City of Flowers: Valorant Map Lotus First Impressions

With Valorant Episode V coming to an end, Valorant released the trailer for the latest act, including the teaser for the ninth map. Releasing with the Episode on the 10th, Lotus features three sites and will include a rotating door. This will be Valorant's second three-site map, and Kudos to Riot for innovating in the maps department.

The upcoming Patch 6.0 will also feature the changes to Split. After roughly seven months in the inactive bin, Valorant re-introduces Split in the competitive and unrated queues with minor adjustments. Along with the new battle pass, the patch will feature the new skin bundle Araxys.

What's interesting about the new battle pass is the Melee will be similar to the RGX's initial katana melee.

Changes to split and how it will change Valorant?

The Split-Changes aren't redesigns but minor changes to reduce the map's defense-sidedness. The redesign primarily focuses on reducing the defense angles to facilitate attack speed and reduce the angles checked.

While the changes don't seem as significant, they will change the attack speed, and the changes favor the attackers. The site anchoring, especially on A, will change, but players will still play B and Mid the way they used to. With the map's reintroduction, teams will hop back into the map as Split was one of the most played maps.

Lotus: The First Impression:

With the map available to the content creators, we saw the very first look at the map. With three sites and a new map mechanic, the map calls for creative compositions, and it will be interesting to see how the professionals will play the map. While a lot of people claim the map feels similar to the newly released CSGO map Anubis.

First impressions of the map do scream confrontations. Both the defenders and attackers have angles and opportunities to defeat the opposite side. But the initial round favors the defenders, who can advantageously play for map control. The small nooks, elevations, and boxes create ways one can outplay. The map features a new map interaction mechanic in the rotating doors. The rotating doors do add a pinch of complexity to the map. Players can play around the rotating door, creating opportunities for outplays. The three sites are something to talk about, but the key feature of the map is the rotating doors. The rotating doors create a surprise element and can impact the round when played properly. The attack-sided needs to work harder compared to other maps. With the narrow choke points, it is elementary to suppress an incoming attack. What is intriguing about the map is how much it emphasizes lurking. The map might be Riot's attempt to add more layers to Valorant.

Some of the more impactful agents on the map will be Harbor, Killjoy, Yoru, Fade, Breach and Neon. Players can still awp on the map, but it won't be essential. With the map releasing on the 10th, it will be interesting to see how the community plays it. The map will only be available for separate Unrated queues for the first two weeks. After two weeks, the map will be part of the Active map pool, replacing Bind and Breeze with the updated Split.

Patch 6.0 will also feature an Omen nerf, changing Omen's ability to create one-way smokes. The patch will be publically available in 72 hours.

Credit: Riot Games