The Arena

Even though all 7 of the drift decks have unique layout, each deck contains all the essential map elements that are crucial to, and enhance, the gameplay that you love. Below is a description of the various elements all current maps have in common.

The Ball

The ball is every players target. Grab the ball and take it to the opposing team’s goal to score and put your team one step closer to winning the match. Be sure to keep an eye out for the ball on your tank; many players come out of a huge firefight not aware that they’re carrying the ball.

Ball Spawn

This is the pad where the ball is spawned at the beginning of a match and after one of the teams score. It’s a great place to rack of some points (and make a run with the ball) if you’re near the pad when the ball reenters the arena.

Tanks

There are two main tank skins, blue and red, as well as two special skins reserved for VIP and Drakon.

Whichever team you are on will be called Athalon and will have blue tank skins. The enemy will always have red tank skins (unless an opponent is using Team Fake, in which case his/her tank will appear blue).

The black skin is on Twitch’s and Electronaut’s tanks (the developers) along with a handful of other players who have been around since beta testing or who have been active and helpful within the MD community. The bright red tank skin is reserved solely for Drakon, a fearsome and intimidating long-time Metal Drifter. If you ever find yourself pitted against a tank bearing either of these two special skins, be extra careful.

For a further description of tank skins, see the Tank Types page.

Tank Spawn

These pads are where tanks will spawn. The pads closest to your goal are reserved for your team and will appear blue. The opposing team’s pads appear red and your tank will never spawn there.

Team Shields

On all of the drift decks, these team shields provide a home turf advantage for one team or the other. You can pass through blue shields, seeing as your team is always blue. Enemy tanks cannot pass through blue shields, and your team cannot pass through the opposing team’s red shields.

NOTE: Players using the Team Fake upgrade can pass through their team’s shields AND the enemy’s shields as long as said player is still disguised with Team Fake (firing your weapon will deactivate Team Fake).

Repair Pads

These pads, just like the shields and tank spawns, are team-specific. Drifting over one of these pads will repair your tank’s armor very quickly. These are very useful when you have a break from battle or are on the run from an enemy.

If a player is using the Hyperspace upgrade, the player will automatically be teleported to a repair pad if the player has less than 50% armor when activated Hyperspace.

NOTE: Players using the Team Fake upgrade will be able to use both their team Repair Pads and enemy Repair Pads when they are fully disguised with Team Fake.

Boost Tunnel

Look for these handy tunnels throughout the various arenas. Travelling through these tunnels give tanks a major boost in speed, allowing tanks to quickly travel from one side of the arena to the other. These tunnels are often the quickest way to the enemy’s goal, but without proper support, you are an easy target for the enemies waiting at the other side of the tunnel for you.