Layali Grove has always been one of the more interesting Operations maps in Delta Force — big sightlines, open terrain, and enough space to make every run feel different. Season Reorientation, the game's second-anniversary update that went live on September 8, 2026, takes that foundation and rebuilds the parts that made it feel repetitive. New waterways, three new named locations, two water vehicles, a fishing system, and squad-friendly queue options all land at once. This guide breaks down every change and tells you how to actually use them.
What changed in Layali Grove 2.0?
This is not a new map. Layali Grove 2.0 replaces the old version of the same Operations map, keeping its identity while pulling apart the habits players had built around it. The river system was reworked so waterways connect more of the map, and three new named areas were added: Fisher's Hut, Rock Cavern, and Underground Dock. The WSR Lab and a new fishing area are also called out as locations opened up by the rework.
The design logic behind the new areas is worth understanding before you run in expecting loot. Several of the new spaces are deliberately not built around high-value containers. The development team made a point of this: if every new area became a mandatory loot destination, it would just create another predictable hotspot with a predictable fight. Instead, some of the new locations are rotation space, ambush ground, and exploration territory. That does not make them safe. Layali Grove is still a live Operations raid, and a quiet corner is not a guarantee of an uneventful minute.
Reworked river routes
How do you access Layali Grove 2.0?
Before Season Reorientation, Layali Grove was only available through Easy Mode solo queue. That locked out squads who wanted to run the map's long routes together. The update fixes this directly.
Layali Grove Easy Mode now supports Squad Fill, meaning you can bring friends into the map for the first time. Layali Grove Normal opens every weekend for players who want the higher-stakes version. Solo players can still queue Easy as before.
The practical advice here is straightforward: if you are learning the reworked layout, run Easy first. The new waterways, the new areas, and the vehicle tasks all benefit from a lower-pressure scouting run before you commit to weekend Normal with your full stash on the line.
Layali Grove 2.0 also runs as a timed Operations event through October 8, 2026. Completing event missions during that window earns the Calling Card — Catastrophe Strikes cosmetic.
Water travel: Assault Boat vs Jet Ski
Water is now a genuine third axis through the map, alongside the tree lines and the tunnels. There are two ways to use it, and they serve different purposes.
The Assault Boat is the headline addition. It is armed, it offers more protection, and it is the first Operations flagship task in the game that hands you a usable vehicle during a match. To get it, you need to complete the Breaking Waves mission flow: accept the mission, open a gate, pull a lever to release the boat, and then move it across the river. The catch is that claiming and moving the boat makes you visible, and the objective is designed to invite a fight. Other squads will see you commit to the task and decide whether to contest it, intercept you on the water, or let you take the risk.
The Jet Ski is faster but more exposed. It suits tempo plays where you want to cover the river network quickly and accept the visibility trade-off. Neither vehicle is a quiet rotation option. Open water carries sound and sightlines further than tree cover, so treat both as aggressive repositioning tools rather than safe extraction shortcuts.
How do you unlock fishing in Layali Grove 2.0?
Fishing is the season's most unusual addition to Operations, and it has a specific unlock chain before you can access it.
- Reach Operations Level 17. Nothing in the fishing system works before you hit this threshold.
- Enter Layali Grove Easy and find Joe Reed, one of the new NPCs added to the reworked map.
- Complete Joe Reed's fishing request and extract safely to claim your first fishing equipment.
Once unlocked, fishing rods work more like weapons than fixed tools. You configure them with components including lures, lines, reels, and bait, and different setups catch different fish. The system supports two styles: lure fishing, which is active and requires working the lure to attract a bite, and float fishing, which is slower and more patient.
Each map has exclusive fish to collect. Fish that you successfully extract do not take up regular stash space. They go into a fishing gallery and can be displayed in your Collection Room.
The system is genuinely optional. You can ignore it entirely, or you can build a run around it: finishing a task, fishing by the river before extraction, and deciding whether one more cast is worth the risk. That tension is the point. A riverbank in Layali Grove is exposed ground, and other players will treat a fishing location as a place to find someone standing still.
Joe Reed fishing unlock NPC
The harmonica and new characters in the Grove
Fishing is not the only unusual addition. Layali Grove 2.0 also introduces the harmonica, described by the development team as the first freely playable musical item in Operations. You can learn it in the Grove, collect more, and play alone or alongside other Operators. It has no combat benefit. It is flavor, and it is the kind of detail that makes a run memorable when someone in your squad finds one and plays it by the water before extraction.
The Grove also has new characters to meet and tasks to follow. These NPCs, including Joe Reed, are part of the rework's push to give the map more reasons to explore beyond the standard loot loop.
How to plan a Layali Grove 2.0 Operations run
Here is how the changes translate into practical run planning.
The river is now a real route, not a map edge. It is the fastest path through parts of the map, but it is also the most visible. Use boats to reposition or reach new areas quickly, not as a default rotation. Assume anyone with a sightline to the water can see you moving.
The new areas are not all equal. Fisher's Hut, Rock Cavern, and Underground Dock each have different risk profiles. Cave environments like Rock Cavern change visibility and cover options significantly. Learn entrances and exits before you commit to pushing through. Underground Dock expands the water and boatyard theme and may see more traffic because of its connection to the Assault Boat activity.
For squads, assign roles before you use a water vehicle or interact with an objective in an exposed area. One player watches the shoreline, another covers a rear angle, and the player on the objective focuses on the interaction. Communication matters more when new points of interest pull multiple squads into the same spaces.
For solo players, the reworked map gives you more options to avoid the usual pressure. New routes through the WSR Lab and the fishing area let you read the terrain differently and avoid the paths other players have already memorized.
For loadout planning around the new season's weapons and attachments, the Delta Force MCX LT and FS-12 build guide covers optimized setups for Season Reorientation's silencer-focused meta. If you are also working through the season's other Operations content, the Saeed Fiery Owl Hunt progression guide and the Hudson boss fight guide cover two of the other major PvE objectives running alongside the Layali Grove event.
Rock Cavern entry angles
Season Reorientation context: what else is new
Layali Grove 2.0 is the Operations headline, but Season Reorientation ships with a full slate of changes. Rover, the new Support Operator, enters with his canine partner Clover. His Dart Rifle can incapacitate enemies or help injured teammates recover, his Irritant Smoke forces enemies out of cover and reveals their positions, and Clover can be called onto the field to hunt nearby threats. Rover can be unlocked through the free Battle Pass.
The MDR Assault Rifle and a new close-range SMG join the weapon pool. Several new attachments change how existing weapons behave: the M700 Havoc Whirlwind Frame System adds a faster semi-automatic mode, the Enhanced Gas Block converts the M700 to full-auto with a damage trade-off on lower torso hits, and the 93R Havoc Weasel SMG Kit gives the 93R a full-auto firing mode.
Polaris Patrol is a new Operations experience built around the playable boss Desmoulins, who controls a vehicle called Ruin with a turret, grenade launcher, thermal imaging, and a Seeker Bomb. Space City also gets Switch location changes designed to break up the familiar camping routes around extraction.
For a full breakdown of all the season's Operations content and strategies, the Delta Force guides collection has everything organized by topic.
Key takeaways for Layali Grove 2.0
- The river is now a route, not a border. Both water vehicles make you visible, so use them with a destination in mind.
- New areas are not all loot destinations. Several are rotation and ambush space by design.
- Fishing requires Operations Level 17 and a completed request from Joe Reed in Easy Mode before anything unlocks.
- The Assault Boat is earned mid-run through the Breaking Waves task and will draw a fight every time.