Firebase Ghost

Firebase Ghost is a multiplayer map in Mass Effect 3. It is located in a slum on Benning in the Earth Systems Alliance Space zone of the galaxy map. In single player, the Galaxy at War mission N7: Cerberus Abductions takes places on this map.

Description

Benning, the nearest garden world to Arcturus Station, is the station's primary food supply source and an important staging area for starship maintenance and repair. This makes reclaiming the planet a key part of any attempt to liberate the station, capital of the Systems Alliance.

Hazard Version

Mass Effect 3: Retaliation adds a version of Firebase Ghost that is set during an acid rain storm. Periodically, acid rain will start to fall, doing small but steady damage to the shields or barriers of any player out in the open, but none to health. It will damage enemy shields and barriers, but this damage cannot be relied on. It will never rain during the first wave but it will rain for the first half of the extraction wave, making it difficult for those who rush into the extraction zone and dig in until the shuttle arrives.

Locations

Landing Pad

A corner lot that leads to the Main Street (via the downward road or Pod 5), the Alley (via the right road and Pod 52) and the Central Pod near the Alley. Players begin and extract at this location.

Alley

A corner street that connects the Landing Pad and the Back Street. Pod 9 connects directly to Pod 52.

Main Street

A lower street with ramps leading to several pods. Leads up to the Landing Pad (through the street and Pod 5) and the Central Pod (through two ladders and a stairwell).

Central Pod

A series of habitat pods that run the length of the map. One ramp leads out to the corner of the Alley and Landing Pad. Two ladders and one staircase lead down to the Main Street from the far pod. Two ramps at the far pod and one at the near pod lead to the Back Street.

Back Street

A back area near the Central Pod. Three entrances to the Central Pod, and the street leads to the alley.

Player Notes

General

• Firebase Ghost is one of the larger firebases in the game. The outside areas are fairly wide, there are several winding hallways, and there are multiple levels of altitude. This has both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it allows you more room to maneuver and escape from large groups of enemies and/or enemies with very powerful attacks like Banshees and Geth Pyros. It also allows you an opportunity to attack from multiple directions and flank the enemy. On the other hand, it makes it easier for the enemy to flank you.
• Perhaps more so than any other multiplayer map, waiting for extraction at the landing pad may not be the best idea with Firebase Ghost. First, there is no ammo dump at the landing pad; the closest is up the ramp on the left. Second, you will have to deal with enemies attacking you from a practically unbroken ninety degree arc. This makes it harder to prevent being overwhelmed by enemies, especially those with lethal close range attacks. This is true even on Bronze difficulty. Third, cover is limited, and most of it leaves you vulnerable on one side. The cover that exists is only waist high so enemies can shoot over your cover from their advantageous high ground.

Hazard

• Damage from the acid rain is very light, but even a single enemy attack can cause a lot of damage when combined with it. Characters with more shields or barriers will be able to last longer outside.
• Rain is falling during the first half of the Extraction, so you should bunker down in the Central Pod or Pod 52 and move to the LZ after the rain stops.
• If you play with the Alliance Infiltration Unit, its defensive matrix basically cancels out the acid rain, making it an excellent choice for "retrieval" or "devices" objectives taking place outdoors.