Top Gun: Carrier Strike Mode Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• FULL FORCE AUTHORIZED - CLEARED FOR CARRIER STRIKE
• THE EVOLUTION TO CARRIER STRIKE
• CARRIER STRIKE: THE BASICS
• TOP FIVE TIPS AND TRICKS

FULL FORCE AUTHORIZED - CLEARED FOR CARRIER STRIKE

Tsuru Reef is under siege.

Striking the USS Grant aircraft carrier base, Pax Armata is primed to destabilize NATO’s dominance in the Pacific by deploying their own carrier, the PXS Condor. If NATO wants to maintain their stronghold on Tsuru Reef -- and prevent Pax from laying claim to another sector of the world -- they're going to have to fight for it.

Fortunately for NATO, they have the US Navy’s elite - Top Gun - on their side.

These are the stakes of Battlefield 6’s new Carrier Strike mode; your objective is to take control of Strategic Surface-to-Surface Missile (SSM) batteries to weaken the enemy fleet, then lead the final, decisive assault to bring their carrier down.

This mode is a reworked version of classic Battlefield modes Carrier Assault (Battlefield 4) and Titan Mode (Battlefield 2142). Even if you have not played those experiences, those who love Conquest in Battlefield 6 will be ready to profile for Carrier Strike.

THE EVOLUTION TO CARRIER STRIKE - DIFFERENCES FROM PREVIOUS BATTLEFIELDS

When creating Carrier Strike, Battlefield Studios developers, such as Gameplay Designer Steve Cheverie, aimed to create a more dynamic and strategic experience where threats can come from land, air, and sea.

“The past versions of this mode provided us with an excellent foundation to build from, so our goal was to preserve the fun and spectacle of a large-scale assault on an aircraft carrier, while adding new and exciting ways to get the job done,” he said. “With Carrier Strike, we leaned into the combined arms aspect that makes Battlefield so special, giving vehicles a more impactful role in directly damaging the carrier.”

Namely, a key change from both those experiences is the ability to damage the Carrier by direct fire, including explosives and weapons mounted on vehicles, rather than just from SSM strikes. A great Carrier Strike Squad will not only focus on maintaining objective captures, but also lead a direct assault when the Carrier is open to vulnerability. There is also the addition of autonomous Anti-Air (AA) that adds another path to victory or, more accurately, the ability to disrupt an enemy’s attempt to win by aerial combat.

Then there is the backdrop for Carrier Strike: Tsuru Reef. While it plays an crucial role in the Battlefield 6 narrative and the War of 2027, Cheverie said Tsuru Reef’s size was an equally important factor when deciding it would be the map to host Carrier Strike.

“Tsuru Reef is our largest map to date, providing an amazing playspace for large-scale combined arms combat,” he said. “The layout incorporating both land and sea routes to the carriers and objectives really enabled us to bring vehicles to the forefront, adding a new twist to an old favorite.”

Carrier Strike is prepared for launch as part of a blockbuster partnership between Battlefield and Top Gun, which Cheverie and other Battlefield Studios developers could not contain their excitement for. For Cheverie, it was an honor to have his team’s work bridge two storied franchises together through a celebration of their collective legacy.

“Everything about Top Gun is a perfect fit for Battlefield, so this is a dream come true in many ways,” he said. “I couldn't be more proud of the team bringing those characters into our world. We're headed to the Danger Zone in Season 4, and we hope you'll join us!”

CARRIER STRIKE: THE BASICS

For those who need a reminder on how to play Carrier Strike, or for first-timers who have yet to experience this epic Carrier-based mode, we got your six:

Carrier Strike is a 32v32, single-round mode with a 30-minute timer. Your goal is to reduce the enemy carrier's HP to zero or to destroy their M-COMs when they become available to detonate. A game also ends automatically after 30-minutes; the team with the highest carrier health wins and draws, while designed to be rare, can be achieved if both carriers have the exact same amount of health.

Your carrier serves as your mobile HQ and your primary target. In addition to the flight deck, where you can launch jets off for maximum altitude, the carrier includes an interior Headquarters spawn area and M-COMs. When a carrier takes damage, note the smoke, hull damage, and debris. When it drops to 50% health, it enters a "critical state” where an explosion rocks the deck, and the interior M-COM rooms become accessible from the water.

A carrier can be damaged by multiple means, but is primarily impacted by SSM batteries, five in total scattered around the map like Conquest flags. Teams can control these SSM batteries by capturing them (remaining in its control area for a short period of time) and keeping them from enemy control.

These batteries periodically fire missiles at the enemy carrier, dealing consistent damage every 15 seconds. When a battery changes ownership, its firing cooldown resets, so it is possible to stop an upcoming salvo by capturing a battery before it fires off.

In addition to causing significant carrier damage, controlling the majority of SSM batteries also grants your teams access to automatic AA emplacements. This can disrupt incoming enemy aerial vehicles alongside your squads infantry and vehicular anti-air means.

Direct damage is the other means of destroying the Carrier prior to its critical state. Jet bombs, explosives, tank ammo, and shoulder-fired launchers fired directly onto the enemy carrier’s deck or hull cause damage. However, among all these damage sources, jet bombs deal as much damage as the missiles from SSM Batteries, so consider putting your best air-to-ground specialist on strafing run duty.

Finally, once the carrier is in a critical state, its M-COM stations can be directly accessed and primed for detonation. At first, one M-COM room opens up to those invading by sea, while the Headquarters spawn allows the defending team to move immediately into the room after respawning. Once that M-COM is destroyed, a set of blast doors open to the other M-COM in the Carrier’s main reactor room.

Regardless of damage dealt to either Carrier, if both M-COMs from one team are destroyed, that team immediately loses the match due to the destruction of their Carrier’s reactor.

TOP FIVE TIPS AND TRICKS

1. REMEMBER YOUR SQUAD SPAWNS. Unless you want to rely on HQ and objective spawns, staying alive - or putting down a Spawn Beacon - near the enemy carrier is critical to maintaining constant pressure.
2. GO ALL-OUT. Carrier Strike wins are not built on infantry alone. Coordinate land, sea, and air vehicle assaults to capture those SSM sites and suppress - or damage - the enemy carrier deck.
3. MAINTAIN CONTROL. Capturing and holding the majority of SSM sites unlocks automatic A-A guns, making it easier to fend off enemy aviators.
4. BOMBS AWAY! Jet bombs deal as much damage as an SSM strike; air-to-ground specialists can turn the tide of battle with a few good strafing runs.
5. BALANCE IS EVERYTHING. SSM sites and direct carrier damage both chip away at health, and M-COMs add an auto-win condition when the carrier is in a critical state. If you find the enemy focuses on preventing one damage source, then counter where they lack defenses.

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