Ruins of Ark Polaris

Ruins of Ark Polaris

We recommend reading the Quick Guide first that will make things mentioned here easier to follow. Map callout areas have been used for referencing. We have tried to make points that can be applied in Freelance/Squads. However, it can be difficult to apply some points in Freelance.

Ark Polaris Map

Walls to Ink
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Wave Tutorials

Normal Tide

General Tips

  • Always paint walls and areas around the basket before the wave starts.
  • If mobile bosses spawn at the beginning you can throw bombs or shoot lessers from a distance with long range weapons while you wait for them to get closer to basket.
  • Stalling bosses far away and quota management should be monitored closely. If teammates are stalling bosses either help them splat the bosses to get back to the objective or if there are other bosses from another side use this time to lure and splat them close to basket. With more experience your decision making will improve in these situations and it will be reflected in winning games that previously may have been lost.

Map Specific

  • Due to the layout of the map it is important to let Scrappers and Maws come up to the basket area. You only want to go to the bottom area to splat Stingers or Flyfish. However if teammates are stalling bosses at the bottom then you may have no choice but to help them splat the bosses and run far eggs.
  • If the first spawn is a Drizzler it is possible to lure them to the basket area. Move in the opposite direction from where they spawned and the Drizzler will come up. If luring fails, take them down or intercept their torpedoes until they jump near the basket.
  • Most Flyfish spawn close enough to the top platforms that you’re able to throw splat bombs into their launchers without jumping to the lower grounds. So don’t jump down too soon and destroy the Flyfish from the safety of the high grounds when possible. 
  • Certain long range weapons and shooters can take down Stingers from the top platforms. This can be useful if you need to focus on enemies or eggs around the basket but don’t really have the time to head down for stationary bosses.
  • When using the ride rail at the shore area to go up, jump early to the second ride rail that takes you to the basket. You can get bumped off if there are Scrappers waiting for you at the rail intersection.
  • When bosses are coming up, to ensure they are coming to the basket shoot Scrappers once or get close to the boss, so they target you and lure them. Often it seems as though they are coming up but they may be targeting a teammate and if the teammate jumps down the boss will follow so you could lose the eggs from splatting that boss.
  • It is slightly faster to run eggs by climbing up the tower than by taking the ride rails. However, if the path up to the basket is not clear it is better to take a safe ride rail to the top.

Avoid

  • Avoid wasting time riding the ride rails. You will not be useful and bosses can easily overwhelm the team.
  • If teammates are stalling bosses at the bottom and there is no opportunity to lure them help splatting the bosses and avoid being inactive or spamming “This Way!”.
  • Don’t all bunch together in one area as you may miss lures or risk a snowball from the opposite side. Long range or low DPS weapons can stay near the basket.

High Tide

General Tips

  • Listen for the sounds of the tides changing so you don’t die to the rise of the tide.
  • Luring can be a lot more difficult or unnecessary at times here so prioritising slaying can be helpful to avoid snowballing.

Map Specific

  • Possibly the best High Tide map, especially for high scores. Requires a lot of slaying due to the small size but using the verticality of the basket area is very helpful.
  • If Stingers spawn in the far grate area it is possible to stand at the ride rail closest to it and shoot it from there if your weapon has enough range.
  • Use the rails if you’re getting overwhelmed, need to get behind some enemies or to close in on Flyfish and Stingers, but don’t overuse them as you won’t be very productive while riding them.
  • Try to lure Maws and Scrappers but other bosses can be splatted early. Even if their eggs drop by the spawn ramps, they are already close to the basket and you can climb the walls to easily deliver.

Avoid

  • Avoid wasting time riding the ride rails. You will not be useful and bosses can easily overwhelm the team.

Low Tide

General Tips

  • If you need relief or want the Stingers to target you so teammates can take them out safely, use the back of the map if required.

Map Specific

  • A good portion of lurable bosses will submerge in the water from the outer ring to reach the basket area. Main weapons cannot really reach them there, so they are almost self-luring. If possible let them get a bit closer to the basket before splatting, since the eggs will be crawling with lessers. But if your team helps with clearing this will not be a problem.
  • If someone gets on the rail too soon, they might pull submerged bosses out of the water back to the outer ring. If you stand close to the corner where they surface you could retake aggro.
  • As soon as you spot a Stinger hop on a rail to take it down. Stingers spawning in the middle, beyond the bridge, are a bit harder to reach but should still be taken down. Consider using a special if multiple Stingers or Flyfish spawn there.
  • Because this layout is mostly flat Steelheads are hard to reach for short ranged weapons. If you are playing a long range weapon make sure to pay attention to Steelheads.
  • There’s plenty of room between the main stage and the Low Tide area. Back off if you get overwhelmed to give yourself some room to handle bosses like Steel Eels or Steelheads.
  • A useful strategy for throwing bombs into Flyfish when using the ride rails is to hold the R button and use the laser guide for accurate aim. . You can also keep jumping while on the rail to buy some time if the Flyfish is not open.

Avoid

  • Avoid spending too much time at the far ends of the map. If you splat Stingers here and the eggs look risky it is often best to ignore them and get back to the basket area. If you die here it takes a long time to get back.
  • Steelheads can be troublesome by lobbing their bomb at basket when approaching from the water. Long range weapons should not ignore Steelheads.

Goldie Seeking

General Tips

  • Start searching for the Goldie immediately, when there’s any downtime. Not looking for the Goldie quickly enough is one of the main reasons quota fails happen during Goldie seeking.
  • When searching for the Goldie, start with the gushers furthest away from the basket, then work your way inwards. Opening an incorrect gusher causes tons of lesser Salmonids to appear, which causes a lot of problems. Hitting further away Gushers minimizes the damage they can cause.
  • Rollers can be used in front of the Goldie to extract more eggs. Hold ZR and move your stick left and right slowly, especially strong with Dynamo and Flingza rollers. See: Roller Strategy by Marty
  • It can be difficult to meet quota depending on the Goldie RNG and if your teammates are opening all the gushers so specials are important in these scenarios. Bomb Rush, Inkjet and Splashdown can be used to clear out lessers and deal damage to the Goldie. Stingray is not very strong at clearing lessers and does deal decent damage to the Goldie if tracked accurately. Stingray can be useful in opening far gushers, saving you from going out to those gushers and finding the Goldie quicker if quota is struggling to be met.
  • Common practice in Goldie Seeking is to open far gushers alone so if you are in a squad the team should split up and after opening the first gusher the player should use "This Way!" if the gusher is high or "Booyah!" if the gusher is low so teammates on opposite sides can open their gushers. In Freelance this usually isn’t possible unless you are teamed with experienced players. So you will have to rely on yourself and some good luck.
  • To learn Goldie Seeking strategies in a more interactive way visit Gungee's awesome Salmon Learn website.

Map Specific

  • During Normal Tide, if the Goldie is in one of the low grounds gushers, take a moment to see in which direction the Goldie is heading and keep that in mind. If there are no eggs to run, damage the Goldie a bit so it moves to the basket more quickly. Otherwise, you will have some time to run eggs, so you can afford to wait until the Goldie is closer to the basket, as you now know where it is going to be.
  • During High Tide the Goldie always passes by the basket. Be very careful not to open the gusher next to the basket when it does. If you’re not confident in your aim, or have a blaster, simply stop shooting until it’s safe to continue damaging the Goldie.
  • Beware of using specials in this wave. Definitely use them if you’re getting overwhelmed by lessers but don’t accidentally open more gushers - that will only make it worse! Make sure to position yourself in a way that your Splashdown won’t open additional gushers, or be careful when aiming the other specials.
Normal Tide

*Click to enlarge images

Figure A

Based on Figure A always open gusher F first if it is low then the Goldie is in A or B.

Figure B

Based on Figure B if gusher F is high and C is high then the Goldie is in D or E.

Figure C

Based on Figure C if gusher F is high and C is low then the Goldie is in G.

High Tide

*Click to enlarge images

Figure D

Based on Figure D always open gusher B first if it is high then the Goldie is in A.

Figure E

Based on Figure E if gusher B is low then the Goldie is in D or E.

Avoid

  • Do not open gushers when the Goldie has already been found.
  • If gushers around you are low that indicates the Goldie is further away so do not open more gushers in that area.
  • Do not ignore lessers as it's very easy to get overwhelmed when multiple gushers are open.

Goldie Rush

General Tips

  • Be aggressive and keep shooting the incoming lines of Salmonids when you know you can. The moment the team stops their offensive pressure, the Chums and Goldies can easily overwhelm you and cause a team wipe very quickly. It’s very important to kill the Goldies especially.
  • If you have aggro (Glowflies on you) and you’re noticing that you won’t be able to take out the enemies coming at you alone, Jump onto a nearby painted wall to buy time for yourself and your team to survive, and get eggs in.
  • Roller type weapons should stay near the basket and keep rolling forward slowly to create a wall of defense for the team. This takes out all incoming chums and slows down/weakens Goldies for teammates to finish them off.
  • Splat and Tenta Brella users should launch their shield as much as possible to create a similar defensive wall effect, though slightly more limited.
  • Chargers deal piercing damage so shooting in straight lines can deal good damage.
  • To maximise damage spread from Sloshers, arch your shots a little higher to deal damage using the full range of the sloshes.
  • All four specials are very strong in this mode. If the Salmonids are coming straight on, Stingray is very useful. If you have Inkjet and the glowflies are targeting you this is the best time to use Inkjet as it is possible to splat Salmonids as they come up and move away from the eggs so your teammates can run eggs while you are targeted. Splashdown can be used if there is pile up of Salmonids which can occur especially after a player wall clings to delay their approach. When using Bomb Rush aim to the ground and throw the bombs close together as Salmonids come fast and you can also move around while throwing bombs in short spaces.

Map Specific

  • Make sure to ink the walls leading up to the basket. If you somehow get knocked off the stage this may be your salvation. You won’t have time to turf during the wave.
  • During Normal Tide, Chums and Goldies tend to split up a lot from either spawn due to the long paths. It is best for the Glowflies target to stay back near the ink rails so they can use it as an escape option. Other teammates should focus on clearing Chums and Goldies before they reach the Glowflies as much as running eggs.
  • During High Tide, good positioning can make the incoming horde use only one lane when approaching. But there isn’t one perfect platform for all spawns like on other stages. The Glowflies target should stay by the high ride rail if the Chums spawn from the docks or by the low ride rail if the Chums spawn from the shore.
  • There is a trick you can do if you are getting overwhelmed. One of the rails passes over a platform, if you get on the rail, any Goldie targeting you will head to the endpoint of the rail. Jump off early back onto the platform, when you land they will turn back to rush at you. You can repeat this to stall the horde. See Minaraii’s demonstration

*Click to enlarge images

Figure A

For good positioning. Weapons with a fast fire-rate and good DPS should be in the frontline position with slower weapons behind them as shown. See Figure A

Figure B

When the Chums start spawning from the harbor area the backline player can get overrun so be sure to help them by rotating back. As a backliner if you do feel that you may get splatted use an ink rail to buy some time and get back to your position. See Figure B

Figure C

To maximise eggs this is a good position for Rollers so eggs fall close to the basket. See Figure C

Avoid

  • Do not go to the second or bottom levels of the map.
  • Do not go on ride rails for no reason as your teammates will get overrun.
  • Do not position yourselves at the ride rail closest to the beach area as Chums can easily splat you here.
  • If eggs fall to the bottom it is often best to ignore them as teammates can get overwhelmed with one less player or the Glowflies could switch to you and get you splatted.
  • Wall clinging should only be used if the Glowflies are targeting you and there are many eggs which the team are struggling to run. It allows them time to run eggs safely and can buy some time to revive splatted teammates. Keep in mind that after wall clinging there is large pile up of Chums/Goldies now. Wall clinging for too long will cause Chums to jump up and splat you instantly.

Cohock Charge

General Tips

  • Make sure at least one person is in a cannon at all times. If no one is in a cannon to shoot the incoming waves of Cohocks, the basket will get overwhelmed extremely quickly.
  • Prioritise Stingers and Flyfish. These bosses have a habit of targeting players in cannons and pinning them down, effectively disabling the use of the cannons altogether. Once the cannons are unusable, the wave is usually lost.
  • While luring in cannons or on the field splat or damage Cohocks but be wary of stunning Scrappers and slowing down the luring too much. If the basket area is getting overwhelmed then ignore luring until it is relatively clear.
  • Egg runners should be aware of Maws and Drizzler balloons so cannon users are protected. If egg runners see mobile bosses spawn you can wait and let them come closer.
  • Often it can be difficult to see a Maws approaching while in cannons so it is important to listen out for the sound that Maws makes as it approaches, jump out of the cannon until you find out who it is targeting. As an egg runner if you see a Maws targeting a cannon user try and splat the Maws with a splat bomb throw and then revive the player after.
  • You may have to give up on cannons to help run eggs if your egg runners are overstaying at the spawns.

Map Specific

  • The most difficult Cohock Charge map, due to the size of the map and some far Flyfish being difficult to take down from the cannons. Namely the ones spawning far in the middle or the ones on the opposite side of the side cannons. Even if you are running eggs, it can be worth it to cross the rail and take them down yourself.
  • The middle cannon is the most important and should have a regular user at all times unless bosses or lessers are obstructing the cannon.
  • Egg runners should look to protect the middle cannon user as much as possible and if Flyfish are becoming a problem then either jump in a cannon or go out and splat them.
  • Flexibility is very important. While on other maps one player can stay in the cannon all wave if playing well, here that is almost impossible. Some spawns will pass by the side cannons before reaching the basket, so you will have to alternate between running eggs, switching cannons and even just using your main weapon and specials.
  • 2 players in cannons and 2 running eggs can be very effective since most lurable bosses will reach the basket area anyway. But even egg runners should keep an eye on the cannons and assist when Steel Eels or Maws threaten them.

Avoid

  • If someone is already in cannons do not waste time by fighting over the cannons instead play your role as an egg runner. If you do take up a cannon do not constantly leave the cannon and let bosses and Cohocks pile up.
  • As an egg runner do not guard far eggs or spend too much time far away from the basket as this slows down lures and can cause problems meeting quota.
  • Cannon users should avoid splatting mobile bosses far from basket if possible.

Mothership

General Tips

  • Keep running eggs! In less experienced groups, if even a single player isn’t running eggs consistently, meeting the egg quota can become very difficult. It can become easy for players with longer range to get into a habit of doing nothing but shooting down coolers. This is only effective in very specific scenarios.
  • Split your team up to different parts of the map, to maximise the amount of coolers and eggs the team can handle. If one area isn’t covered by any player, coolers will start to pile up in that area which can cause issues.
  • Some blasters and the explosher can either clip the top of the Mothership or arch their shots on top of the Mothership for extra eggs when it is at basket.
  • As the Mothership is departing the basket and your weapon has enough range if you aim at the highest point in the centre it is possible to shoot a few more coolers.
  • Stingray is the best special for this mode, try and use Stingray when the Mothership is close to basket and ensure you aim for the top of the Mothership so you can splat coolers and damage the Mothership at the same time. Other players should look to protect the Stingray user if they need it and begin shooting the Mothership when the Stingray is about to expire so you get the maximum amount of eggs.
  • Eggs come from splatting the Chinook and not the cooler itself, this can be useful when you are slightly late to a cooler.

Map Specific

Normal Tide
  • Chinooks landing on the lower grounds take too long to be run. It’s best to focus on Chinooks that land at the top of the big ramp near the drop area and the grates on the left next to the beach. One teammate is enough to keep watch on the landings on the other side.
  • There is no real need to go too far from the basket but occasionally you’ll have to clear lessers that make it there.
High Tide
  • High Tide Mothership is also a golden egg score dream. All Chinooks land very close to the basket so just take them down and run eggs.
  • Use splat bombs when swimming back to the basket to clear any containers left behind.
Low Tide
  • There is a good density of Chinooks landing on the left and the right side spawns, behind the basket area. Long range weapons can intercept them early and make their eggs fall next to the ride rails.

Avoid

  • When using Stingray aim for the top of the Mothership and not the hose/nozzle.
  • If it is wave 1 or 2 it may be best to Stingray the Mothership when it comes to the basket the first time only if the quota can be easily met. So using 2 Stingrays may not be required and become useful in later waves.
  • Do not ignore lessers and let them pile up.
  • Do not use Stingray on the Mothership when it is far from the basket as those eggs will take a long time to run.

Grillers

General Tips

  • It is good to have one cleaner who focuses smallfry. This typically applies to most Brellas, Rollers, and Sloshers. In large numbers, Smallfries can cause massive problems during Grillers, and can stop your team from getting stuns effectively. Weapons with low damage, or rollers should especially be taking on this role.
  • If there are powerful long range weapons like splatling or charger their job is usually to focus stunning/shooting the Grillers. The other weapons can flex but be sure to help each other if smallfry are overwhelming.
  • When using slosher it is possible to arch your shots over the Griller and deal damage to the tail if you aim correctly.
  • If a pile up is occurring or the quota is struggling to be met, specials should be used. Stingray is very strong at stunning and splatting multiple Grillers if they are lined up. Inkjet can be used here and it’s often a good idea to hover over the basket with inkjet for extra elevation, safety and better angles. Splashdown is also strong at helping stun/splat Grillers and clear Smallfry.
  • Grillers can be lured away from basket to give players some time to collects eggs or clear Smallfry. This can also be used if players are getting splatted to give others time to revive them so they don’t get overwhelmed.
  • Always know where the Grillers are. Watch the red laser and who the Griller is targeting. This lets you know where the Griller plans to go, and allows you to avoid its path accordingly. If you lose track of where a Griller is, there’s a decent chance it’ll blindside you and take you out.
  • Keep stunning the Grillers! Don’t let up on the aggression towards the Griller tails and consistently shoot them. If a single Griller gets out of control on high tide, a team wipe or quota failure becomes extremely likely.

Map Specific

  • Normal Tide Grillers is fairly easy on this map. The Grillers can take some time to come up to the basket so it can be easy to splat them and run eggs without getting overwhelmed.
  • High Tide Grillers is possibly the most difficult of all maps. Grillers have a short time to travel and it is very easy to get overrun by Smallfry. You can temporarily stall Grillers by dropping to the second level and wall clinging on one of the small inkable walls. This can allow players to run eggs or be revived. Also by bringing the Griller back down to the second level by wall clinging if you get back to the top level the Griller tail is now easier to shoot as it turns away from you.
  • There is a trick you can do if you are getting overwhelmed. One of the rails passes over a platform, if you get on the rail, any Griller targeting you will head to the endpoint of the rail. Jump off early back onto the platform, when you land they will turn back to rush at you. You can repeat this to stall the Grillers and your teammates can take out Smallfry and stun the Grillers. See Minaraii’s demonstration
Griller Positioning

*Click to enlarge images

Figure A

If a Griller spawns from the Docks/Steps the team should stand above the drop area's inkable wall. As the Griller is coming up start shooting when the tail is exposed. See Figure A

Figure B

If a Griller spawns from the Harbor you should stand at the basket facing the Steps area. As the Griller is coming up start shooting when the tail is exposed. See Figure B

Figure C

If the Griller comes from the Beach the targeted player should stand on the right of the basket and shoot it before it comes up completely. With this strategy the Griller is either splatted before or at the same point as in the screenshot. One player can stand in the position of the screenshot to help stun the Griller or clean Smallfry. See Figure C

Avoid

  • Do not stun Grillers on the lower levels as running those eggs will take much longer.
  • Don’t be too erratic with your movement causing the Grillers to splat your teammates. It is possible to wall cling temporarily to buy some time in certain situations.
  • Do not ignore smallfry especially if you have the strongest weapon for dealing with them.
  • When shooting the Grillers try to avoid body blocking each other’s shots by strafing or moving too much.

Fog

General Tips

  • Functions very much the same as regular Normal, High and Low Tides just with the addition of Goldies which should be lured to the basket. Try and identify them early and work on the lure while also being proactive with boss or lesser splats.
  • If you move close to the Goldie you can make it switch targets to you to help the luring process.
  • If the game is getting out of hand then don’t worry about luring Goldies and focus on quota and boss management instead.
  • As vision is impaired be on the lookout for Stingers, Flyfish and Drizzler torpedoes.

Map Specific

  • Goldie lures are extremely unreliable during Normal Tide. If you find a Goldie that’s managed to make it up to the basket ramps or to the walls leading up to the basket try to lure it if you have time. Alternatively splat it there if there are other bosses to worry about, that’s already close enough to help you get the quota.
  • Goldie lures are extremely easy during High Tide. Don’t splat Goldies until they reach the basket. It can take a considerable amount of time to run 10 eggs from the spawn, even with the aid of the walls, if more Salmonids spawn on top of them.
  • Goldie lures are fairly easy during Low Tide. They will typically submerge until they reach the basket area, at which point they are already close enough to be splatted. Although, if possible, you should let them move past the corner so that you don’t have to risk your life for eggs so close to the water.

Avoid

  • Do not splat Goldies far from the basket, lure them at all times unless there is a snowball.
  • Avoid wasting time riding the ride rails. You will not be useful and bosses can easily overwhelm the team.
  • If teammates are stalling bosses at the bottom and there is no opportunity to lure them help splatting the bosses and avoid being inactive or spamming “This Way!”.
  • Don’t all bunch together in one area as you may miss lures or risk a snowball from the opposite side. Long range or low DPS weapons can stay near the basket.