I have the flag, what now?

 

So you've walked to the flag, held E on your keyboard, and the flag is now in your hands. What now?

First thing to notice is this: You no longer have your musket. The icon on your toolbar is greyed, and you can't use it. This means your loadout has changed.

Instead of your trusty musket, you have a pistol and a sword. In most circumstances, you should avoid using them.

The pistol is highly inaccurate (compared to the musket), and the sword does little damage, at most 40 with full morale. For now, just avoid them.

You're now holding the flag. Here is a list of basic keys you can use while bearing the flag:

4. H (This key is also bound to taking your hat off, so you might press it accidentally trying to change your hat.) DO NOT PRESS THIS KEY. Your movement speed is reduced to 0 which basically means you stop moving immediately. This is what is colloquially known as "fucking up"

 

Movement

 

When you pick up the flag, you might notice there is now a faint circle around you. This is the flag's area of influence. Every mechanic concerning the flag is related to this area of influence. For example, a morale buff is given to soldiers of the same company inside that area, and the rate at which your company strength (more information later) is regenerated.

The typical game state is a line formation, composed of your fellow soldiers. Here, if you're a flag guard, you aim to form in the middle of the line, which on average is the position closest to the flag. For the flag bearer, their task is to distribute the "spawns" (because all company members spawn in a radius of 10-12 studs from the flag's origin point), and the flag's morale buff. The simplest way to do this is a "back and forth" motion across the line, going from point to point, unless instructed otherwise by your commander.