Valorant Abyss: New map revealed at VCT Masters Shanghai Showmatch

Riot Games showcased Valorant's new map Abyss today, June 9, 2024, at the VCT Masters Shanghai Showmatch as promised. Abyss has some very interesting dynamics to play around. To compare, the new map feels like Vertigo from CS2. The newest and most interesting feature is that players can fall off-map.

That's right, the new Valorant Abyss map challenges player movement in some interesting ways. It is also one of the larger maps in the game and boasts a rather unique design.

---

Valorant Abyss: A new map where bad movement could be fatal

The new Valorant Abyss map was unveiled at VCT Masters Shanghai during the showmatch between Team International and Team China. Team International had players such as Mixwell, Spicyuuu, and Masayoshi, while Team China had DANK1NG, Lizhi, and XiaoJue among others.

During the showmatch, the map was revealed to be two-sited, clearing up rumors of it having three sites, similar to Haven and Lotus. Interestingly, both sites have areas where falling into the abyss is quite possible.

On A-site, a small bridge connects the planting area to the back of the site. If careless, one can easily fall off it while planting. Similarly, B-site features a ledge on the edge of the map that can be used to access the site.

One of the most beloved clips from the show match has to be Gekko's Wingman jumping across the gaps in the map to securely plant the spike. Yes, Wingman will effortlessly jump across gaps that may trouble actual players.

The map also features a long mid-section that can be used to access both sites. In fact, Abyss has many long sections and passages. One could say it is a sniper's paradise.

Joey Simas, the Lead Map Designer of Valorant noted how the map allows for interesting ways to eliminate opponents and win rounds:

“Imagine a Raze satchel propelling an enemy off the map or Omen utilizing his Shadow Step to navigate around structures in unexpected ways; This clippable play mentality injects a thrilling layer of danger and creativity into the gameplay."

Abyss will join Valorant's map pool on June 11, 2024. The same map rotation will also bring back Haven while removing Split and Breeze. With the new map joining the game, Riot Games' FPS title officially has 11 standard playable maps where Competitive queue can be initiated.