⚡ TL;DR — Delta Force Layali Grove 2.0
- Layali Grove 2.0 went live September 8, 2026 with Season "Reorientation" (the 2nd anniversary season) and runs as a headline Operations event through October 8, 2026. It is a rework of the existing Operations map, not a brand-new one.
- Access widened: Layali Grove Easy Mode now supports Squad Fill (you can bring friends), and Layali Grove Normal opens every weekend. Previously the map was Easy-Mode solo-queue only.
- The river system was reworked and new areas opened up — including the WSR Lab and a new fishing area — so there is more than one way through the map instead of the same worn paths.
- Two water vehicles: the armed, protected Assault Boat and a quicker, more exposed small watercraft (Jet Ski). The Assault Boat is earned mid-run through the map's new flagship task — the first Operations task that hands you a usable vehicle during a match.
- Fishing is a new relaxed activity that unlocks at Operations Level 17 after you find Joe Reed in Layali Grove Easy and complete his fishing request. There is also a harmonica — the first freely playable musical item in Operations.
Layali Grove used to be the map you queued into alone, ran a familiar loop, and extracted from. Layali Grove 2.0 — live since September 8, 2026 as part of Season "Reorientation" — pulls that habit apart. New waterways, new areas, two boats, a fishing side-loop and a squad-friendly queue turn a predictable map into one with genuine route choices. This guide breaks down exactly what changed, how to reach the new content, and how to plan an Operations run through the revamped Grove. Everything below is verified against Team Jade's official Steam posts (the September 6 Version Update and the September 10 "Layali Grove 2.0 — More Than One Way Through" dev post) — no reseller leaks, no invented version numbers.
Heads-up on the name. This is Season "Reorientation", Delta Force's 2nd anniversary season — Team Jade does not officially number it "Season 11," even though some in-game supply packs carry an "S11" label and third-party sites run with the number. When you search, use "Reorientation." Layali Grove 2.0 is one of its Operations headline features.
What is Layali Grove 2.0 in Delta Force?
Layali Grove is one of Delta Force's Operations (extraction PvPvE) maps — you deploy with gear, loot and fight players and AI, then try to extract before you lose everything outside your Safe Box. Layali Grove 2.0 is a season rework of that existing map, shipped with Season "Reorientation" on September 8, 2026. It is not a new map slot — it replaces the old version of the Grove.
In Team Jade's own framing from the September 10 dev post: "Layali Grove was never meant to make every decision for you. It was built to leave that choice in your hands. Layali Grove 2.0 gives you more to choose from: take the water, chase the fight, follow a lead, or spend a few minutes fishing with your squad before you extract." The design goal is route variety — the map always had space, but too many runs happened on the same paths. 2.0 reworks the river, opens new areas, and adds reasons to move differently.
The rework runs as a timed Operations event, Layali Grove 2.0 Now Live, from September 8 to October 8, 2026. Completing Layali Grove event missions during that window earns the Calling Card — Catastrophe Strikes cosmetic.
How to play Layali Grove 2.0: Easy Squad Fill and weekend Normal
The biggest structural change is who can play the map, and how.
- Before Reorientation: Layali Grove was only available through Easy Mode solo queue. It had a clear solo entry point, but squads who wanted to explore the Grove's long routes and open ground together had no way in.
- In Season "Reorientation": Layali Grove Easy Mode now supports Squad Fill, and Layali Grove Normal opens every weekend.
That means you can now run the Grove solo (Easy, as before), as a squad (Easy with Squad Fill), or take on the higher-stakes weekend Normal rotation. Team Jade was explicit that the goal is not to brand the Grove as "a solo map" or "a squad map," but to let more Operators experience it the way they want.
Planning tip: if you are learning the new layout, run Easy first — lower stakes while you scout the reworked waterways and new areas. Save weekend Normal for when you know the routes and want the better loot and tougher fights.
The reworked river: new routes and new areas
The core of 2.0 is the river system rework. Waterways now connect more of the map, and new areas create alternate approaches, so the question stops being only "where is the best loot?" and becomes "do I move through the trees, take the water, cut through a tunnel, or wait to see who commits first?"
Named locations Team Jade called out for the reworked Grove:
- WSR Lab — a route location opened up by the rework; one of the new reasons to "read the terrain again."
- Fishing area — a new riverside zone built around the fishing activity (see below), not standard high-value loot.
- New caves and encounters throughout the Grove — spaces to explore, regroup or follow a task rather than mandatory loot hotspots.
Team Jade made a deliberate design choice here worth understanding as a player: the new spaces are not all built around top-tier containers. If every new area became a mandatory destination for the best rewards, it would just become another predictable hotspot with a predictable fight. Instead, some new areas are quieter — places to step off the familiar routes. They are not safe zones. In the studio's words: "Layali Grove is still dangerous, and a quieter moment is not a promise of a safe run." Treat the quiet spots as rotation options and ambush ground, not as guaranteed downtime.
Water travel: Assault Boat and Jet Ski
Water is now part of the decision, and there are two ways to use it.
The Assault Boat is the headline. It is a protected, armed way to move your squad across the map. It is earned mid-run through the map's new flagship task — Team Jade calls this "the first Operations flagship task that lets Operators earn a usable vehicle during a run." You commit to the task, take control of the boat, and make the trip count while other squads decide whether to contest it, intercept it, or let you take the risk. The boat is not a shortcut past Operations' danger — in the studio's words, both watercraft "get you moving, and both make you visible." Expect the boat objective to draw a fight; it is designed to be a contested moment that can reshape the rest of the match.
The small watercraft (Jet Ski) is the other option — "quicker and more exposed, built for speed rather than security." Use it to cover the river network fast when you value tempo over protection, accepting that you are an easy target while you are on it.
How to play the water: the river is a genuine third axis now, alongside the trees and the tunnels. It is fastest, but it is the most visible route on the map — sound and sightlines carry over open water. Use boats to reposition or to reach the new areas quickly, but assume anyone nearby can see you coming.
Fishing in Layali Grove 2.0: how to unlock it
Fishing is the season's signature relaxed activity — a solo or co-op side-loop you can do between fights or before you extract. Here is the unlock chain, verified from the official season notes:
- Reach Operations Level 17. Fishing is gated behind Operations Level 17 — nothing works before you hit it.
- Enter Layali Grove — Easy and find Joe Reed, the fishing NPC. He is one of the new characters Team Jade added to the reworked Grove, described in the season notes as "three mysterious veterans" who "arrived with their fishing rods, harmonicas, and stories."
- Complete Joe Reed's fishing request and extract safely to claim your first fishing equipment.
Once unlocked, fishing rods are configurable like weapons — you build and tune them rather than picking a fixed tool — and different rod types catch different fish. Fishing is deliberately low-pressure, but remember it happens inside a live Operations raid: you are still exposed while you fish.
The harmonica: the first playable musical item in Operations
A small but genuinely new detail: the reworked Grove introduces the harmonica, described by Team Jade as "the first freely playable musical item in Operations." You can learn it in the Grove, collect more to play, and perform alone or alongside other Operators. It sits beside the armed boat and the contested task as a "leave your mark" flourish — the kind of thing that makes a run memorable rather than mechanically important. Do not expect a combat or loot benefit; it is flavor.
How to plan a Layali Grove 2.0 Operations run
Putting it together, here is a practical read on the reworked map:
- Pick your mode for the stakes. Easy (solo or Squad Fill) to learn the new layout; weekend Normal once you know it and want the loot and fights.
- Treat the river as a real route, not a novelty. It is the fastest axis and the most exposed. Boats are for repositioning and reaching new areas, not for a safe extract.
- Don't over-commit to the new areas for loot. Several are built as rotation and exploration space, not container farms. Use them to break the enemy's expectations of where you'll be.
- Chase the Assault Boat task only if your squad can hold the fight it invites — it is a contested, flagship objective by design.
- Fishing and the harmonica are optional. They add season progression and flavor; they don't change how you win a firefight.
For where the reworked Grove fits in the wider season, see our Delta Force Season Reorientation patch notes and the full everything new in Season Reorientation breakdown. If you are still learning extraction fundamentals, the AZ3 Nuclear Plant guide covers the game's most punishing Operations map.
FAQ
When did Layali Grove 2.0 release in Delta Force? Layali Grove 2.0 went live on September 8, 2026 with the no-downtime update that launched Season "Reorientation," the 2nd anniversary season. It runs as a headline Operations event through October 8, 2026.
Is Layali Grove 2.0 a new map? No — it is a rework of the existing Layali Grove Operations map, not a new map slot. The river system was rebuilt, new areas (such as the WSR Lab and a fishing area) were opened, and water vehicles and fishing were added, but it replaces the old version of the Grove rather than sitting alongside it.
Can I play Layali Grove with a squad now? Yes. Layali Grove Easy Mode now supports Squad Fill, so you can bring friends, and Layali Grove Normal opens every weekend. Previously the map was Easy-Mode solo-queue only.
How do I get the Assault Boat in Layali Grove? You earn it mid-run by completing the map's new flagship task — Team Jade's first Operations task that gives you a usable vehicle during a match. The Assault Boat is armed and protected, but claiming and moving it makes you visible and is designed to be contested by other squads.
How do I unlock fishing in Delta Force? Reach Operations Level 17, enter Layali Grove — Easy, find the NPC Joe Reed, complete his fishing request, and extract safely to claim your first fishing equipment. Fishing has its own progression — Team Jade says "rods, lines, reels, and bait all change how you fish and what you can handle," so rods are configurable like weapons and different setups catch different fish.
Is Layali Grove 2.0 safe to fish and explore in? No. Fishing, the new caves, and the quieter new areas all happen inside a live Operations raid — Team Jade states plainly that "Layali Grove is still dangerous, and a quieter moment is not a promise of a safe run." You can be ambushed anywhere on the map.
