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Communication is one of the most essential aspects of Valorant, especially when it comes to playing the map effectively. An effective team will routinely communicate with each other to draw attention to a problem area. Callouts are places to go during a fight. Knowing the spot's name makes it easy to call it out to teammates.
Valorant Episode 5 Act 3 has eight maps: Ascent, Bind, Haven, Breeze, Fracture, Pearl, Icebox, and Split. Amongst these, Split is currently not in the map pool in competitive mode.
Pearl was released in June 2022 alongside Episode 5. It is the eighth and the latest map. It received mixed reviews when it was launched. However, the developers noted the issues and made changes to the map with patch 5.06.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.
Remember these hotspots on Valorant's Pearl
1) Ramp (B site)
Ramp can be found on the B site in Pearl. Players can locate it right in front of B main in Pearl. It is located right between B main and Club. The location starts as players cross the ramp, hence the name.
Ramp is essentially the first point of contact on the B site. Players here are forced to take on long-range fights, so headshot accuracy becomes a key factor. Attacking players can plant the spike at the orange box on the B site and play from the Ramp during post-plant scenarios.
2) Plaza (Mid area)
The Plaza can be found in the middle section of Pearl. It leads to two pathways during both the attacking and the defending half. Plaza is a critical section in Pearl.
Like Ascent, central control is crucial in Pearl too. If left unchecked, chances are that enemies can sneak into different areas of the map and catch players on the team entirely off guard.
There are also times when the Plaza is the first point of contact during the beginning of a round, and hence it becomes an important area to get early information.
3) Dugout (A site)
Dugout can be found on the A site in Pearl. It is located right after Secret and next to the back area of the A site. The floor of Dugout is at a lower elevation than the A site, thus making it look like it's been dug out, hence the name.
Dugout is a highly sneaky spot. It is one that players on the attacking side must clear as they enter the A site, as it can lead to severe consequences later. For players on the defending side, the Dugout is a high-risk, high-reward spot as it is usually bombarded with utility. Otherwise, it can lead to some easy multi-kills that can change the tide of the round.
4) Art (A site)
Art can be found on the A site in Pearl. It is located between Plaza and Link on the A site. The location has artwork on the walls above, hence the name.
If, during a round, Plaza becomes the first point of attack, Art is the next spot to keep an eye on. On the defending side, players usually push away from Art to take early kills in Plaza. If Art is unchecked, enemies can easily make their way across the A site or flank to Defender Side Spawn through Water.
5) Connector (Mid area)
Connector can be found in the middle section of the Valorant map. It is located between and connects mid doors, A link, and Defender Sided Water, hence the name.
Connector may not seem like an important spot on the map, but it could lead to lurky plays from either of the teams. If the connector is left open, players can either make their way to A link and eventually the A site or even go to the Defender Sided Spawn to assist their team by getting kills during rotations.
Pearl is not the most hyped map in Valorant, but it has led to some fantastic matches. It even took a while for the pro players to grasp the new map, but eventually, viewers were rewarded with some fascinating moments.
As Episode 5 Act 3 ends, players can hope to see a new map after the launch of Episode 6. Valorant developers have already started teasing a new map.
