Those of you familiar with the game will know Operation Metro is one of the more popular rush maps and is quite possibly the most well-known map due to it being a staple of the open beta BF3 had as well as being the map showcased at E3 that year. Although it is a rush map, it is one of the smallest multiplayer maps in the game and this makes or some intense fighting as players try to progress and defend.

Metro is a quality map for those looking to maximize the amount of kills and assists they can get in, and playing on Metro may be one of the quickest ways in the game to level. This is because Metro offers a little bit of everything to players. Operation Metro begins with an open starting area for those who want to have a big of long ranged fun, while possessing enough cover for those who enjoy pushing to sneak their way to the enemies and take the fight to them.

Stage One

But what is the best way move past the first stage, really? One of the most overlooked ways of pushing on the first area of Metro is smoke grenades. Smoke grenades, of course, are an easy way to move through open area as they provide the cover some people are too lazy to find. This, of course, is common and easy to figure out. What some players don’t think of is to use them purely as a distraction. Throwing a smoke grenade will cause most of the lesser enemy players (Read: most players) to focus their weapon sights on the smoke itself. Use this as an easy distraction to push up a flank or crawl through what cover is already there in mid.

The Subway

The next part of the Metro, after hopefully flanking your opponent’s quick in the first part of the level enough to get to it, is the famed underground subway stage. Coincidently, this is the part where many players get the majority of their kills as games tend to deadlock here due to the nature of the map. The subway bit of the map has a couple of solid chokepoints where players grind their kills as the first push out of the subway tracks followed by hallway on the side, then the escalators, give defenders plenty of spots to hold off attackers.

The easiest way I have seen to progress on this section of the map is simply to give into the deadlocks with one or two players giving suppressive fire while one or two recon players quickly flank where the other players are holed up. Whether crawling prone up the far side of the subway tunnel while teammates hug cover, or sprinting around the side hall to get in from their side door – having a flanking recon player is simply the best way to progress. Best case scenario of a flank is pushing the enemy out and being able to move up. Worst case is enemies stop shooting forward to turn and shoot the person flanking them, which still gives teammates a small window to push up quickly.

While I understand trying to push on a map with a lot of choke points is difficult for many players, it is something that is achievable if a few good teammates are actually able to flank the enemy well. So whether you have to message the person playing recon, or have teamed with friends of your own to take on the game, pushing through the Metro is not an impossible task. Like many FPS titles, grenades are your best friends.

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