RIOT Games recently announced VALORANT map changes for January 2023 with the upcoming Patch version 6.0.
VALORANT Map Change Rotations
Many players were unhappy when Riot removed the Split map last year. Therefore, Split fans will be happy to know that this map will be back in January. So, why are there these constant changes made to VALORANT maps? Well, the development team explained that having too many maps in the game creates an issue.
Learning a new map can be one of the toughest parts of a tactical shooter game. Going from “learned” to “mastered” is even harder. Doing that on a whole bunch of maps is a steep learning curve. Not to mention all the combinations of Agents and utility. It’s a lot!
Simply put, too many maps to learn can feel overwhelming and doesn’t give most players the opportunity to really go deep on any one of them.
Lucky Number 7
According to Joe Lansford VALORANT game designer, “The team thinks seven is a nice sweet spot that offers both variety and mastery. You don’t have to spend all your time learning new angles, lineups, and strategies. New players will have an easier onboarding experience. And pro teams get to have deeper, more exciting playbooks.”
SUMMARY
- The next map rotation starts in early January with Patch 6.0
- Split will return—with a few changes!
- Changes will be detailed in Patch Notes 6.0
- Breeze and Bind will exit the map pool in Competitive and Unrated queues—no date set for their return
- Breeze/Bind available in Spike Rush, custom games, and other game modes
WHY BIND AND BREEZE?
To begin, Split is back! Many players wanted it back and it makes sense with the other pool shifts. It will be interesting to see how everyone plays the map. Significantly, gameplay will be transformed with all the new Agents and meta shifts that have happened since Split left the rotation.
For Breeze, the game designers feel like this map has some room to improve in terms of Agents and team comp diversity. Furthermore, the designers can take some opportunities for simplification of the space. And for Bind, it’s mostly about strategic diversity. The designers want to open up more play around the teleporters. Players should rethink how teams execute, and defend against executes, on both sites.
There will be another group of players that will not be happy about Bind and Breeze leaving the VALORANT map pool. However, just like Split, these maps won’t be gone forever.
