Read Warfare vs Offensive first
Offensive only counts Hard Cap; Warfare also counts Soft Cap at one unit.
HARD CAP · SOFT CAP · WARFARE · OFFENSIVE
How do you capture and defend a point?
Read the mode first. In Warfare, a player in the Soft Cap contributes one capture unit and a player in the Hard Cap contributes three. In Offensive, only players inside the Hard Cap capture the active objective. Presence on the point beats a private firefight outside it.
Reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Current evidence separated from version-sensitive values
QUICK ANSWER
Read the mode first. In Warfare, a player in the Soft Cap contributes one capture unit and a player in the Hard Cap contributes three. In Offensive, only players inside the Hard Cap capture the active objective. Presence on the point beats a private firefight outside it.
CHOOSE YOUR CURRENT STATE
Identify why the point is not moving
Mode rules, Hard Cap presence and spawn distance fail at different stages.
Get in the counting area
A firefight on the approach does not flip the point.
Place an Outpost for the cap
A rear HQ walk loses the next wave.
Stay after the first contact
A player who leaves the circle is no longer capturing or defending it.
WHAT COUNTS ON THE POINT
The capture rule changes with the mode
Official launch mode rules define Hard Cap as the marked circle around the capture point and Soft Cap as the 2×2 grid around the objective. Do not assume every mode uses both.
ModeWho capturesHow the team wins
WarfareSoft Cap = 1 unit; Hard Cap = 3 units. An uncontested clean capture takes three minutes.Capture the enemy HQ sector, or hold the majority of sectors when the 90-minute limit expires.
OffensiveOnly players inside the Hard Cap contribute to capturing the active objective.Attackers take all five points including HQ; defenders win by holding any active sector until its 30-minute timer expires.
Conquest / DominationUse the current mode page for the published capture and ticket or timer rules.Do not copy Warfare Hard Cap values onto an undocumented pairing.
FIELD BRIEFING
What to verify before acting
Get inside the circle that actually counts
A firefight on the approach does not flip the point. In Warfare, moving from Soft Cap into Hard Cap triples that player's capture contribution. In Offensive, standing outside the Hard Cap does not capture at all.
- Identify the mode name before the first spawn
- Move with the squad into the marked circle
- Clear defenders, then stay; do not chase a single kill off the point
- Ask for a nearby Outpost so the next wave returns to the cap
Hold the circle, then the approaches
A defence that sits one grid too far back can lose an uncontested capture while it wins a firefight. Keep enough players inside the counting area, then screen the likely attack routes.
- Leave a presence in the Hard Cap
- Place the squad Outpost where a wipe can return to the same circle
- Call incoming direction instead of every shot
- In Offensive, a lost sector cannot be recaptured by the defending team
PROCEDURE
Follow these steps
Read the mode name, timer and win condition on the deployment screen before spawning.
Open the tactical map and identify the active capture point, Hard Cap circle and the squad's current spawn.
Move with the unit into the area that actually counts for this mode: Hard Cap in Offensive; Hard Cap preferred in Warfare.
Stay in the circle after the first contact. A player who chases a kill outside the cap is no longer capturing or defending it.
Ask the Squad Leader for an Outpost or Garrison that returns people to this point, not a rear HQ walk.
When the objective flips, leave the old fight and repeat the same presence rule on the new sector.
COMMON PITFALLS
Avoid these mistakes
- Fighting on the edge of a Warfare point and wondering why the capture is slow.
- Standing in the Soft Cap during Offensive, where only Hard Cap counts.
- Assuming a 90-minute Warfare timer applies to Offensive's 30-minute sector clock.
- Publishing undocumented ticket, morale or strongpoint names as universal rules.
CURRENT MODE GUIDE
Launch-build overview of Warfare, Offensive, Conquest and Domination
A launch-build mode overview recommended in official launch coverage. Use the dated mode pages below for exact Hard Cap, Soft Cap and timer rules.
QUICK ANSWERS
Capture & Defend Objectives questions
What is Hard Cap in Hell Let Loose: Vietnam?
The official Game Modes article defines Hard Cap as the designated circle marked directly on the map around a capture point. In Warfare a player there contributes three capture units; in Offensive only Hard Cap players capture the active objective.
What is Soft Cap?
Soft Cap is the four grid squares forming a 2×2 area around the objective. In Warfare a player there contributes one capture unit. Do not assume Offensive uses Soft Cap the same way.
How long does a Warfare capture take?
The official rules say an uncontested clean capture takes three minutes. Contesting the point changes that clock; this page does not invent additional multipliers beyond the published 1-versus-3 contribution.
Why am I not capturing in Offensive?
Only players inside the Hard Cap contribute. Move into the marked circle and stay there. A lost sector also cannot be recaptured by the defending team.
SOURCES & EVIDENCE BOUNDARY
What this guide can verify
These guides separate first-party release facts, dated catalogues and observed gameplay behavior. Version-sensitive values or features remain unstated when the current sources do not verify them.