Hightower

Hightower
Basic Information
Variants:	Helltower and Snowtower
Developer(s):	Unknown
Map Photos
Map Overview

Hightower is a Payload Race map and was released with the Engineer Update as an official map. However, unlike Pipeline, it is set on a single stage. The carts must be elevated up a tower for each team to win.

Hightower has a significantly different ending stage than to other Payload or Payload Race maps. Both teams need to lift their carts upright a tower to reach their finish. Thus making the style of gameplay at this stage being more vertically focused. The raising bomb cart will quickly lower to the bottom if no players are near it. This action is similar to encountering steep slopes.

Goal

Your team must simultaneously push your bomb cart through enemy territory to reach the finishing point. At the same time one must prevent the enemy team from doing the same.

Locations

• The Hightowers - The eponymous hightowers are two parallel structures with a movable platform at the ends of each track. Once the Payload reaches the platform it will begin to slowly raise when there are any players standing on it. If the players are knocked off, the platform will quickly lower back down to the ground, and if a player from the other team stands on it the platform will halt until one side regains control of it. Once the platform reaches the top, it will detonate the Payload and end the round.
• The Crossing - In the beginning of the map both payloads move slowly to a crossing, where both payloads will pass by each other. This is usually the focus of combat for the first section of a round. Any cart directly on the crossing moves automatically until it is off the crossing. If both carts arrive at the crossing simultaneously, the RED cart goes first.
• The Ramp - After passing through the Crossing, the Payload will wind to a ramp located directly outside the enemy team's spawn. The Payload must be continuously pushed up the ramp, which are similar to the ones in Pipeline 3. If the cart is not pushed when on the ramp, the cart will roll back down.
• The Cliff-House - A small house that hangs over the ledge at the far end of the map. Useful for Spies.

Strategy

• The balconies near the spawn room are a common but exposed position for Snipers to easily pick off enemies going up your team's ramp, the tower, or crossing. It is right across from the other team's balcony, so you would do well to clear enemy Snipers before. However, Spies will usually swarm this area, so Spy-checking is necessary.
• The knockback from weapons such as the Force-A-Nature or the Pyro's Airblast can send an enemy off the cliff, resulting in a kill.
• Crouching beside the cart on the platform facing the tower's side will protect you from damage coming from the enemy base. However, enemies can still get you if they are on your team's side of the crossing or the tower.
• The cart will fall rapidly if it was left unattended at height. You can lure absentminded enemies to a quick death if they stand underneath it.
• As long as you keep the enemy cart at the bottom at the ramp, you will have a great defensive position. The chokepoint is close enough to the cliff to use knockback or airblasting, the proximity to the base means reinforcements can arrive quickly, the balcony sniping position covers it, the Sentry Guns also have a vantage point, and if the enemies accompanying the cart partway up die, the cart will move quickly down.
• Use Spy in the beginning of the map and backstab the swarm of enemies pushing the cart. This also works with a Backburner Pyro who can most effectively do this by dropping from the central tower.
• The buildings for the large and medium health pack on ground level serve as ideal Pyro ambush spots as they are in small narrow areas and a magnet to low health enemies.
• The central tower serves as an excellent spot for soldiers to rain rockets down from at enemies pushing the cart.
• A Demoman using stickies can very easily stop a group of enemies from capturing the final point as they must stay on a very small platform leaving them very susceptible to explosive damage.
• Mini-Sentries can be very effective on Hightower. Placing a Mini-Sentry on the opposing team's side of the central tower is a usually unexpected tactic. If the enemy team's cart is going up the tower, then you can use a Mini-Sentry and the Wrangler to damage and kill enemies from the opposite side of the map.

Bugs

• There is a glitch that disables one of the teams' ability to push the cart, while the other team can still push theirs.

Gallery

• 

  The battlefield below.

• 

  Interior of RED base.

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  Interior of BLU base.

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  RED area below showing healthkit locations.

• 

  Overviewing the entire playfield.

External links

• Engineer Update page
• TF2 Official Blog - Engineer Update: Day Three