Assault

An overview of the Assault course from the second half of season one

Play-by-play announcer Mike Adamle called Assault "the game of hit or be hit." The contender had 60 seconds to make it through a course that spanned the entire arena floor, firing off various weapons to hit a target located near a Gladiator, while avoiding high-speed tennis balls fired at them from the Gladiator's air cannon. The contender could earn points by hitting the target with one of the weapons, or by completing the entire course. In later seasons, contenders also earned points for each weapon they reached and fired. If they were hit one of the Gladiator's tennis balls, the game ended immediately.

The weapons were placed at stations or "safe zones" that offered the contender some protection while aiming and firing the weapon, but generally required the contender to expose a portion of their body while aiming and firing, risking getting . The first half of Season 1 featured stations that were supposed to emulate real-world places one might use as cover while firing weapons (a bunker, a burnt-out building, a thatch bush, and two barrels). Although they changed in construction once during the run, from the second half of Season 1 until the end of the series the stations were simply geometric barriers decorated with a grid pattern similar to the arena floor.

In the first half of season one, the contender had four weapons to fire. In order, they were: An air powered rocket launcher, an air-powered ball cannon, a special effects pistol that fired a glitter shot, and two hand grenades filled with glitter that exploded on impact. The target was located to the side of the Gladiator, and the contenders started at the first safe zone with the rocket launcher in their hands ready to fire. If a contender fired all the weapons without hitting the target or being hit, he or she could take cover in the last safe zone until time expired and earn 30 points for a draw if he or she was not hit. Hitting the target's outer rim earned 60 points (later 75), and a bull's-eye hit earned 100. When hit, a hidden pyrotechnic charge exploded at the base of the Gladiator's platform, releasing a flurry of dirt and rocks, plus some red/white strobe lights, giving the appearance of a landmine exploding.

The stations were located so that the contender had to cross the width of the arena floor to get from the first station to the second, and then to cross back from the second to the fourth (stopping at the third midway across), requiring the contender to enter the Gladiator's unobstructed line of fire to move from station to station.

After the first half of season one, the course was entirely redesigned. The Gladiator's platform was raised higher, and the target was moved to above the Gladiator's head. The original obstacles were removed in favor of a modern design with geometric stations and barriers that removed the pretense of emulating a "real world" assault.

To utilize the much-longer arena floor, a fifth safe zone was added at the beginning of the course with a crossbow. All five stations were placed along the sides of the arena floor, requiring the contender to cross the entire floor to get to each subsequent station. A finish line was added after the last weapon station, with contenders having to crawling behind a final low wall to cross the finish line within the allotted time to earn a "draw". Contenders began at corner of the arena, and had to cross the arena floor to get to the first weapon station.

An overview of the Assault course from the fifth season

The course was entirely redesigned along with many of the show's visual elements in season 5. The layout of the course remained the same, but virtually everything else was replaced including most of the weapons themselves. The solid geometric stations and final wall were made of plexiglass or a similar material, supported by futuristic frames. The stations had holes or gaps to shoot through, but generally provided more cover to the contestants. The gladiator's platform and target were also redesigned and raised.

Until the end of season two, earning the draw gave the contender four points. Seven points were earned for hitting the target's outer rim, and 10 for the bull's eye. The "landmine" when the target was hit was redone with pyrotechnic reports (explosions) and a lot of smoke for the second half of season one, which was in turn replaced by an upward-facing smoke canon in the floor in front of the Gladiator from season two onward.

Starting in season three, 10 points were awarded for hitting any portion of the target. Otherwise, one point was given for each weapon the contender managed to fire and a bonus point was awarded for crossing the finish line without getting hit (for a total of 6 points). In the season 5 redesign, a button was placed at the end of the course that the player had to hit to get credit for the draw.

2008 Revival

In the 2008 revival, small barriers were added between some stations that provided extra cover to the contenders. As in season seven of the original series, the contender enters from the center of the arena, which is usually in the area of the Pyramid.

In the first season of the 2008 revival, contenders began the event with a ball in hand, which they carried to the first safe zone to load into a slingshot and fire. The second safe zone featured a cannon in a turret that contenders had to rotate, load, and fire. At the third safe zone, instead of having a weapon to fire, contenders dug through a sandbox for an arrow; finding the arrow earned a point. Contenders could then activate a smoke screen for protection in getting to the fourth safe zone, where they loaded the arrow into a crossbow, and fire. There was a fifth station, but no first-season contestant completed it.

For the second season of the revival, all weapons except the slingshot are pre-loaded and the turret no longer has to be rotated into position. The third safe zone still features a sandbox but the arrow search was replaced with a Bazooka for the contender to fire. The fifth zone was revealed to have three balls that the contender would throw at the target, all three balls must be thrown for the contender to complete the safe zone.

In both seasons of the revival, contenders earn 10 points for hitting any part of the target, or one point for each safe zone successfully completed. In addition, the gladiator is launched backwards into the water, and two massive pyrotechnic charges go off should the contender hit the target. In addition, the Gladiator could also be launched if the contender pressed the button located at the end of the course.

According to the commentary on the season 1 DVD set, most of the gladiators did not like Assault because it lacked direct contact with the contenders.

Assault Course configurations over the years:

Season	Station 1	Station 2	Station 3	Station 4	Station 5	Draw Criteria	Target Hit Result
Original Run
1a	Rocket launcher	Ball cannon	Glitter pistol	2 or 3 glitter bombs (Hand Grenades)	None	Last 60 seconds without getting hit at final safezone	"Landmine" with rocks,dirt,and glitter
1b	Crossbow	Rocket launcher	Ball cannon	Ball rifle (different from S1a pistol)	3 Blank "dud" hand grenades	Must cross finish line within 60 second time limit	Pyrotechnics at foot of Gladiator platform
2	Crossbow	Rocket launcher	Ball cannon	Ball rifle	3 softballs	Must cross finish line within time limit	A smoke cannon shoots the Gladiator and their cannon
3 and early 4	Crossbow	Rocket launcher	Ball cannon	Rocket rifle/Ball rifle	Pump gun	Must cross finish line within time limit	Smoke cannon in front of Gladiator
Later 4	Ball rifle	Rocket launcher	Ball cannon	Crossbow	2 soft balls	Must cross finish line within time limit	Smoke cannon in front of Gladiator
5-7	Crossbow	Rocket launcher (redesigned)	Ball cannon	Arrow rifle	2 soft balls (varied between 1, 2, and 3 balls during season 5)	Must hit buzzer at end of course within time limit	Smoke cannon shoots Gladiator
2008 Revival
1	Slingshot	Turret Cannon	Rocket search/Smokescreen	Rocket crossbow rifle	3 balls, must be deployed with a button	Press button at end of course within time limit	Gladiator is launched back through false pyrotechnics into pool of water
2	Slingshot	Cannon (no longer rotates)	Bazooka/smokescreen	Rocket crossbow rifle	3 balls, must be deployed with a button	Press button at end of course within time limit	Same as Season 1