The launch of Riot Games’ anticipated first-person shooter, VALORANT, is set to include a new map and changes to Split, Haven, and Bind after Riot released the 1.0 patch notes today.
This means that there will be four maps at launch for VALORANT, with three maps already tested in the closed beta. From this, Riot has tweaked several features across all maps, with Split receiving the largest change.
Ascent
Ascent, which is the newest map in VALORANT, is set in Italy with an “open middle area,” which Riot dubbed a “playground.” It looks like abilities will come in extra handy on this map.
Split
The mid choke point on Split has been opened, with the large wall on the Defenders side removed to allow for a new platform which looks directly into one of the attacking chokepoints. This change is a slight buff for Defenders, since they can easily overlook the mid entrance, but they’re still exposed.
“We felt like Defenders were able to effectively plug up the main choke point in mid for a large percentage of the round. The new layout hopes to alleviate this issue,” Riot said.
“These changes open up the space quite a bit and provides an additional path to get around stalling abilities on the stairs. It also gives Attackers a few different angles to help siege B Tower and Vents.”
Other changes
On all of the other maps, Riot has ensured all exploits are nullified, meaning players can no longer escape the play area. Other optimizations and improvements have been made, also.
But, most importantly, Cypher’s spy cam has had several spots blocked, so this ability can’t be abused as it was in the closed beta.
Players view these new changes once the game is live at 7am CT on June 2.
