When does Valorant Episode 9 Act 1 begin for Mumbai (India) server?

Valorant Episode 9 Act 1 is almost around the corner, as the current act ends soon. Act 9 brings a new map, Abyss, new Battle Pass and skin lines, along with some more balances to the existing agents. Episode 9 promises to offer another season of excitement and events, as new strategies and clutch plays emerge on the new map.

For players on the Mumbai servers in India, this article will explain the release date and time for the arrival of Valorant Episode 9 Act 1. It will also listi some changes we can possibly see in the upcoming act.

Note: This article is based on speculation. Readers are advised to take the information herein with a grain of salt and await official confirmation.

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What time would Valorant Episode 9 Act 1 start on Mumbai (India) servers?

On the Mumbai (India) servers, the current ranked queue ends on June 25, 2024, at 7:30 pm IST. The exact timing for the arrival of Episode 9 Act 1 is not yet known on the Mumbai servers; however, it will most likely take place a few hours after the competitive queue for the current Episode 8 Act 3 has been disabled.

The game servers will go down for maintenance seven hours after the competitive queue is disabled, at 2:30 am IST on June 26, 2024. The maintenance downtime usually lasts for around two hours, following which you will be able to resume your plays in any game mode. The downtime may change based on Riot Games' planned updates.

Valorant's Episode 9 Act 1 is most likely to start at 4:30 am on June 26, 2024, for the Mumbai (India) servers, if everything goes according to the trends of the previous Acts.

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Abyss joins the competitive map pool in Valorant Episode 9 Act 1

Abyss enters the competitive queue in Episode 9 Act 1 (Image via Riot Games)

Valorant's newest map Abyss will join the competitive map pool starting Valorant Episode 9 Act 1. It has open edges and death-drop zones, and players can potentially fall off the map to their death if they aren't careful enough.

Abyss has a lot of outplay potential for mobility plays, and agents like Raze, Neon, and Omen will be some of the most common picks here in team compositions. The map is also most likely to see dual controller plays in the professional esports scene because one controller will not be able to smoke off all the angles properly.

According to professional player Governor from Talon Esports, this map is likely to be less execute-heavy and will see strategies similar to how Breeze and Icebox play out in the pro scene.