present change over the course of the map; so monster-specific class selections and load outs can also change as the cart and time progresses in the round. The monster spawns are completely predicable and both teams should be ready for them.

• Learn to jump: The three flanking passages on the Road to Hell require Jumping for the RED team to use. Much the same may be said of the second half of the map; Horsemanns House, Hells Bells, and Monoculusmos Monsterinus may each be flanked by RED with Jumping.
• Baby Skeletons are babies: A couple of Heavies with full Minigun magazines, ready for the Skeleton spawn at the Road to Hell capture, firing while backpedaling S, can largely handle a four Skeleton wave.
• Just keep pushing: Bullets spent fighting the first MONOCULUS spawn are bullets that miss the real enemy.
  • When at all practical, avoid engaging MONOCULUS and hope it teleports to be in the other team's way.
  • Use the blocking cover it provides to set up defenses and pushes for when it clears.
  • When a boss monster is near the cart, keep a BLU Scout or a Cloak and Dagger Spy in the area to tap the cart while the monster's attention is elsewhere.
• Rockets rain on the just and the unjust: In the final push, MONOCULUS fires on either team indiscriminately; so do not waste firepower on the monster; simply adjust tactics to its changing positions.
• Don't shoot the Horsemann: Lead the Horseless Headless Horsemann into the enemy's area and hope they shoot at him.
• In Russia, cart pushes you: The stun radius of the cart is limited; a Spy can backstab a player from just outside of the stun zone: so keep the cart to your back when Spies are active.

Update history

October 28, 2015 Patch (Scream Fortress 2015)

• Added Hellstone to the game.

November 3, 2015 Patch

• Fixed getting out of the map using spells.
• MONOCULUS moves now around the end area of the map instead of staying near final pit.
• Made spells spawn a bit less frequently.
• Fixed ghost long arms, now it travels/arrives to hell.
• Performance optimizations.
• Updated the navigation file.

November 6, 2015 Patch

• Fixed door near final pit so players no longer get stuck in it.
• Decreased ghost cart stun area. Now you have to be closer to the cart as RED to get scared.
• Fixed odd cable appearing sometimes in the ground near BLU spawn.
• Fixed being able to shoot spells into BLU spawn during setup time.
• Fixed Monoculus dropping down into a pit in rare cases.

October 12, 2016 Patch

• Updated bot navigation file, bots now use all routes, won't get stuck so easily and are smarter.
• Fixed woodpile spot where HHH could get stuck.
• Improved clipping on wood piles.
• Fixed missing rooftop texture.
• Fixed a few props flashing at certain angles.
• Fixed a spot in the last area where you could place stickies underground.
• Fixed Monoculus not getting stunned when hit by players exiting purgatory.

November 10, 2016 Patch

• Fixed an exploit where you could trap Horseless Headless Horsemann in place.
• Fixed some door frames from being able to shoot through them.
• Fixed a texture error.
• Fixed a barrel that you could walk through.
• Improved navigation file for better bot movement.
• Fixed being able to shoot through building wall located front of RED 1st base.
• Community request: Added OnTruceStart and OnTruceEnd outputs to the tf_gamerules entity for maps.

Gallery

• 

  Another Gibus-wearing Ghost is hidden in the upper floor of RED's base, facing another entrance to Hell.