Valorant has released its newest map, Breeze, a beautiful tropical location set on a colorful, sunny beach. This is the first map to be released since Icebox, a map that received a very mixed reaction from casual players and a mostly positive one from professionals. Overall, one of the main criticisms of Valorant's map design has been its emphasis on tight combat featuring close, corridor filled areas on each map. The release of the new Valorant map Breeze is definitely a step in the right direction towards changing things up, and its layout has drawn some similarities for CS:GO players.
Many CS:GO players have flooded over to Valorant, as the game has drawn numerous comparisons to CS:GO, featuring very similar gameplay, gunplay, and map design. The major difference between the two games are the Valorant's characters and abilities which create new and exciting gameplay variations. However, one of the major problems CS:GO players have had with Valorant is the map design, but Breeze looks to break that mold.
What Makes 'Breeze' Unique?
Like the previous Valorant maps that have released before it, Breeze features a slight gimmick aimed at making gameplay fresh and interesting. On Breeze, players have access to a trap door shoot located around the A bomb site, allowing for a faster and riskier pathway for players to take while traversing through the map. Breeze also features two very open bomb sites, where both A and B have the least amount of cover when put into comparison with previous maps in the game.
Breeze is by far the most open Valorant map to date. Its map design is a breath of fresh air for Valorant players, and a familiar, welcomed change for fans of CS:GO. Breeze is also the first map to feature a bomb site covered in water, giving players a noticeable audio queue whenever an enemy player is engaged on the A bomb site. A lot of the openness that the map features will most likely make controller characters a strong addition to teams, and will put emphasis on getting picks or kills early in a round. It will be interesting to see the best Valorant characters on this map, especially when considering the recent changes to Viper.
A Breakdown of Previous Valorant Maps
Last summer, Valorant released with three maps: Bind, Haven, and Split. Each map had their very own gimmick and style. Bind features teleporters that players can use to move around from one side of the map to the other instantaneously, Haven has three distinct bomb sites, and Split makes use of two rope systems in the middle of the map that connect to each bomb site. Accent was the first map to release post launch and it featured two trap doors that could be open and closed to deter enemies from entering either bomb site. Icebox released and brought the most verticality to Valorant to date, as well as a zipline function that could be used on A site to traverse onto or out of the site.
The common consensus in terms of feedback and complaints for these maps is that they were too closed in and claustrophobic for the player. Some former CS:GO players and streamers have expressed these grievances, with perhaps one of the most notable being Summit1g expressing frustration with Valorant and the games' map design. Many people chalked up these criticisms to the game being new, and Valorant looking to focus on the games' gameplay and gunplay by starting off with safe maps that get the job done but don't take too many risks. This seems to have some truth to it, as Icebox and now Breeze have taken the most risks in map design by far.
Why CS:GO Players Will Like Breeze
Breeze has a sense of familiarity for CS:GO players, with comparisons being made with the A bombsite being similar to the map Mirage, and the B bombsite being similar to the map Cobblestone. The openness of the map also makes it feel more like a CS:GO map, as it detracts from the tight, corner ridden Valorant maps that have come before it. The Valorant OP meta for Breeze may also feel a lot like the AWP meta on a CS:GO map, with the openness of the map creating angles and sightlines that will make CS:GO players feel at home.
Overall, Breeze is a map that will offer some much needed variety in terms of map flow to Valorant. Icebox was a map that brought variety with new verticality and a wide variety of angles and sightline possibilities. Although this was mostly a hit for professional players the map was a bit controversial and received a mixed response from the overall player base. Breeze seems to have taken the feedback given over the past year on Valorant's criticized map design, and considering how much of an influence CS:GO has been already on the game, it is probable that a map that seems to take more inspiration from CS:GO will become a favorite with players who have made the switch to Valorant.
Valorant is free-to-play on PC.