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NOTE: This article is about the playable terrain in ArmA: Cold War Assault and ArmA 3. For the Armaverse country of the same name, see Malden (country).


Malden (alternatively Malden 2035) is a playable terrain in both ArmA: Cold War Assault and ArmA 3.

Overview[]

Arma3-terrain-malden-satellitemap


« Malden 2035 is a fresh take on the original Malden terrain featured in the very first Arma game. While Malden 2035 re-uses many vanilla Arma 3 structures, vegetation, and similar assets, it also includes additions such as colored buildings, vineyards, and barns. Malden 2035 was initially developed for Bohemia Interactive’s free tactical multiplayer shooter, Argo, and benefits greatly from Argo's infantry focus. A lot of effort was put into the gameplay flow of each location, and as such, this new version of Malden is ideal for Close Quarters Combat.
Malden DLC Official Description
»


Arma3-terrain-malden-01

Although sparsely populated, Malden features a mixture of large urban centres and remote villages

Featured as an official terrain both in ArmA: Cold War Assault as well as ArmA 3, Malden is a Mediterranean island that contains a mixture of desert terrain, forests, farmlands, mountains, rolling hills, and much more.[1]

Its French-themed picturesque sights and diverse environment makes it truly unique compared to both its sister island Everon, as well as other locations in the Mediterranean like Altis and Stratis.

Geography[]

Arma3-terrain-malden-overview

Meadows and vineyards intermeshed with rolling hills are hallmarks of Malden's iconic landscape

Including both smaller islands isolated from the mainland, Malden covers a total landmass of 57 square kilometres.[2]

Conditions on the island are a mixture of semi-arid, mountainous outcrops that define its overall landscape. Non-manmade foliage present on the island mostly consists of stubby trees and shrubbery with the occasional dense woodland consisting of cypress/pine trees.[1]

The highest point on Malden is located at the peak of La Cime, which reaches a height of approximately 523 metres above sea level.[3]

Settlements[]

OFP-terrain-malden-topographicmap

Topographic map of Malden in 1985

Including both major towns and villages, there are a total of seventeen established settlements located on Malden. Thirteen are categorised as villages, while the remaining four are towns/cities. The capital of Malden is La Trinité, which also serves as the island's biggest and most populous city.[4]

Aside from a few of its more rugged villages in the north-west, all settlements are connected via a single main road which loops around the entire island. It ultimately terminates in the north-east at Malden's airport.

During the Cold War, few military bases aside from the NATO-operated airport existed; the sole exception being the supply depots built by the U.S. Army on the south-eastern's so-called "training island".[1][5] At the turn of the millennium and with the rise of CSAT influence on the island[6], numerous military installations were established throughout the island while older facilities were decommissioned and abandoned.[7][8]

Because of its close proximity to international shipping routes passing through the Straits of Gibraltar[7], Malden also serves as an important stopping point for seafaring vessels.[1] Up to fifteen lighthouses are installed at various points on the island, many of them concentrated around the northern and south-eastern parts of Malden.[9]

NOTE: Aside from obvious changes to aesthetics and adjusted positioning, most settlements are virtually identical to their counterparts in both versions of the terrain. Where portions of the terrain have been significantly altered or do not exist in ArmA: Cold War Assault and ArmA 3, they will be noted as such.

Settlements on Malden
Cities La Trinité
Towns ChapoiDourdanHoudanLarcheLa PessagneLe PortSaint Louis
Villages ArudyCanconGoisseLa RivièreLolisseSainte MarieVigny
Military installations U.S.A.F. Larche

Points of interest[]

Cross of Arudy[]

NOTE: Only available in ArmA 3's Malden 2035.

Dedicated to the fallen from the 1985 flashpoint, this statue serves as a commemorative tribute to the American and Soviet soldiers who battled for control over Malden.[10]

Island of Moray[]

Once home to the headquarters of the Pegasus Air Taxi tourism company. This relatively isolated landmass contains a short airstrip useful for light fixed-wing planes to operate from.[11]

Saint Martin Chapel[]

Constructed near La Rivière, this place of worship is often visited by religious pilgrims from all across the Malden islands chain.[12]

Vigny Gorge[]

Popular with tourists and amateur rock climbers alike[13], this picturesque location is separated by tall rock formations that form into a ravine.

Terrain-specific texts[]

NOTE: The following loading screen texts only apply to ArmA 3's Malden 2035.

« The island south-east of Le Port used to be a US Army overseas base during the Cold War. »
« There are 15 lighthouses on Malden. »
« Some of the mountain farms still bear names of the most ancient Maldenian families. »
« The Cross of Arudy commemorates the fallen of the conflict between the American and Soviet troops in 1985. »
« The Vigny Gorge is a picturesque ravine popular among tourists and climbers. »
« Citizens and visitors of Malden benefit from a dense network of bus lines. »
« La Cime, Malden's highest point, reaches 523 m above sea level. »
« National tree of Malden is the stone pine (Pinus pinea). »
« Saint Martin chapel near La Rivière is being visited by the pilgrims from all the Malden Islands. »
« There are several ancient megalithic sites in the mountains of Malden. »
« Island of Moray used to be the first base of the famous Pegasus Air Taxi. »
« Stealing a car is considered as serious crime on Malden. »
« Malden is favorite tourist place because of its unique countryside. »
« Goat cheese produced in La Pessagne is famous even in the distant Sahrani. »
« La Trinité is the capital and the largest city of Malden, named after its three churches. »
« There are 23 phone booths on Malden. »
« The vineyards of Malden are famous for their sauvignon blanc grapes. »
« Desert can be found on the arid north of Malden. »
« Malden is strategically important for its large airstrip. »
« Malden is the southernmost island of the Malden Islands archipelago. »

Gallery[]

Video[]

Trivia[]

  • Malden's geography is inspired by the real-world Greek island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea.[1] However, the in-game terrain is much smaller than its real counterpart, and its settlement layouts in both games are completely fictitious.
  • Malden 2035 (the remake version) was not initially available in ArmA 3 and was only added with the release of Game Update 1.72 as part of the free Malden DLC.[14]
    • The terrain itself was originally designed for use in Project Argo, a now-defunct, free-to-play competitive shooter title developed by Bohemia Interactive. The developers eventually decided to port Malden into ArmA 3 after overhauling some parts of the terrain.[15]
    • During the development process, members of the community were invited to create their own (Armaverse-relevant) advertisements for display on the various billboards scattered throughout Malden.[16] 11 out of the 85 entries were eventually chosen and added for display in-game.[17]
  • Until the release of ARMA Reforger, it was the only terrain in the entire series to have been featured in two main titles.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Berghoff_bi_wiki et al. 2006, Malden, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 14 September 2023, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Malden>.
  2. Mořický, K 2016, 'Arma Terrains', Karel Mořický, 22 June, viewed 14 September 2023, <http://moricky.com/2016/06/arma-terrains/>.
  3. ARMA 3: Malden 2017 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Malden 2035, "La Cime, Malden's highest point, reaches 523 m above sea level."
  4. ARMA 3: Malden 2017 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Malden 2035, "La Trinité is the capital and the largest city of Malden, named after its three churches."
  5. ARMA 3: Malden 2017 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Malden 2035, "The island south-east of Le Port used to be a US Army overseas base during the Cold War."
  6. ARMA 3: Tac-Ops 2017 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Stepping Stone, "The strategic island of Malden once again prepares for war. CSAT have taken control. NATO reinforcements, responding to a surprise attack on Stratis, must intercede. There are no good options. Air superiority over the Gibraltar Straits must be secured. The invasion simply cannot fail."
  7. 7.0 7.1 ARMA 3: Tac-Ops 2017 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Stepping Stone, Fait Accompli, "After our exit and the catastrophic handling of Cold War-era stockpiles, Malden has drifted into CSAT's sphere of influence. Our former base, here, to the north of the main airport, is now a major concern. China's got a squadron of long-range aircraft there. Shikras. Brass tacks: we need air superiority over the Gibraltar Straits - if we don't have that, we can't invade Altis and Stratis."
  8. ARMA 3: Tac-Ops 2017 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Stepping Stone, Disintegration Point, "I'm just saying. We wouldn't be in this mess if we'd never left. I mean, accidentally blowing up our own research station? Killing a bunch of local workers..."
  9. ARMA 3: Malden 2017 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Malden 2035, "There are 15 lighthouses on Malden."
  10. ARMA 3: Malden 2017 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Malden 2035, "The Cross of Arudy commemorates the fallen of the conflict between the American and Soviet troops in 1985."
  11. ARMA 3: Malden 2017 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Malden 2035, "Island of Moray used to be the first base of the famous Pegasus Air Taxi."
  12. ARMA 3: Malden 2017 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Malden 2035, "Saint Martin chapel near La Rivière is being visited by the pilgrims from all the Malden Islands."
  13. ARMA 3: Malden 2017 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., Malden 2035, "The Vigny Gorge is a picturesque ravine popular among tourists and climbers."
  14. Kovařič, V 2017, SPOTREP #00069, Arma 3, viewed 14 December 2018, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00069>.
  15. Bohemia Interactive a.s., 2017, Malden, Arma 3, viewed 14 September 2023, <https://arma3.com/dlc/malden>.
  16. Buchta, I 2016, "Create-Your-Own-Billboard" Contest Announcement, Project Argo, viewed 14 September 2023, <http://web.archive.org/web/20200603025841/https://www.projectargo.net/blog/announcements/create-your-own-billboard-contest-announcement>. (archived link)
  17. Bohemia Interactive a.s., 2017, Winners of "Create-Your-Own-Billboard" contest have been chosen! Check out the announcement on our website:, 21 January, viewed 14 September 2023, <https://twitter.com/projectargogame/status/822462503963820032>.

External links[]

See also[]

Playable terrains in ArmA: Cold War Assault
Desert IslandEveronKolgujevMaldenNogova*
* denotes terrains that were added in the Resistance expansion pack.
Playable terrains in ArmA 3
Official Terrains Altis (Amsterdam) • LivoniaMaldenStratisTanoaVirtual Reality
Third Party Terrains Cam Lao NamGabretaKhe SanhNormandySefrou-Ramal"The Bra"Weferlingen
Official DLC: Apex DLC | Contact DLC
Creator DLC: CSLA Iron Curtain | Global Mobilization - Cold War Germany | S.O.G. Prairie Fire | Spearhead 1944 | Western Sahara
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