Last checked: 16 September 2026 · early access Season 1 build. Early-access numbers change between patches; the in-game vendor is the final word.
The tower loop in one line
Four towers, four digits, one magnet. Take all four, enter the code, and you yank the Hot Zone — the yellow circle that doubles your scoring weight and your cash — toward the tower your team holds. That is the entire strategic payoff.
The flow, step by step
- Identify one of the four towers on the map.
- Move to its base and climb to the upper level.
- Operate the PC terminal there to capture the tower.
- The capture reveals one digit of the four-digit code.
- Repeat for the other three towers to collect all four digits.
- Enter the assembled code to launch the Hot Zone Magnet.
- The Magnet pulls the Hot Zone toward the tower your team controls.
- Your team now holds a doubled-weight, doubled-cash area on ground you already own.
The mechanic rewards map control more than firepower. A squad that holds one tower and survives the attention can flip a losing Control Zone fight by dragging the doubled Hot Zone onto its own position.
Cost versus benefit of the tower run
| Factor | Cost | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Climbing and terminal time pulls you off the Control Zone | A permanent doubled-weight area once the Magnet fires |
| Exposure | Towers draw fire from all three teams | You choose where the Hot Zone lands |
| Squad requirement | Best with at least two players | One guards, one operates the terminal |
| Opportunity | You are not scoring the Control Zone while roaming | The Magnet can win the Control Zone indirectly |
| Risk if contested | Losing a tower mid-run wastes the digit | Holding all four is a strong signal of map dominance |
When the tower run is worth it
- Your team already holds or contests the Control Zone, so doubling weight matters now.
- You have at least two players to split guarding and terminal work.
- The match has time left; the Magnet’s benefit is wasted in the final seconds.
- You can hold the tower area afterward, because the drawn Hot Zone invites a fight.
When to skip it
- Your team is being pushed off the map and cannot hold a tower.
- You are solo; a lone operator is easy to interrupt at the terminal.
- The Control Zone fight is already decided in your favour without the boost.
- You are low on the life’s gear and cannot afford the detour death.
The money tie-in
Because the Hot Zone doubles cash and XP, the Magnet is also an economy play. A Control Zone kill assist at $800 becomes $1,600 inside the pulled Hot Zone, and passive Hot Zone income is described as hundreds of dollars per minute. The 12 September 2026 BULKHEAD policy punishes deliberate cash-bug abuse and organised XP farming. Using the Magnet as designed is fair play; abusing a bug to multiply it is not.
Coordinating a four-tower split
Taking all four towers is a squad problem, not a solo one. A common pattern is to split a four-player group, each member committing to one tower, so the code assembles in roughly the time it takes one player to climb and operate a terminal. The risk is that a split squad loses the Control Zone while roaming, so the tower run works best when at least one element stays on the zone and the other three make the circuit. If you cannot field that split, taking even two towers still reveals part of the code and denies the enemy the full Magnet — a partial win that beats a failed full run.
The cost of a failed tower run
A tower run that ends in a wipe costs you the players who made it and the time they spent off the Control Zone, with no Magnet to show for it. Because the Hot Zone is the richest area on the map, failing to pull it can hand the other two teams the doubled-cash advantage instead. Read the cost-benefit table above before committing: if your squad cannot hold the tower area afterward, the Magnet’s benefit is wasted and the detour may have lost you the match.
Where this fits
To understand the doubled area the Magnet moves, read the Hot Zone explained. To see how the doubled weight reaches the 100-point win, the control zone scoring page shows the math. And if you want a kit that can survive the tower fight’s crossfire, the starter loadout page sets your early priorities.