Frozen Valley

Frozen Valley
Map overview
Game:	Halo Wars
Map file name (?):	Arabia
Lore information
Location:	Harvest
Gameplay overview
Terrain:	Snow/Ice Tundra Forerunner Mountainous
Map layout:	Symmetrical
Recommended number of players:	3v3 (6 players)

“

A wide open map, this cold wasteland features two bonus Reactors and a Forerunner Spire of Healing.

”

Frozen Valley is a multiplayer map for Halo Wars.

Universe and lore

Frozen Valley is a large 3v3 map situated on Harvest, with mountain ranges and a chasm splitting up the region.

Overview

Plenty of base build sites can be found on this map, all of which are initially occupied by rebel bases and defended by rebels. A Forerunner Spire of Healing is found in the center of the map, while one starting base on each side has a Forerunner secondary reactor directly in front of it. There are energy walls at two opposing edges of the map, and, when activated, raise an impassable barrier perpendicular to the paths linking one side of the map to the other. This map is the only Skirmish level in Halo Wars that is not completely functional symmetrical: one side of the map features a chasm and an L-shaped Forerunner wall with a path between the two, while the other side features a singular plateau with no path in its centre. This is balanced by having the L-shaped Forerunner wall stand further than the plateau.

Layout

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  A top-down view of Frozen Valley.

Strategies

• Vehicles dominate this map up and down. Mobility is key. A group of locked down Cobras can essentially lock down a mountain pass, making it impassible. Expect to use leader teleport/Pelican drop a lot to hit the enemy in the rear.
• As leader James Cutter, try to place an Elephant in the Spire of Healing as quickly as possible to secure one of the most important locations on the map.
• Controlling the energy walls to strategically force an enemy's army to go a certain way, possibly funnelling them into a perimeter of Cobras. Scarabs are also very effective and good to use on this map as it has many large mountains and hills which only the Scarab and air units can get over.
• As Covenant leaders, a one-man army can be very effective if used correctly on this map. Keep a large force to defend the central base and send a full upgraded leader to damage the enemy forces as best as possible. Then either recall the leader to a Covenant citadel, or simply move him to the Spire of Healing for a free health recharge. The latter choice saves the need for Huragok or a UNSC ally's Heal and Repair. This tactic often works best as Ripa 'Moramee as he is more difficult to hit in Rage mode, and can therefore do more damage before being forced to retreat.
• Have a Heal and Repair on units in the Spire of Healing to temporarily double the healing process. This is useful on units that take time to heal, such as the Scarab.
• On 3v3 Party Teams, many players can use teamwork to share the bonus reactor in order to research their higher Tech required upgrades. This is a very useful tactic as it means a Covenant player no longer needs to research the Age of Reclamation, and a UNSC player no longer needs to build a fourth Reactor or upgrade two.

Production notes

Frozen Valley was the first 3v3 map designed during the development of Halo Wars. During the internal testing phase of the game, the map was one of the most playtested, and went through the majority of development with few major tweaks to layout. The only major change was to the map's central area; originally the map would have one bridge crossing in the middle for both armies to clash over (notably similar to the layout seen in the later Historic Battle map pack's Glacial Ravine map). As more points of interest for the map came online (such as secondary reactors) designer Justin Rouse wanted to add more angles of attack, which were limited by the limited layout of the map as it stood. Routes were added to the sides of the map, ultimately making the map more fun to play. During the game's Alpha build, the map was named "Arabia".

During the later development of the DLC for Halo Wars. Robot Entertainment saw fan requests for more 3v3 maps and decided to see if it would be possible - with the Historic Battles pack originally slated for only three 1v1 and 2v2 maps. To compromise, Frozen Valley was used as a base to build Glacial Ravine, cutting down on development time and allowing a fourth map to be added to the map pack.

Trivia

• This map was the only level in Halo Wars to feature the Forerunner Spire of Healing until the release of the Historic Battle map pack, which introduces Barrens, another map that features the Spire of Healing at the map's centre.

Gallery

Browse more images in this article's gallery page.

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  A strategic map of Frozen Valley.

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  A three-quarter view of Frozen Valley.

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  A battle occurring on Frozen Valley.

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  Two Covenant bases in the corner of Frozen Valley.