Rank War Stages

A stage (ステージ) is a virtual arena in which rank battles are fought. It is selected by the lowest-ranked unit competing in a match and revealed a few minutes before its start.

Cityscape A
Cityscape A (A) is a large urban area on flat ground. It is a varied map, with rows of squat houses interspersed with condos several stories tall, while open spaces range from roads of various width to parks and stadii. Mountains are visible in the far distance.

This stage is considered the most standard one in which no agent class has the upper hand by default, and where audacious strategies based on topography are impossible. Nonetheless, a lack of experience with it can still put one at a disadvantage. It appears to be favored in solo rank battles.

Cityscape B
Cityscape B (B) is a large urban area on flat ground, stretching as far as the eye can see. Due to the varied sizes and shapes of the buildings, it is a mixture of low and high rises. A sizable portion of the western area of the map is taken up by a single, massive building or complex.

Some areas of the map have few lines of fire, and overall it is known to favor combatants who fight at close range. Yuba Unit will always pick this stage when given the opportunity.

Cityscape C
Cityscape C (C) is a hillside residential area. The houses, most of which are two stories tall, are built into the slope. The various blocks are separated by streets with the occasional parked car. Apart from the main streets, one can climb uphill through several flights of stairs. The residential area is surrounded by woods and overlooked by a rocky wall.

This stage is known to favor Snipers. A single one perched on a high spot can dominate the battle, with agents heading uphill and thus being forced to cross the streets making particularly easiy targets. Conversely, the houses reduce sightlines from below, making it difficult to take aim while remaining hidden.

Cityscape D
Cityscape D (D) is a urban stage comprised of broad streets lined with large buildings. The biggest one is a six-story shopping mall at the center of the map, an ensemble of wide-open (atrium, hallways) and narrow spaces (shops and restaurants). Although a bird's eye view of the map causes it to appear rather small, the multiplicity of floors of each building makes it a vertically aligned stage.

Since the buildings tend to contain broad, largely unencumbered spaces, Cityscape D encourages indoors battles. In broad terms, ranged fighters have an advantage on the streets, whereas Attackers have the edge inside the buildings. It is considered an anti-Sniper stage, since the only truly favorable area to Snipers are the streets, and to snipe someone in a building they must come much closer than they usually would. Due to the multi-layered structure of the map, it is impossible to tell how close an opponent is from Radar alone, and nothing short of Meteor will smoke out someone who hides with Bagworm. For this reason, many agents find this stage annoying to fight in. Most fighters will take shelter inside the mall, thus making it the location where the majority of battles are decided.

Settings
Stages appear to be set by default to daytime and calm weather. However, the unit which selects the map can freely alter the time of day and weather conditions, which will not be known to the opponents and spectators until the match begins. Extreme settings are generally avoided, as they make placement luck all the more important.

Trivia

 * In Chapter 87 the preview images are shown of what appear to be a forest stage and a map similar to Riverside A, but with a different, smaller bridge.
 * At least one session of stealth and target acquisition training took place in a ravaged urban area.
 * The preview image of Industrial Area has a nighttime setting.
 * In the original Japanese release of Chapter 152, Osamu appears to be initially unaware of what stage he has just spawned in, despite maps being revealed a few minutes ahead of the match. This was fixed in the volume version, although the error persiste din the English-language release.