Valorant maps: What we know so far

IGN editor and content creator @Qwixzo was one of the lucky few people who got to try the Valorant alpha hands-on at Riot HQ. Fortunately for us eager fans, he has since been hard at work  producing YouTube videos and trying to explain as much as possible about the upcoming shooter.

Qwixzo revealed that the Valorant will release with four maps in total, though they only got to look at two of these in the play test. They discovered that each map had a very specific feature that would set it apart from all the others, as well as a bunch of similarities that seem to run between  them all.

The map that you will be most familiar with from the gameplay footage released so far is called Haven. What makes this map special is that it contains three bomb sites, instead of the standard two. This adds something completely new that we haven’t seen in similar Search and Destroy style game modes, and will definitely make for some exciting action.

Secondly, we have Bind. This map, unlike Haven seems like it will be easier for defenders than attackers. Bind’s unique feature is that it has two one-way teleporters but no mid-lane. These teleporters will allow you to quickly move from one side of the map to the other, but are very loud and will give away your position to enemies.

Both maps that Qwixzo tested had a selection of blue orbs lying around. Collecting these will give your entire team a boost towards earning their ultimate ability. Therefore, these will become a vital aspect of navigating the map. It will be interesting to see if they spawn in random locations or in the same spot each time. If it is always the same place, you will likely see teams forming strategies around obtaining these orbs.

I watched the gameplay a bunch of the one map we have seen so far in order to make a better visualization. Some of the callouts are made by the people in game, others logically follow from CSGO standards or just their visual appearance. from r/VALORANT

These unique map features are an awesome way of differentiating Valorant from other titles like CS:GO and Rainbow Six Siege. Not only will they help to keep gameplay fresh and varied, but also will force teams to adopt different play styles and strategies depending for each match.

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