While limiting yourself to “offense” or “defense” will never work, there are times during a game where your help will be needed on one side of the map or the other. It is not, however, as simple as saying, “three of my teammates are dead, I better play defense.” An overall game-awareness and communication are required to know when to attack or defend.

* Is the game a touch return or a time return (as on The Pit)? If three enemies are on your end of the map and you’re the only one alive for your team, can you sneak in and advance the enemy flag to a point where you may squeak out a counter-capture? Through trial and error you’ll gain a feel of when to make a sneaky flag grab.

* Can your teammates secure the flag? Sometimes you have to advance to positions of strength, knowing that your teammates will respawn or are heading towards the flag to ensure its return. Floating towards or on the flag makes you bait.

* Is it hopeless? If the other team has four alive, you’re the last one left, and they are halfway across the map, don’t make matters worse by charging in and dying immediately. Regroup with your team and set up for a counter capture. Often times, a team will sacrifice complete map control when they capture; take advantage of this fact.

* Talk with your teammates. Talk about what your “ideal” capture would look like, where the flag would go and who will carry it. While things won’t work out perfectly, it will give everyone positions and thus indicate who should attack and defend in given situations.

As time goes on, players gain a feel for when they must defend/return the flag and when they should be on the attack. Halo Capture the Flag doesn’t have defined positions, but something more like a team of four midfielders, where each player is expected to play on both sides of the field.