Control points close to a team's spawn point are captured more quickly by the enemy team. From then on, no more than two points can be unlocked at a time taking a point locks the point behind it and unlocks the one in front of it if it exists. Once a team takes the center point, the opponent's nearest point unlocks and can now be taken as well. At the beginning of the round, each team's control points are locked while the center point is unlocked and can be taken. Due to its wide range of action, Symmetric Control Point maps place an emphasis on team movement and may be difficult for inexperienced players and those not used to playing in a coordinated group.īoth teams start with an equal number of two controlled points and a central point that starts out controlled by neither team. Both teams start with an equal number of controlled points and must capture all the points on the map to win. Symmetric Control Point maps play symmetrically.
When players from the offensive team are removed from the point, all of their progress is lost gradually over time, not immediately.
If players from both teams are on the same, unlocked control point, that point is said to be contested, which means no progress is made toward the point changing team control. There is a limit on how fast a Control Point can be captured (see Control point timing). Scouts count as two players, as do Soldiers and Demomen wielding the Pain Train.
The speed at which a control point is captured depends on how many players from the capturing team are present on the point: two BLU players capturing a RED point will capture that point faster than only one BLU player would. Control points are captured by standing on top of them.