Pearl and Abyss are undergoing some pretty big map changes in Valorant’s 11.08 patch update, with an increased focus on holding sites.
Over the years, Riot Games have made some pretty big shake-ups to Valorant. While Agents, abilities, and weapons are usually the headline changes, maps also get some love.
New maps entering the map pool create plenty of talking points for players, but it’s the long-standing ones that haven’t had any remodels or changes for a while that also get talked about a lot by fans.
Well, with patch 11.08, Riot are addressing two maps that fall into that category – Abyss and Pearl – with a rework to their sites and main fighting positions.
Abyss map changes in 11.08
Starting with Abyss, the now year-old map will see reworks to its Mid and B Site positions. “We found some opportunities to evolve the way B Site is defended,” Riot said.
There are now new cubby holes on the site, which will play into defenders hands, as well as more space in initial corridors for utility usage from attackers.
As for Mid, new entry points have been added, with some corridors taken away. There is also a more sizable lip near the zip line so that defenders can play a bit further back.
Pearl map changes in 11.08
As for Pearl, the main focus is on defending B site from long as “some strategies have gone unchecked,” according to Riot. This has made it a “bit more difficult than we’d like for defenders to get back into the round.”
There are now more positions for defenders to hold the site from, with the addition of new boxes and cover. This will also create new opportunities for retakes.
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