When playing the gamemode “Rocket Slayer”, the Warthogs are replaced with Scorpion tanks. In the Halo 2 variant of the map, each base has a third, below ground level, in which a Banshee can be found.
Warthog jeeps can easily traverse the landscape, making them ideal for escaping with the flag. On top of each base, a teleporter can transport players (from either team) to the midst of the valley's no man's land, leaving them vulnerable to snipers. Each base is conducive to traditional FPS gameplay, with 'two entrances, an open ceiling, and sloping paths to the roof'. The map is balanced but asymmetrical in terms of tactical advantage, with the Red team having access to a ridge, while the Blue team is located near a tunnel system in the canyon wall.
The canyon's interior is a 'vast expanse of undulating landscape and scattered pieces of natural cover', with a base on each end for the Red and Blue teams.
Blood Gulch takes place in a box canyon on a Halo ring that is enclosed on all sides by high natural walls.
