Birds of War Updraft Locations Guide — Map-by-Map Jump Pad Routes, Air Combos, and Climb Paths

Updraft jump pads are the highest-impact flight mechanic in Birds of War, and every ranked match is shaped by which flock controls the updraft positions. Each launch map has 3-5 updraft pads that boost any bird flying through them by roughly 1.5x altitude gain (estimated), and chaining updrafts lets skilled players reach altitude that would otherwise require a full stamina burn. The 3v3v3 economy rewards the flock that controls the highest altitude because the high-ground bird sees every Egg cluster, every rival commit, and every third-flock rotation before the rival commits. This guide covers the per-map updraft locations, the climb-path combinations, the air combo routes, the dodge timing discipline, and the positioning rules that define aerial control after patch 1.1.5.

How Updrafts Work

Updrafts are invisible jump pads in Birds of War. They are physical collision objects that apply an upward force when a bird flies through them. The mechanic has four defined properties:

The updraft has no cooldown per bird, which means any bird can chain updrafts indefinitely. The Hummingbird's smaller hitbox lets the Hummingbird thread updrafts that other birds miss, which is why the Hummingbird is the canonical updraft-chain bird.

Why Updrafts Matter for 3v3v3 Economy

The flock that controls the updraft positions controls the high ground, and the high-ground bird sees every rival commit before it happens. This makes updraft control a third-flock raid counter — a flock holding the high ground can scout the third-flock's rotation and pre-stage Guardian Wings before the third-flock commits. The estimated community-reported win rate for flocks holding updraft control is roughly 55-60 percent (estimated), which is well above the 50 percent baseline.

Forest Updraft Locations

Forest has 4 updraft pads scattered across the canopy and the open understory. The Forest updraft layout:

Forest Updraft Chains

The Forest updraft chain is the highest-impact aerial route in the game:

1. Takeoff at center understory
2. Canopy updraft 1 boost to center canopy
3. Canopy updraft 2 boost to east platform canopy
4. East platform dive to grab the eastern Egg cluster

The chain takes roughly 8-10 seconds (estimated) from takeoff to Egg pickup, which is faster than any ground route. Skilled Hummingbird players run this chain in roughly 6-8 seconds (estimated).

Highrise Updraft Locations

Highrise has 3 updraft pads along the perimeter ring. The Highrise updraft layout:

Highrise Updraft Chains

Highrise's perimeter ring makes the updraft chains shorter than Forest's:

• North perimeter chain: North updraft → top of perimeter → Talon Dive confirm
• South perimeter chain: South updraft → top of perimeter → Talon Dive confirm
• Center chain: Center updraft → top of center platform → high-ground patrol

The perimeter ring was shrunk by 25 percent in patch 1.0.5, which brought the updrafts closer to the Nest platforms. The shrink increased the updraft value because the dive confirm from updraft-boosted altitude is faster than ground-level.

Arctic Updraft Locations

Arctic has 3 updraft pads along the ice ridges. The Arctic updraft layout:

Arctic Updraft Chains

Arctic's narrow chokepoints make the updraft chains the most-contested in the game:

• East ridge chain: East updraft → ridge dive → contested Egg pickup
• West ridge chain: West updraft → ridge dive → contested Egg pickup
• Center chain: Center updraft → center high ground → patrol

Arctic's ice-skim mechanic interacts with the updrafts in interesting ways — a bird sliding across the ice can hit an updraft and launch into the air, which catches rivals off-guard. Skilled Arctic players bait rivals into chasing across the ice, then chain into an updraft for a counter-commit.

Coliseum Updraft Locations

Coliseum has 4 updraft pads around the centered arena. The Coliseum updraft layout:

Coliseum Updraft Chains

Coliseum's centered arena makes the updraft chains the most-balanced in the game:

• North chain: North updraft → north arena dive → contested Egg pickup
• South chain: South updraft → south arena dive → contested Egg pickup
• East chain: East updraft → east arena dive → contested Egg pickup
• West chain: West updraft → west arena dive → contested Egg pickup

Coliseum's symmetrical updraft layout rewards flocks that can hold all four updraft positions simultaneously, which is rare in solo queue but achievable in coordinated Discord trios.

Vietnam Updraft Locations

Vietnam has 5 updraft pads scattered across the jungle. The Vietnam updraft layout is the most-dense of any map:

Vietnam Updraft Chains

Vietnam's dense jungle makes the updraft chains the longest in the game:

• North canopy chain: Canopy 1 → north canopy dive → jungle Egg pickup
• South canopy chain: Canopy 2 → south canopy dive → jungle Egg pickup
• East clearing chain: East updraft → clearing dive → contested Egg pickup
• West clearing chain: West updraft → clearing dive → contested Egg pickup
• Center bamboo chain: Center updraft → bamboo canopy dive → high-ground patrol

Vietnam's jungle walls add collision knockback to rivals knocked into them, which extends the combo chain. Skilled Vietnam players use the jungle walls to extend their Talon Dive confirms.

Air Combo Routes

Air combos use updrafts to chain aerial attacks. The four canonical air combos:

Air Combo 1 — Hummingbird Updraft Dive

The Hummingbird picks up speed through an updraft, then dives on a rival. The dive deals extra damage because of the altitude gain. Skilled Hummingbird players chain 2-3 updrafts before the dive for maximum altitude.

Air Combo 2 — Eagle Talon Dive Confirm

The Eagle boosts through an updraft, then commits Talon Dive on a rival carrier. The post-1.1.5 Talon Dive confirm deals one-shot damage on light birds, which makes the updraft-boosted Talon Dive the highest-burst single play in the game.

Air Combo 3 — Crow Shadow Flap Theft

The Crow boosts through an updraft, then uses Shadow Flap to slip past rival defenders and steal the Egg directly. The Crow's hitbox lets the Crow thread updraft chains that other birds miss.

Air Combo 4 — Owl Roost Ambush

The Owl boosts through an updraft, then roosts in a jungle canopy or platform edge. The Owl waits for the rival carrier to pass, then ambushes with a guaranteed first hit. The roost camouflage makes the ambush invisible until the Owl commits.

Dodge Timing Discipline

Updraft dodge timing is the highest-skill updraft discipline. A bird who hits an updraft at the wrong angle can be launched into a rival commit or off the map edge. The dodge timing rules:

• Hit updrafts perpendicular to the boost direction: an angled hit launches the bird sideways, which is useful for dodging but risky if mis-timed
• Hit updrafts center-mass for maximum boost: a center hit gives the full 1.5x altitude gain; an off-center hit gives roughly 1.2x
• Chain updrafts within 2-3 seconds: a chain longer than 3 seconds loses the speed benefit

Dodge Timing Mistakes

Three dodge timing mistakes appear repeatedly in lower-ranked play:

• Off-center updraft hit: a bird who hits the updraft edge gets a partial boost and lands in a vulnerable position
• Stamina-starved updraft chain: a bird who runs out of stamina mid-chain falls back to the ground, losing the altitude advantage
• Updraft commit into rival commit: a bird who boosts into a contested updraft gets dive-confirmed by a waiting rival

Frequently Asked Questions

How many updrafts does each map have in Birds of War?

Forest has 4 updrafts, Highrise has 3, Arctic has 3, Coliseum has 4, Vietnam has 5. The per-map updraft count affects which flock controls the high ground — more updrafts means more control points to contest.

Does updraft control win matches?

Estimated community-reported win rate for flocks holding updraft control is roughly 55-60 percent. Updraft control is a third-flock raid counter because the high-ground bird scouts the third-flock rotation before the rival commits.

Which bird dominates updraft chains?

The Hummingbird dominates updraft chains because the smaller hitbox threads updrafts that other birds miss. The Hummingbird's chain speed is the fastest in the game, roughly 6-8 seconds for the full Forest chain.

What happens if I hit an updraft off-center?

An off-center updraft hit gives roughly 1.2x altitude gain (estimated) instead of the full 1.5x. The bird also drifts sideways, which can be useful for dodging but risky if mis-timed. Hit updrafts center-mass whenever possible.

For the Forest-specific updraft chains, see the Forest map guide. For the Highrise updraft chains after the 1.0.5 shrink, see the Highrise map guide. The official YouTube trailer shows the Forest canopy updraft chain in action.