Battlestations: Pacific/Choke Point

The following requires the Volcano Map Pack, from either Games for Windows Live Marketplace (PC) or the Xbox 360 Marketplace (Xbox).

Escort
This map seems rather balanced, but in reality heavily favours the Japanese. It is nearly impossible to win as Allies on this map.

The layout is simple: a Yorktown-class carrier must pass through a long and winding strait, similar to Running the Palawan Passage. There is only one route for the carrier to follow. It is escorted by an Iowa-class battleship and its fighter wing: the Allied players. The Japanese have several shore batteries, fortresses, heavy AA guns, as well as four shipyards and an airfield to sink this carrier. The Japanese players can choose to spawn as a Minekaze-class destroyer from the shipyards or as a Raiden or Jill from the airfield. The Allies must employ rocket Corsairs and SB2C Helldivers to try in a rather vain attempt to keep their carrier afloat. Minekaze-class destroyers are easy pickings for rocket attacks, but because they are so concentrated their AA fire becomes extremely effective. This is particularly true when combined with the huge grouping of AA guns next to the first shipyard the Allies must destroy.

The Japanese have it easy on this map - the destruction of the first shipyard is almost inevitable, but the destroyers carry quite a few torpedoes that can be fired at standoff range. The Iowa has difficulties in aiming at multiple smaller targets like your destroyers, so simply fire off your torpedoes and hope for the best. When fired in waves, the carrier AI will often be unable to manoeuvre.

Aside from the comparatively long range of the Minekaze-class' torpedoes, the shipyards the Allies must destroy are built rather tough. Rockets cause only small amounts of damage, and it is up to Helldivers to cause most of it. Unfortunately, Helldivers are easy targets for the ground-based AA guns and enemy-operated destroyers. Not only this, but the second shipyard has an extremely odd hitbox which makes hitting it extremely hard, especially from the air. The carrier usually sinks a little to the south of the second shipyard.

In the highly unlikely event it manages to pass the second shipyard, it still must contend with two additional shipyards, aircraft from the airfield, and multiple shoreguns. This map is avoided like the plague online, as a result of the total lack of balance on this map.

Siege
This mode is far more balanced than Escort, but it still seems to favour the Allies over the Japanese this time. Similar to Siege Dreadnought reversed, the Allies are attempting to land, via LCPs and troop transports, on a heavily defended Japanese island. The coast is split in half by two Japanese headquarters, each with its own defences. Each headquarters is attacked by two Allied troop transports which are out of range for the shore batteries. These transports unload massive waves of LCPs at the island, which is heavily fortified with fortresses, flak cannons, and bunkers.

The Allies and the Japanese have access to advanced fighters (Hellcat and Raiden), advanced dive bombers (Helldivers and Judies), and twin-engined fighter/bombers (Lightnings and Gekkos). Unlike Dreadnought, both sides will want to deploy dive bombers: the route for an Allied victory is to eliminate the shore defences (most importantly the AA emplacements, as these hinder future airstrikes against the real targets: the fortresses) and the Japanese must simply sink the troop transports again and again until the Allies run out of strength.

The Japanese objective is complicated considerably by the transport's own AA. While transports usually are sitting ducks, the Allied fighters spawn extremely close to the transports, making protecting them quite easy. On the flipside, however, Helldivers are easy prey for the Raidens and their four repeating cannons. A delicate balance of offence and defence is necessary for victory, but as they say, the best defence is a good offence. Focus bombing runs on the four transports until they sink, but as you fly overhead be sure to strafe the LCPs.

The Allies, meanwhile, should focus on the land installations - mainly the flak cannons, as stated above. There will be quite a bit of surface fire until you neutralize these emplacements, so take them out quickly and stay at low altitude to avoid being sandwiched between surface fire and enemy CAP. Be aware that Helldiver and Lightning guns are strong enough to damage the fortresses, so be sure to strafe them as you bomb them for maximum effect.

Competitive
This map is unavailable for competitive play.

Island Capture
This map is unavailable for Island Capture.