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Valorant consists of eight total maps as of Episode 5 Act 1. With the release of Icebox, Breeze, Fracture, and Pearl, players have witnessed a much more unique take on map designs in Riot's tactical shooter. More often, each newly released map receives mixed reviews from the community as not all players are pleased with the layout.
Each Valorant map is set in different geographical zones and promotes exceptional visuals that set them apart from each other. That said, visuals and styles are not the only things that make a map distinctive. Some of the maps in the game are extremely difficult to play on, considering their structure and layout.
This listicle will rank all the maps in Valorant based on their difficulty while playing in ranked and unranked matchmaking.
All maps in Valorant ranked
Riot's tactical shooter promotes teamwork and coordination to achieve victory. The maps in the game are made with similar thoughts in mind, and players should use their utilities accordingly to take full advantage of them. Each map has a remarkable feature that players can use to mend their playstyles.
Despite the mentioned points, not all these maps are well balanced or fair to play on. Some of them are incredibly one-sided and are filled with angles that are hard to contest.
On the other hand, some maps are near-perfect and extremely fair to play on. There is nothing better in a competitive FPS than balanced maps designed to promote fair gunfights.
Here are all the Valorant maps ranked based on their difficulty.
8) Ascent
Located in Italy, Ascent features a large, open middle section for both Attackers and Defenders. It is filled with angles that both sides can use in a fair fight. Attackers can push both the sites with the help of the middle.
Ascent also has a unique door feature. Each collapsible door is located on both the sites of the map, which can be accessed through a switch. Both Attackers and Defenders can take advantage of these gates. These gates can also be broken if needed, which has its own added advantage.
7) Bind
Bind is located in Morocco and features a very small area. The map is best suited for CQC (Close Quarter Combat) but also has areas that promote long-range gunfights such as B-long.
Another impressive feature Bind has is the one-sided teleporter. There are two one-way teleporters on the map that both Attackers and Defenders can access. Once a player enters the portal for a teleporter, they can only exit through the automatic door. These features make Bind a fairly easy map to play on.
6) Split
Split is located in Shinjuku, Japan. It is one of Valorant's original maps and is the first to be temporarily removed from the competitive queue and professional tournaments. The map itself has been criticized for how players can abuse shotguns in close-quarter areas.
Split features climbable ropes for players to use, which can cost them the accuracy of their weapons when shooting. With all the downsides, Split is still a playable and fair map when it comes to utility use and other aspects of contesting enemies.
5) Haven
Located in Bhutan, Haven is the only map in Valorant to feature three playable sites. This is a striking map design that has never been seen in any other competitive FPS before.
Haven allows Attackers to pick from three sites to plant the spike on. Defenders are obligated to take care of chokepoints such as B-site and middle. Retaking the A-site in a post-plant situation is a little difficult, and as a result, Defenders are often seen flanking on this map.
4) Pearl
Featuring Lisbon, Pearl is the latest addition to the map pool in Valorant. Players are still getting accustomed to the layout of Pearl, and as a result, there have not been a lot of strategies discovered for the map yet.
Pearl features a wide and accessible middle section which both Attackers and Defenders can use quite easily. Pearl, however, is a flanker's heaven, considering how the middle section is divided into small routes. Since there haven't been a lot of plays made in the professional scene on Pearl, this is the perfect spot for the map.
3) Icebox
Icebox is located in Russia and was the fifth map to be introduced in Valorant's map pool. It initially received a poor reception considering how many angles Attackers had to contest while entering each site. Many of these complaints forced Riot Games to rework certain areas of the map.
Icebox is the first map to include horizontal ziplines that can be used on the A-site. The map has a narrow middle section which is very congested, and often the person playing Boiler in the middle wins the fights. The difficulty rate for Icebox is higher than the original maps in Valorant.
2) Breeze
Located in the Bermuda Triangle, Breeze is the most extensive map in Valorant as of now. On the A side of the map, players can access the halls through a zipline. Towards the Attacker's side of the hall, there is a one-way vent leading to the middle section of the map.
By the end of the halls, a collapsible door can be accessed from both sides, unlike Ascent. Breeze might be a personal favorite for many players, but it has some serious downsides. Sentinels like Killjoy and Sage are the least preferred picks on this map. Breeze has a higher difficulty rate due to its long-range gun fights and long rotations.
1) Fracture
Fracture is the seventh addition to Valorant's map pool. It has a distinctive design out of all the maps in the game. Defenders spawn right in the middle of the map, which is a striking take on the design.
While playing on Fracture, both Attackers and Defenders can use the horizontal one-way ziplines to move across the map. Using the zipline is, however, a much harder chore as sound cues can be heard across the entire map. Fracture is easily the most difficult map to play, considering the uneven angles players have to fight on and how hard it is to defend the sites.
Disclaimer: This article is subjective and reflects the opinions of the writer.
