With Update 1.2: Legacy’s release date inching ever closer, we had a chance to check out one of the update’s major additions during this year’s PAX East in Boston. Update 1.2: Legacy will introduce the eponymous Legacy system, of course, but players who are more PvP inclined can also look forward to the new Novare Coast warzone and pre-season Ranked Warzones.
Novare Coast is located on the planet Denova, a new planet that serves as the focus of much of the new content in 1.2. Players who take part in the Warzone will battle over a strategically crucial beachhead and they’ll have to secure control of three mortar turrets scattered across the map to win the battle.
The layout of Novare Coast is fairly simple. Each side has a base on the opposite side of the map with a mortar turret located just to the north of the bases. In the bottom center of the map situated atop a hill is the third and final mortar turret. Novare Coast functions similarly to Alderaan Warzone, with the key differences being that the mortar turrets can be captured at a decent range and capture progression is based on a tug-of-war style mechanic. If you kill an enemy after he is say, 50% towards capturing the turret, you’ll have to push back his progress in order to actually capture the point. It’s also important to note that two points must be captured for the enemy’s shields to be damaged at all. This should allow for some interesting comebacks. Like Huttball, Novare Coast is also configured for same-faction play, so expect to see it popping quite frequently.
For my demo of Novare Coast I played as a heal-spec’d Commando. I don’t actively play a healer in The Old Republic, so it was an interesting change of pace. Thankfully, it’s a lot easier to heal while defending a point on Novare Coast. Since each turret control panel is enclosed, a healer can hide from most of the attackers while healing his teammates. Of course, these enclosures also make great targets for laying down a mass of AOE damage if the enemy tries to turtle within them.
Ultimately, Novare Coast feels like a tighter evolution of Alderaan, so if you’re into capture point PvP it can be tons of fun. There are also a number of power-ups scattered across the map as well and controlling them can be crucial to securing victory. Similar to Alderaan, I found it optimal to take two points and hold them instead of attempting to capture all three. Oddly enough, the matches I won were won by holding onto the points outside of either base instead of holding onto the point outside our own base and the center point, which seems like the natural strategy for this map.
Have you played Novare Coast? What are your thoughts on the new Warzone? Share ‘em with us in the comments below!
