Valorant PBE 5.08 Easter egg sheds light on possible new map called ‘City of Flowers’

Valorant's PBE 5.08 is currently letting players test the game's newest water-bending Agent, Harbor. However, the much-anticipated Indian character isn't the only special thing about this phase. Apparently, Riot Games updated the audio tape player in Cypher's office in the practice range with a new Easter egg that possibly hints at a new map.

Valorant's patch 5.07 uncovered important lore elements concerning Harbor through a "secret" audio tape. The upcoming update will now replace the recording with a new one, which features Astra and the Indian Agent conversing about the intriguing 'City of Flowers'.

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Valorant may receive new map soon, considering Astra and Harbor's conversation

As the characters are heard speaking about a powerful artifact, Astra proclaims that it features a script written in the language of the 'Guardians', which is why Harbor's extensive scans against every known record yielded no results. Gamers learn she decoded four 'touchstone' words — 'Guardian', 'Flower', 'Gifts', and 'Key' — from the engravings using her mere knowledge of the language.

Astra goes on to explain how the word 'Lock' may point to something called the 'Nexus' or a lost city built by the Guardians. It's possible that Omega Earth's Legion already knows about the city that Harbor's relic could act as a 'Key' to. Astra also mentions that she has not come across such a city on Alpha Earth, for which Varun Batra has an explanation.

Harbor reveals that he studied the 'City of Flowers' as a REALM agent and was able to track it down. Unfortunately, by the time he reached the city, it was decimated and inexplorable, which prevented him from taking a closer look.

Astra quickly points out how the 'City of Flowers' could still be alive on Omega Earth, even though its Alpha Earth's counterpart was destroyed. `Harbor adds that his Omega counterpart can unlock the 'Nexus' or the lost city with his corresponding relic. The audio tape finally ends with Harbor and Astra looking to have a discussion with Killjoy regarding the relic unlocking the lost 'City of Flowers'.

From the looks of things, the audio tape was added to tease the Valorant fandom with tidbits about a new map possibly coming to the tactical shooter. In fact, one of the player cards featured in Episode 3 Act 5's battle pass showcases a Lotus, the national flower of India, on a beautiful background. It could be a representation of Harbor's arrival or a very intelligent hint at the 'City of Flowers'.

That said, Valorant's latest map, Pearl, was released only a few months back. The developers generally refrain from adding new maps very often to maintain a balance in the learning curve. In fact, Split was removed from the rotation to preserve a seven-map pool. This will supposedly make it easier for new players.

While the introductory hint of a second Omega Earth representation is exciting to think about, the developers are not expected to launch a new map before the first quarter of 2023. Fans will get to experience more Easter eggs regarding the 'City of Flowers' in the coming days.