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With Valorant Act III on the horizon, players are excited about a new map and a new Agent.
Recently Zakky from Valorant Hub was presented with the opportunity to test out the map and the Agent as a part of the early access. Thanks to his humble exposition through a video, we now know precisely how Skye trailblazes her enemies in Valorant.
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The map is completely different from anything we have expected so far from all the leaks. Valorant players were positively enthused when they saw that Riot paid a lot of attention to the map. The clues hidden in plain sight expounding on the Valorant lore and the maps and new Agents will also appeal to many.
Currently, the meta is dominated by Agents who can pop a flash and rotate quicker than others. That being said, Breach and Omen have been on top of the Valorant Agent tier for quite some time. Similarly with weapons, the Operator has devastated players in competitive scenarios.
Much of this was expected after the release of Killjoy. The Operator was tweaked significantly to change the Jett-Operator dynamic. Since then, it seems that Riot Games has been listening a lot to the Valorant community.
Riot Games paying attention to the suggestions of the Valorant community
From the previous Act, it appeared that the game could be a massive name in eSports. To make Valorant more competitive, Riot has designed a map based on community interactions.
In the video, Zakky paraphrased his teammates to predict that the map will require a high skill cap. That means players will need to be in their peak form and will need to have impeccable map knowledge.
Zakky started the video from the perspective of the Defenders. Players can notice how the Mini Map is structurally similar to the other maps with two bomb sites, especially with Split as the verticality is almost reminiscent. However, the gripping section is always the Mid. With Icebox, Valorant devs' showed their creativity.
This stands as evidence of how Valorant developers at Riot Games plan to go ahead with the Operator. Especially in competitive mode, this map could drain the life out of players.
Zakky talked about the map as 'tiring', which has also been the general adjective used by the players to describe the map. It is incredibly strenuous and requires players, including professional ones like ScreaM, to be on their edge at all times.
With too many angles to cover, IceBox in Valorant is more competitive and tiresome
This map perhaps features the most open angles. That is something that facilitates quick-fire gameplay from multiple angles, with players having extremely little room for cover. Similarly, it also allows players to take advantage of several lineups in the game.
If one attacks the A Site, it can be quite challenging to retake after a post-plant. Simultaneously, the B Site is an open gala for peekers as it has too many crates with numerous angles. The intricate and closed design of the Middle section, as well as both the bomb sites, discourages sniper play in a significant way.
"What I found interesting though, some people who are very knowledgeable in FPS, they were speaking about the high skill potential for Skye," said Zakky.
Zakky mentioned about how Skye is going to be a game-changer in this map. However, it looks like Valorant players will need to have a higher skill level to play her perfectly.
He also talked about how defending could be one of the most challenging tasks in this map. The ridiculous number of angles gives attackers an obvious edge and the ability to be more creative with their plays.
"Obviously when you're outnumbered, it is difficult to take the site. However, basically when you have a full team as defenders, it is almost impossible for the attackers to get in (with reference to A Site). The issue is, if people rush this area very quickly, and if especially you are at B, its almost impossible to take A Site," continued Zakky.
The Operator meta may change, Vandal could dominate IceBox in Valorant as predicted by Zakky
"Essentially the main point is that this is an exhausting map. With this map, you have to be with it all the freaking time, with all the angles that there are. One thing I noticed a lot with the map, because I'm so good at using the Spectre, you can really get away if you are using anything short-range because of the way the map works," said Zakky.
Players are suggested to use a Vandal or Phantom in this map. Zakky says that it could be necessary because accuracy can be a huge factor in this game.
We can also see from the video that the use of Operator was much less than it is usually the case in other maps. Thus, the advantage of holding angles and chokepoints is somewhat diminished in this map.
"Its a very tiring map, very exhausting, more than any map I've played on Valorant before simply because there are so many angles," continued Zakky.
Defence becomes challenging because of "how big and large this map is. The fact that there are many line of sights makes it very easy for players to sneak up on you. That's why you literally have to be looking at every angle possible."
Map knowledge is going to be a factor along with accuracy in this map.
