4 tips and tricks for playing on Sunset in VALORANT

Sunset is the 10th map to officially join the VALORANT map pool and it will be sliding directly into the active pool alongside the returning Breeze following a brief period in which it will be playable in its own queue.

The short corridors between spawn barriers allow for quick action, with fights for map control taking place instantly. There are several different ways into the mid area, making it a bit hectic to defend and exciting to attack. Both sites feature perfect square plant areas, but the B site notably has a large pillar in the center that you will have to play around.

If you’re a few days into the new act, you might be worried about jumping into the Sunset queue if others have already gotten some experience. We’re here to get you caught up with some tips and tricks for playing on Sunset.

1) Embrace being a rat

There is a plethora of corners to tuck into that new, learning, and even some experienced players will tend to forget to check every time. Parts of the map like A Elbow and Mid Tiles have plenty of built-in corners to clear, and there is a large number of boxes sticking out of walls that someone can hide behind.

So, embrace being a rat on Sunset. Use those corners to your advantage to get opening kills, and if you want to be really cheeky and annoying, play an agent like Chamber or Reyna who can get an opening kill and get out of danger for free. On the opposite side, though, remember your opponents can and likely will be just as ratty, so make sure you are thoroughly checking corners. And bring your Judge.

Related: When is Sunset coming to VALORANT’s Competitive mode?

2) Take mid control

Mid is the focal point for the entire map. This concept isn’t foreign to maps in VALORANT, but it feels especially important on Sunset. Mid provides a direct path in the B Market, which is really suited for executes that end in a B split. Bottom Mid, or the attacker side of Mid, is very interesting with the green-roof shed that can be used by a Sage wall or Jett Updraft to peek directly into Mid and view the defender side.

For either side, smoking off the primary chokepoint of the other side should be your first action at the start of the round. You can’t afford to give up Mid control early on. Give up Mid control on attack and the defenders will quickly narrow down where you’re coming from. Give up Mid control on defense and your other defenders now have to watch even more angles with the attackers able to come from almost anywhere.

3) Load up on the B site

Sunset’s B site feels remarkably like an easier site to take, with an opportune layout for controllers to smoke off, allowing the attacking side to get quick plants down on the attacker-friendly side of the site before retreating to B Main to play post-plants. While there are plenty of spots to hide in, A site feels like it has so many more defender-friendly angles. Additionally, retaking on A feels way easier, unless the attackers have already worked through A Alley into the defender spawn.

4) Bring Harbor or Viper or both

Harbor and Viper’s wall cover abilities are so useful on Sunset, and both controllers are notably better options than the others because Omen and Brimstone’s smokes just aren’t wide enough to completely cover some major chokepoints. In the very first glimpse of Sunset, behind closed doors at the Riot Games Arena, we saw pros immediately use the Harbor/Viper combo to section off the B site and take it again and again.

Sunset went live today, Aug. 29, and is now available to try out in a Sunset-only queue.