Hot Zone basics: time in the zone is your score
Hot Zone is a 3v3 mode where you score by standing inside circular zones on the map. Kills are just a way to clear the zone; the score itself is how long your team held it.
The rules
- Two teams of three. Depending on the map there is one zone or several.
- When only your team stands in a zone, your capture percentage goes up.
- If both teams are inside the same zone, capture stops.
- More teammates in the zone does not make capture faster.
- Reach 100% first and you win; otherwise the team with the higher percentage wins when time runs out.
One player in the zone is enough
Extra bodies don't speed up capture, so all three don't need to stand inside. Grouped up, you're more likely to eat one area attack together.
A standard setup:
- One player holds the zone (ideally someone with good health or healing).
- The other two stay outside and stop enemies from getting in.
Why area damage and zone control are strong
In Hot Zone the enemy must walk into the zone, so you know exactly where they're going. Brawlers with wide area attacks, lobbed attacks over walls, or lingering damage and summons are often strong, because simply stepping in costs the enemy health.
Maps with several zones
On two-zone maps it's usually better to hold one zone firmly and just deny the other. Greedy teams often lose both. If the enemy is stacked on one side, sending one player to the empty zone can steal points.
The final seconds
- Ahead: just stepping into the zone to contest it freezes their score. Focus on breaking their capture.
- Behind: while they hold a zone, someone must contest it to stop the gap growing, then win the fight to take it back.
- In the last few seconds, contesting the zone is often worth it even if you go down.
Who's winning right now
Below are the top brawlers across all current ranked Hot Zone maps, from PickStudy data. It updates every morning.
Zone size and nearby walls change who's strong, so check the per-map rankings on All Maps.
Summary
One player in the zone, two controlling outside. Cover the zone with area damage, and on multi-zone maps hold one zone for sure. Late in the game, breaking their capture matters as much as building your own.