How to Play VALORANT’s Newest Map Abyss: A First Look

On first glance, VALORANT’s newest map - Abyss - is a deadly pitfall that promotes morbid curiosity, a dance along the edges. However, this newest creation is also an intriguing design that promotes ingenuity – promoting a mix of opportunities to shoot your shots as well as set up deadly traps with the rest of your team.

A Brief Overview of Abyss: Map Structure

Abyss Map Layout (credit: Valoplant)

Abyss follows the classic 3 lane map structure of tactical FPS genre – think Mirage or Ascent. An entryway into either bombsites and a middle lane that splits off in four ways, two for each side (Attacker and Defender).

Abyss A site (credit: VALORANT // Riot Games)

A site is a treacherous nigh-impregnable site for Defenders with a semblance of coordination. With a narrow chokepoint, multiple elevations to defend, and a narrow bridge that limits Attackers’ options to scale, it will not be easy to secure, much less keep.

Abyss B site (credit: VALORANT // Riot Games)

Meanwhile, B site is a far more spacious affair. Multiple angles offer Attackers an early view into the site. Moreover, Attackers will be able to scale along two channels on B site.

B site also offers less in the way of cover for Defenders, with plenty of open space to find themselves caught in transition. However, what B site lacks in cover, it more than makes up for with elevation and angles.

For Attackers, entering B site may be a nightmare against a skilled sniper especially. Two narrow chokepoints initially eventually widen out into the rest of the site, but there are plenty of off-angles to clear and not nearly enough cover for the retake.

Key Zones of Control: Abyss Edition

After playing Abyss over the course of a week since its release, I’ve come a small consensus on what the primary zones of control might look for VALORANT’s newest map.

A-Main

A Main is pretty self-explanatory as far as the logic goes. Much like Haven Lobby or Lotus Rubble, earning advanced map control such as this for your team is incredibly strong.

What determines A Main as such a prime candidate? It comes down to 2 factors – proximity to site and simplicity of structure.

Unlike B-site, with the extremely long trek from the spawn barriers, Attackers not only spawn extremely close to A Main, but they also need very little time to reach the site once the barriers go down due to the proximity of the site from Attacker spawn.

This makes it the optimal choice for ranked teams looking to ‘rush’ a site. For Defenders, that proximity also plays a large factor. Establishing a deeper hold offers an earlier warning system – rather than letting the Attackers reach the front gate before realization kicks in.

Get an OP posted on this angle, and A-site will feel so much more secure.(credit: VALORANT // Riot Games)

Moreover, the simplicity of the A-Main means that a simple Omen Paranoia or Breach Faultline is likely to clear most of it and setup a mobility agent to clean up multiple members.

B-Main

B Main is trickier and like I suggested earlier, it’s a long trek for Attackers to get on site. Most of the time, it makes a lot more sense to sit back with a Cypher Spycam and relax on that site as a Defender.

Sip a cup of coffee and relax on the B-site. They probably aren't coming anytime soon. (credit: VALORANT // Riot Games)

However, taking control of that part of the map has additional benefits for the Defense. Due to the map’s nature, taking a deep sightline can help to catch rotating Attackers off-guard, either through the Mid-Bend (the ropes outside of B that lead to mid) or perhaps in B Nest directly looking into the Attackers’ spawn.

The main reason however, as an Attacker, that you may want to fight for this control is because it is already a tricky endeavour to corral your team towards the site across such a distance.

Which is why you don’t want to give the Defenders an opportunity to extend their zone of vision even deeper, or you’ll never get on site at all. And you certainly want to prevent that mid flank you know is coming from ever materializing.

Mid

This is perhaps the most obvious zone of control. Tricky to take, tricky to hold for either side, a sniper is likely to be a team’s best friend in this area of the map.

Sniper's Paradise.  (credit: VALORANT // Riot Games)

However, the reward that comes from earning this part of the map is that it opens up a slew of new options for entering the two bombsites – especially on A.

Taking Breakable offers a quick shot into A Heaven. Alternatively, taking deep control of mid slows down rotates from B as well as offers the opportunity to the spawn portion of A site as well.

You can also pour into B from Mid, potentially strangling out isolated defenders on that part of the map as there’s really only one way off B site for the Defenders aside from pushing forwards.

Gameplan: Abyss

The unique draw of Abyss is notably the absence of side borders, meaning teams could get pretty creative with how they enter bombsites and play out rounds. There have already been many examples of Omen Shrouded Steps off the map, Raze Blast Packs and Jett Tailwinds making rounds on social media.

But imagine the possibilities, with abilities such as Sova Recon Dart for example or a Skye Guiding Light curving back in for a deadly combo?

Attacker

On Attack, your goal is fairly simple. Establish some map presence, ideally on B Main, but with a map this size, any form of defaulting and map pressure in multiple points will be your friend.

If you are looking for fast hits, check if you have mobility duelists (Raze, Jett, Yoru, Neon). If one of them is on your team, B site is extremely doable, moreso because it’s likely to be the less defended of the two sites.

However, if you don’t have a mobility duelist and your scaling is poorer, you may opt to either take A-Main or Mid. If you choose Mid as the place to be, don’t stick around Library too long. Scale up quickly and close the distance to maximise the chaos of rotations that you’re sure to cause or you’ll quickly find yourself pinched from multiple angles.

Defender

On Defense, your best bet would be to rotate aggression on the two extremes of the map. Between taking deep A-Main control or seizing control of B-Main with the help of Initiator utility.

Rotation and crossfires are your friend on Defense especially. The map is filled with such natural cross paths, so it is easy to set up with a teammate a deadly firing line.

Final Summary

I hope my incessant rambling did not turn you off and you took something from the word salad I’ve written. Have a look at our Agent Tier List for Abyss as well and pair it with the points mentioned in this article to formulate your first plan of attack when Abyss comes out in a week’s time.

Featured Image Credit: VALORANT // Riot Games

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