We've already shown a bit of Montello, the next free map for Isonzo. Today, we dive deeper into the first half of the map: the beginning of the Austro-Hungarian assault. At the end, you'll also see a little bit of the next cosmetic Units pack.
First Sector
The assault begins with a shallow river crossing, then scaling the steep bank on the other side. A small concrete bunker provides a solid but obvious defensive position for the Italians, anchoring a trench line and barbed wire. Once they make it through the wire, they must fight through a section of woodland towards farms. There is a ruined building which houses a potential forward deployment point for the attackers, perfect to set up the next stage of the attack.
From the right angle, and if you can ignore the smoke and flames, the forest looks almost idyllic.
Once they make their way through the burning woodland trails and past the farmerless farms, the Austro-Hungarians arrive at the first sector to fulfill their first objective.
The farms near the river have suffered heavy damage from the initial artillery bombardment.
The Austro-Hungarian objective in this first sector is to destroy two gun pits. As always with multiple sabotage objectives, how your team divides itself between each objective can be the difference between a quick victory or a drawn out battle. Always be ready to shift between objectives as the need arises!
The terrain leading up to the first two objectives is a mix of woodland, trenches and damaged farm buildings. Good to know: this gun is not one of the objectives.
Second Sector
Once the guns are destroyed, your next objective is a capture point in an ancient Abbey. The Austro-Hungarians will need to cross open fields and cut through more barbed wire to reach their next forward spawn points. Past these forward spawn points is another wire barrier, and then the Abbey itself, atop a gentle hill.
These fields offer limited cover, and if you do make it across there's another line of barbed wire to cut your way through.
The abbey in Montello is loosely inspired by the Abbey of Sant'Eustachio, near the Piave river. A truly ancient building, it was originally constructed around 800 AD, in use for more than 1000 years before being abandoned in 1865, and then heavily damaged during the Second Battle of the Piave River.
It enjoys a commanding position atop a low hill, without too much cover for attackers to use on their final approach. However, it's also not a walled compound, so sneaky (smart) Austro-Hungarian players will be sure to try their luck attacking from the sides, not just the frontal route. As always, defending Engineers can do good work by blocking off the easiest ways in with barbed wire.
The Abbey has taken very heavy damage from artillery fire. Note the supplemental trench below - a good spot for defenders, but also valuable for attackers seeking a covered route to reach a different angle of attack.
Shellshocked Units
The Solstice update will bring a new paid cosmetic DLC alongside the free Montello map and weapons. Here's a little hint about the kind of content you can expect...
