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The all-new Pearl map was recently launched on June 22, coinciding with the arrival of Episode 5 Act 1 in Valorant. Players have had plenty of chances to compete on the new map and experience the nooks and crannies of Pearl after it entered the competitive queue on July 12.
The Pearl map is fictionally located across the shores of Lisbon, Portugal and beneath the waves on Omega Earth. It features murals from Portuguese artists and a traditional piece of Portuguese music as well.
Valorant players have mixed reactions to the new Pearl map
Some players have expressed their anger at Split getting removed from the competitive map rotation. The map was removed from the map rotation queue in Valorant on the same day that Pearl was added to the competitive queue. A large portion of the community is unhappy with the new map, and here are the top reasons as to why that is the case.
1) Map design
The community is not happy with the overall map design of Pearl. The map's geometry is a bit skewed, according to some players. The colors also feel too muted when compared to other maps. This could be because the map is under the ocean, even though in real life, Lisbon is a sunny and bright port town.
Certain sections of the map are either too attacker or defender friendly. For example, B long gets a bit too tough to breach if the defenders have Operators pointing at the attackers.
2) No unique features
Certain maps in Valorant have special features that set them apart from others, such as the Teleporters on Bind. Even though Pearl is the eighth and newest map, there isn't much innovation in terms of unique features.
3) Unbalanced map
The map is a bit too Attacker friendly, which makes it tough for the defending team. It is quite challenging to rotate in time, taking mid control is hard, sites are too open without any meaningful cover, and there are many ways to enter a site. It is also near impossible to retake B if the defenders have an Operator. Retaking the A site is difficult in a post-plant scenario.
4) Very large map
The size of the map is huge, and its design is rather complicated. There are too many locations to call out for, and it can be quite overwhelming for a beginner Valorant player to keep track of everything that's going on. Pearl is not a map that players can use to familiarize themselves with the game. It has a learning curve and takes quite a bit of time to understand.
5) Too many campers
Pearl has too many corners to check for enemies holding spots. It is especially difficult for lurkers looking to backstab their opponent's squad. There are quite a lot of places that players can camp at, and it can certainly be a challenge to flush them out. It requires a lot of game sense which can only be acquired by giving the map more time than it deserves at this point.
Other reactions to the map
Sentinels star ShahZaM has stated that Pearl is the worst map in any video game that he has ever played. He matched up in Pearl during one of his Valorant streams and quickly realized how difficult it was to master.
Many players have expressed that they believe Riot is prioritizing the visual aspect over the competitive aspect of a map. Pearl could turn out to be a good map, but it will require a decent amount of editing. It does have a few things going for it. For example, the whale and the sea monster swimming in the background are unique additions to the map.
Queue dodging is currently an issue for Pearl. If this issue continues to escalate and more players start queue dodging, the community might soon begin to see some real issues with queue times. If this happens, fans may see some changes introduced to Pearl to ensure the health of ranked queues in Valorant.
Ultimately, it all depends on the player's strategy and gaming style. Pearl requires players to hold sites and advance slowly. Rushing through is a bit of a death wish, given the current state of the map.
