Quick answer: Zenith Port is the new Warfare map added in Delta Force Season Aurora, live since November 10, 2026. It's a beach assault: G.T.I. attackers land from the sea and push into a coastal city. The map's tsunami is the Riptide Event. There's no single button or call-in for it, and the official trigger is guided missiles, not the new Thermobaric Bomb. According to the official notes, a sustained barrage of guided missiles draws fire from the air defenses, the intercepted missiles explode in the sea, and the waves that follow flood the lower ground. After that, the fight moves to the rooftops. Akh Canal was removed from Warfare in the same update.
Key takeaways
- What it is: a new 32v32 Warfare map (launch-day screenshots show sector capture and defend objectives), added on November 10, 2026 (update live at 02:00 UTC).
- The tsunami: the Riptide Event starts after a sustained guided-missile barrage gets intercepted over the sea. The notes tie it to guided missiles, not to the new Thermobaric Bomb call-in.
- After the wave: the lower objective floods and a new objective opens on the rooftops. Amphibious vehicles and watercraft now rise and fall with the waves, and that physics only runs on Zenith Port for now.
- Tech: Zenith Port is the only map with the new Verity Mode audio mix (a preview). PC also gets Full Verity Mode, which adds UE5 lighting, geometry and shadows.
- Rewards: the Zenith Port event runs Nov 10 – Dec 10 for Tactical Armament Vouchers, and Battle of Zenith Port runs Nov 10 – 19 for the Toro Scatenato tank appearance.
This guide uses Team Jade's official Season Aurora notes on Steam (Major Update: Season Aurora Is Coming!, November 7, and the November 8 Version Update post on Season Aurora events, rewards and store updates), plus the October 30 Season Aurora Developer Preview stream. Team Jade hasn't published an overhead map with named sectors yet, so we don't make up sector names. Where something comes from launch-day play or player reports rather than the notes, we say so.
What is Zenith Port in Delta Force?
Zenith Port is the Warfare map Team Jade built for Season Aurora (S12 in the official numbering). The official setup line reads:
"With covering fire from the fleet, G.T.I. forces storm Zenith Port. As the battle for the beach intensifies, the Intel Department's warnings about the unstable seabed go unheeded." (Team Jade, Season Aurora notes, November 7, 2026)
During the Developer Preview, the team called it "a modern coastal city" where several key areas "have already been turned into defensive positions." In the story, G.T.I. hears about a hidden Haavk military computing facility and sends an amphibious fleet to take it. On the map, that becomes a push from the water onto the beach and the docks, then into the streets, and finally up to the high ground.
Here's the basic setup:
| Detail | Zenith Port |
|---|---|
| Mode | Warfare (32v32, 64 players) |
| Live since | November 10, 2026 (Season Aurora) |
| Objective style | Sector objectives (the HUD shows "Capture Sector Objectives" / "Defend Sector Objectives") |
| Signature mechanic | Riptide Event (tsunami flood) |
| Map-exclusive tech | Wave physics for vehicles, Verity Mode audio (preview), exclusive vehicle music |
| Removed in the same update | Akh Canal (Warfare) |
The objective prompts in that table come from launch-day screenshots players posted, not from the notes. The official notes only say "head to Warfare to experience the new map." Team Jade didn't explain why Akh Canal was removed. The notes just say "Removed the Akh Canal map."
How do you trigger the Riptide tsunami on Zenith Port?
It was one of the first questions on r/DeltaForceGlobal after launch. One player wrote on launch day that they thought it was the new thermo bomb and called one in, but nothing happened. That fits the official wording. The Thermobaric Bomb is a separate Call-in Attack added to all of Warfare this season, while the notes tie Riptide to guided missiles.
The official trigger is spelled out word for word in the notes:
"A sustained barrage of guided missiles draws fire from the air defenses, triggering the Riptide event. Intercepted missiles explode in the sea, unleashing huge waves that transform the battlefield and create a new attack-and-defense experience centered on rooftop tactics!"
In practice, it works like this:
- Missiles have to keep coming. The notes say sustained. On the stream, the developers described the air defenses intercepting the missiles "after several launches," not after one.
- The interception sets it off. The wave comes from missiles exploding in the sea after the air defenses shoot them down. On the stream, the developers said guided missiles are fired during the battle and get intercepted after several launches, so there's no single button or call-in that starts it.
- It's part of the match flow. The stream and the notes both describe Riptide as a step in the attack-and-defense progression, with the fight moving to a new rooftop objective afterwards. Some players say they haven't seen the wave yet, so don't plan your whole match around it.
Neither the notes nor the stream gave a missile count, a timer or a sector number for the trigger. Anyone quoting an exact number this week is guessing. We'll add it here once Team Jade or solid in-game testing confirms one.
What happens when the wave hits?
The developers summed it up on the stream: "when the wave hits, ships and parts of the environment are swept into it." Three things change for you:
- The low objective floods. The street-level objective stops being playable, and the fight moves to a new objective on the rooftops.
- Attackers come in from above and below. Commanders can send attackers in from the air, and ground troops can come up through the water and climb.
- Vehicles ride the swell. The notes confirm that "amphibious vehicles and watercraft now rise and fall with the waves. Currently available only on Zenith Port." Expect that movement to make gunning from a boat harder once the swell arrives.
The developers stressed on the stream that surviving the wave doesn't end the fight, because you still have to win the rooftop battle after it. If your squad is still set up at ground level when Riptide fires, expect to lose that sector.
How do you attack on Zenith Port?
Attacking on Zenith Port happens in two phases: the beach before the wave, and the rooftops after it.
Before Riptide (the landing):
- Use the water. The trailer shows assault boats and an amphibious vehicle leading the landing. Season Aurora changed several water vehicles: the Amphibious LSV variant modification now costs 4,000 points (was 5,000), its mortar and rocket launcher modifications and resupplies are each 500 points cheaper, and its flamethrower heats up and cools down faster. The UCB-95 Assault Boat's wire-guided missile flies slower, so it's easier to dodge and harder to land.
- Fly people in. Transport helicopter pilots now get 120 assist points in Warfare, so a dedicated pilot dropping squads onto high ground is worth more than before.
- Take the beach fast. Every minute spent pinned at the waterline is a minute the defenders spend fortifying the roofs you'll need after the wave.
After Riptide (the rooftops):
- Have a squad already on a roof or a ladder route before the flood. Climbing out of the water under fire is the worst place to be.
- Bring a close-range loadout. The trailer's city footage is short sightlines, stairwells and interiors, not long open lanes. Our best Warfare weapons and loadouts guide lists Warfare-mode stats, which are different from Operations. Remember the Thompson's Warfare headshot multiplier dropped from 1.9x to 1.6x this season.
- Martelo fits this map well. Her Ariete charge reduces frontal damage and ends in a Heavy Strike that knocks enemies down when she hits an enemy or a wall, or in an early leaping slam. That makes it a strong tool for clearing a rooftop door. Our Martelo abilities guide covers her full kit.
How do you defend Zenith Port?
In the story, Haavk holds the city and its air defenses, so the defending side starts with the high ground. Some ways to keep it:
- Hold the shoreline early. Every boat you sink on the approach is one fewer squad climbing a roof later. Disrupting an enemy vehicle with tactical gear now shows a score notification, alerts your team, and gives you an assist if it's destroyed.
- Set up the rooftop before the wave. You know where the fight is going, and the attackers have to climb. Put one player on the rooftop objective early instead of everyone stacking on the street objective.
- Watch the sky. TV-Guided Missiles can now be intercepted and destroyed mid-flight, and vehicle airdrops can buy temporary active defense protection. Expect armor to land under cover.
- Respect the Thermobaric Bomb. The beacon-marked strike "penetrates every obstacle in its path," leaves a small lethal shockwave, then sets off combustible dust that burns a wide area. Spread out when you see the beacon.
A common launch-week complaint is jets flying high enough that Stinger lock-ons fail. That isn't specific to Zenith Port, but the open sea gives aircraft a lot of room to climb. Use your own AA vehicles instead of relying on handheld launchers.
Why does Zenith Port look blurry or low-res?
"Potato graphics" and "low-res vehicles on the new map" were two of the loudest threads in the first 24 hours. Zenith Port shows off the new rendering tech, and Verity Mode audio is limited to it, so check these first:
- Full Verity Mode (PC, not limited to Zenith Port): according to the notes, it's "Powered by UE5, global illumination (Lumen), geometry (Nanite), virtual shadow maps (VSM), water, and vegetation are rendered at higher quality." It's optional. The developers said you can turn it on or off depending on your hardware. If your GPU struggles, turn it off. If textures look flat, try turning it on.
- Verity Mode audio (preview): a new audio mix for gunfire, footsteps, explosions and spatial audio. The notes say it is "currently available only on Zenith Port; other modes and maps are unaffected," and it applies immediately, even mid-match.
- Texture streaming after a large patch: some players also reported very slow Season Aurora downloads, so a client that hasn't finished verifying files can show blurry assets. Let the update finish completely and restart.
- Motion blur on consoles: an Xbox Series S player reported motion sickness after the update. Turn motion blur off in the graphics settings if your platform has the option.
Avoid config-file tweaks. Team Jade's official tech guide bans modified files, registry edits and unofficial launch commands. For a full safe setup, see our Delta Force best settings guide.
Some smaller touches: Zenith Port has its own urban-style vehicle music tracks. On PC, characters, guns and vehicles pick up "urban grime" the longer they stay in the area. On PC you can also turn on the new Immersive Mode (Settings, then Screen, then Warfare Mode) to hide most of the HUD in Attack and Defend, King of the Hill and Victory Unite.
What rewards can you earn on Zenith Port?
Two events tie rewards to the new map:
| Event | Dates (2026) | What you do | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zenith Port (new map event) | Nov 10 – Dec 10 | Play Zenith Port in Warfare and complete active missions | Tactical Armament Vouchers |
| Battle of Zenith Port | Nov 10 – 19 | Earn event points on Zenith Port, hit milestones | Toro Scatenato - Tank appearance, Premium Weapon EXP Token and more |
| Weekend Merit Boost | Nov 14 – 15 | Your first three Warfare Grade Matches | Double Merit |
Battle of Zenith Port is the short one. It ends on November 19, so play your milestone matches early. If you're not sure how the vouchers work, our Tactical Armament Voucher guide explains the draw and the guarantee. Vouchers reset each season, but your guaranteed reward progress carries over.
One warning that applies to every Delta Force event: earn these rewards yourself. Team Jade publishes weekly enforcement bulletins. During Reorientation alone, the developers said more than 185,000 accounts were banned, and over 10,000 of them for 10 years. Team Jade also says it has upgraded detection of masked locations and abnormal system environments.
FAQ
How do you activate the tsunami on Zenith Port? There's no single button for it. The Riptide Event starts when a sustained guided-missile barrage draws fire from the air defenses and the intercepted missiles explode in the sea. The official notes tie it to guided missiles, not to the Thermobaric Bomb call-in.
Why did I never see the tsunami in my match? Riptide needs a sustained guided-missile barrage to be intercepted first, so it isn't guaranteed at a fixed moment. Team Jade hasn't published an exact trigger point, missile count or timer.
Is Zenith Port an Operations map? No. Zenith Port is Warfare-only. Season Aurora's headline Operations map and mode changes are Brakkesh 2.0 and the AZ3 Supercritical mode, which is expected to run from December 18, 2026 to January 25, 2027.
Was Akh Canal removed from Delta Force? Yes. The Season Aurora notes list "Removed the Akh Canal map" under Warfare, with no reason given. Zenith Port is this season's new Warfare map.
Does Zenith Port need Verity Mode? No. Full Verity Mode is an optional PC setting with UE5 lighting and geometry, and the Verity Mode audio mix is an optional preview. The map runs without either.
What's the best operator for Zenith Port? It's too early for hard data, and Team Jade hasn't published win rates. Close-range operators who break into rooms, like Martelo with her Ariete charge, fit the rooftop phase. AA and anti-vehicle coverage matter more during the landing.
More Delta Force guides
- Season Aurora patch notes: every weapon, operator and map change
- Martelo abilities guide
- Best Warfare weapons and loadouts
- Map rotation schedule
- Best settings for FPS and visibility
Applies to Season Aurora (S12), live November 10, 2026. Last verified on November 11, 2026. Map and event details come from the official Delta Force posts on Steam (app 2507950) dated November 7 and November 8, 2026, and the Season Aurora Developer Preview (October 30, 2026). Player reports come from r/DeltaForceGlobal threads dated November 10–11, 2026. Images are frames from the official Zenith Port reveal trailer.
