Hell Let Loose performed an excellent job with the map design; expect enormous maps with attention paid to every detail. When it comes to historical realism, these maps have a lot of detail, which adds to the atmosphere and fills you with dread every time you respawn.
Maps are based on locations such as Omaha Beach, Kursk, and Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, to name a few. Real battles took place in these locations, and the maps are so large that playing them without adequate teamwork or available vehicles is practically impossible.
Some of these maps consist of snow, open fields, close-quarters urban settings, hills, and forests. You can’t get bored too fast, and each map requires excellent teamwork in order to win the game. Anyway, let’s start with our first map:
Hill 400
Hill 400 consists mostly of forested areas, and it’s quite common for players to mistake trees for enemies. The map is somehow dark, which makes it perfect for machine gunners and snipers which are one of the best weapons in Hell Let Lose to pin down or eliminate infantry.
It’s also not easy for vehicles to travel this map – you must understand that there are trees literally everywhere, the terrain can be incredibly steep, and you must either adhere to the roads or cross rocky terrain, leaving you vulnerable to adversary bazookas.
This is probably the hardest map to play as an attacker, managing to capture one objective can be ridiculously difficult, especially when your team doesn’t consist of communicative teammates willing to cooperate.
Remagen
Remagen is somewhat similar to Hill 400 – it has a massive bridge spanning the Rhine river. Getting through the bridge requires a lot of vicious fighting and excellent teamwork between players, artillery shelling the enemy side of the bridge is always a must – for both teams.
Even if you manage to take control of the bridge, you’ll still have to struggle with flat fields that serve as a perfect hunting area for stationary troops and large hills that provide problems for both troops as well as tanks and trucks.
Kursk
Kursk was one of the most significant clashes between German and Soviet forces. Hell Let Loose gives us the chance to win this map as the Germans, however, I’ve still won more games on the Soviet side. One thing that you may notice about this map is the endless trenches that span throughout the map, as well as open fields.
Trenches are primarily to give cover to the infantry on both sides, and open fields are perfect for the tanks. The map looks eerily realistic when compared to the Kursk from World War 2, and you’ll definitely feel like another statistic on the battlefield!
Carentan
Carentan is mostly a map that revolves around fighting in urban areas. This map does an excellent job of creating paranoia, as you never know who’s going to be hiding in an alley, in a housing block, or under debris. It takes plenty of effort to take over a simple building, and most of the time, it’s a brutal tug-of-war.
It’s wise to bring automatic weaponry with you, as bolt-action or semi-automatic rifles usually lack the reload speed or magazine capacity to be effective in these settings. Take cover often and take advantage of smoke grenades, communicate with your teammates and spawn garrisons as soon as you can.
Tanks are not spared – you’ve got limited vision as a tank operator, and anti-tank classes can easily dispose of you, giving you little time to react. Although urban settings can be deadly, there’s still a portion of a map where you can travel via open fields and dirt roads if that’s more your thing. This map is great for trying out some of the best classes in Hell Let Lose.
Omaha Beach
Being an attacker on this map is no laughing matter, and you can expect to die rather quickly. The Germans lost this battle in World War 2 due to their machine gun barrels melting off and running out of ammunition, but in Hell Let Loose, that’s not going to happen. American forces must sprint through a somewhat open field while being pounded by Germans concealed in bunkers on a ridge.
It’s not an easy undertaking, and good snipers are required to gain an advantage, but once you get over the ridge, you’ll be able to fight on more even territory. That’s always a massive morale boost, but keep in mind that this would be just two-fifths of the map…
The map is horrible and terrifying, but that’s what makes it so atmospheric. It assures you that you will perish as soon as you step onto the beach and that you will have to climb a stack of corpses before securing the beach.
Stalingrad
Stalingrad is a fair mix of close urban combat and open areas, giving opportunities to infantry and heavy tanks. There are more demolished buildings than intact buildings, meaning that you’ll have to take shelter in rubble and take little steps in order to advance.
The map is ugly in a positive sense – everything reeks of death and destruction, rabid and vicious combat between both forces is almost constant, plus distant gunshots and planes flying by make this one of the most immersive maps to try out.
Hürtgen Forest
Similar to Hill 400, although a bit more colorful and a little bit less difficult to play. This map consists primarily of forests and somewhat uneven terrain. As we all know, it’s difficult for tanks and trucks to drive off-road between trees and boulders, and they’re extremely vulnerable to anti-tank weaponry. Still, there are parts where the terrain is relatively flat and allows for some combat between tanks.
When it comes to the infantry, either stay low and advance slowly or support your tank operators. Charging or rushing is highly not recommended, as it will just result in you getting clapped. Overall, a fun map, somewhat similar to Hill 400.
Sainte-Marie-du-Mont
One of my favorite maps because it features my favorite season, summer, and offers a good mix of urban and open-field combat. The city is not as dense as Carentan, which also provides more relaxed gameplay.
To be honest, this map isn’t very complex – it’s visually pleasing, and nothing beats dashing across a wheat field with your boys only to be blasted by a tank shell a few seconds later!
In summary:
I mentioned all maps besides Foy – never liked that map, and I don’t feel like it deserves a spot, although players who fancy winter maps will quickly disagree with me, and that’s fine. I hope you enjoyed the article, and thank you for reading it!