Quake Champions – How to Handle Team Deathmatch

Team Deathmatch requires more understanding of the game than regular deathmatch. No one likes to carry a feeder. If you don’t want to be a burden to your team but crave for team fight, this guide will acquaint you with basics of TDM.

Intro

All credit goes to Shader!

Team modes offer great opportunity to enjoy the whole new level of Quake, fighting side by side with your teammates. Currently there’re two team modes: team deathmatch and sacrifice. Since Quake Champions has gone to EA, I’ve seen plenty of players in TDM who plays shoot-and-run. This mode requires teamplay, let’s talk how to handle the TDM by not being a burden to your team. If teams are more or less balanced the one who controls map better – wins. To succeed it’s essential to control the key points on each map. Even if your aim is not perfect and you can’t handle most enemies face to face, by doing right things in TDM you will help your team.

Team Deathmatch Objectives

• The main objective to control is Quad Damage. Currently there’s one on each map and it spawns every 2 minutes. Make sure you have ample stack of health/armor before Quad spawns. Some champions can take strategic position to engage Quad when it spawns. We’ll talk later about basic tips for each map.
• Secondary objectives are Megahealth and Big Armor. Each object respawns in 30 seconds after being taken. Both are worth taking but not at the expense of your life. Also remember – sharing is caring, if your teammate with quad is near, leave mega or armor to him (as well as other useful objects). If your are at your full stack and your teammate is near – share mega or armor. Also note, that experienced players refer to big armor as ‘Red Armor’, don’t be confused by it’s green color, this title comes from previous game in Quake series and is legit.

These two simple objectives are followed by several conclusions:

Learn the map

You can create ‘custom game’ with desired map. It’s better to spend couple of minutes exploring it than running in circles like beheaded chicken in real TDM. At least check where primary and secondary objectives are placed.

Go for powerup in time

Every two minutes you must be ready to put your life on a line fighting for Quad Damage. You can be late on a date but never on quad. If you are half-dead – fight, but leave quad for teammate with higher stack. Even machinegun with Quad is deadly dangerous. When Quad is taken (you will hear announcer notification) take a glance on a timer. E.g. it shows 02:03. Memorize it as “plus three” for the next Quad and you won’t run into it prematurely next time.

Keep you stack high

The flawless winning strategy: keep your health higher than zero and lower your enemy’s health to zero.

Strength in numbers

Don’t fight superior forces on your own without quad damage and/or with low stack. It’s better to retreat than to give free frag to opposing team. Also always help your teammate in fight if possible. There should be no killsteal – only score of your team matters.

Don’t give free frags

Respawns can be bad, but try to give as less free frags to enemy team as possible. Don’t go into combat with starting weapon. If forced to do so – sell your life dear.

Be clever, fight wise

Take strategic positions, disengage when health is low, use abilities in defensive or aggressive manner depending on situation. Fighting for primary objective or controlling the secondary doesn’t mean you are ought to stand still on it.

Tips for TDM maps

Blood Covenant

• It’s easy to take Quad with Scalebearer running through teleporter 1 second before spawn. It can be countered with Galena’s totem and preventive rockets. Slash also is good for taking Quad, but 2-3 seconds before, overcovering the space around the spawning Quad with ‘plasma trail’. Sorlag can always make the place dirty prior to quad spawn, but it’s better to keep the ability off cooldown to increase the firepower in fight. 
• It’s better to control the armor from the bridge – you are vulnerable on the ground level to attacks from bridge and from railgun, and most likely you won’t be able to counterattack the enemy on railgun from armor position.

Ruins of Sarnath

• Scalebearer can take Quad by his ‘Bull Rush’ starting the sprint from below, but it can be easily countered from the bridge. Sorlag can perfectly control the Quad point from the bridge. Keep firing preventive rockets to upper passage and to railgun below if necessary.

Burial Chamber

• This map has the most open Quad spawning position. It’s exposed to fire from all positions, so after taking the powerup disengage as fast as possible. It’s possible to take Quad from the teleporter – exit is right on Quad. Ranger can get there in the most safe manner, other classes can rocket jump, wall jump + rocket jump or rocket jump + double jump, but it’s not as failsafe as Ranger’s ability. It’s safer to engage the Quad from the high ground, however make sure you won’t get mouthful of rockets jumping on Quad. 
• There’re a lot of options for being pushed to ‘Ring out’, beware while jumping or running near ledges. 

Lockbox

• This map is very friendly to campers. Galena is the queen of Lockbox, so if enemy team has this champion, don’t use teleporters or be ready to receive some damage running through. If there’re two Galenas, don’t use teleporters at all. 
• There’re two champions that can counter camping Galena: Ranger and Nyx. Ranger can use Dire Orb to take Quad and to engage Galena through the loophole. Nyx can use invisibility to run through the teleporter without triggering totems. At all costs prevent Galena from gaining a foothold on the top. 
• Jumping on a quad is easier from the railgun spawn. However slow champions will require to strafe jump to reach the Quad. Practice, it’s very shameful to jump short 1 second before Quad spawns. 
• You can send one to take an acid bath by firing the lock on the wall in the room with lightning gun. It won’t kill the enemy in an instant but surely distract him for a while – the damage is way more intense than in the acid near rocket launcher. 
• Jumping to the sinkhole, aim to the hole. Try not to roll over the walls like a roulette ball, because you will expose yourself to fire from above.

Church of Azathoth

• Pretty straightforward map. Open space on Quad with options to keep the high ground before engaging it. Scalebearer as alawys can spit on everyone from above. Quad also can be sniped right from railgun spawn. 
• Room with armor is a place for campers, beware of hideous enemies on the wood ledges above. 

Tempest Shrine

• Teleporters can be tricky at the first glance. Make sure you know where will you appear after running through. 
• Scalebearer and Slash can perform the same trick as on Blood Covenant, but they needs more time to reach the Quad after exiting the teleporter. Don’t miscalculate. 

Afterword

Metagame is not yet defined. It’s early access and the whole game balance is a subject for changes and rebalance. You can play any champion you like if you are able to to right things in the right time. However I personally consider Anarki, B.J., Nyx, Ranger, Scalebearer, Slash, Sorlag as most useful champions for TDM. Situational use can be found for Visor and Galena. Doom and Clutch are the least usable for TDM, however you are free to use any champion you like.

Keeping timers in mind can be tricky in the beginning. Start with Quad Damage and “plus %n” where %n is the number of seconds since 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00 when the Quad was taken. When you register this event automatically, add to your internal tracker armor and megahealth. For me it’s easier to add 30 seconds at once. This way I never mix it with Quad timer.

Keep in mind, that you are playing in team. Synergy and control are the keys to the victory. Better aim and proper champion handling will come with practice. If at your current level you are not good enough in hand to hand combat, start working on understanding of the TDM flow and provide necessary and useful support to your team.