By GamGem ResearchLast updated 3 Sept 2026 · 00:00
Act 5 · Patch 13.05
Every map by its shape
A thumbnail tells a reader who already knows the map nothing, and one who does not even less. So each row leads with the shape, the one mechanic that map has, and what it means on first contact.
7 in the Competitive pool · 2 of them with three sites · 6 outside it. Rotation checked against patch 13.05.
13 maps
| Map | Sites | Shape | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 AbyssCompetitive now | 2 | Open boundary | No outer walls | There is no boundary to fall back on — a displacement is a death. |
 AscentCompetitive now | 2 | Open mid | Destructible doors | Mid pressure decides the pace; early information snowballs the whole half. |
 HavenCompetitive now | 3 | Three sites | Three-box lanes | Three sites stretch four defenders; mid control unlocks two rotations at once. |
 LotusCompetitive now | 3 | Three sites | Rotating doors | Doors change the route mid-round, so a rotation read can be wrong twice. |
 SplitCompetitive now | 2 | Vertical, no mid | Ropes and vents | Height decides fights; controlling the vents isolates a site from its rotation. |
 SummitCompetitive now | 2 | Open lines | Elevated mid | Information denial is worth more than information here — the lines are long. |
 SunsetCompetitive now | 2 | Long lanes | Mid door | Long sightlines favour ranged damage and utility over pure entry. |
 BindOutside the pool | 2 | No mid | Teleporters | Teleporters make a fake credible, and a flank arrives from nowhere. |
 BreezeOutside the pool | 2 | Wide open | Huge sites | Space control beats angle holding — there is too much of it to watch. |
 CorrodeOutside the pool | 2 | Dynamic routes | Decaying walls | The map itself changes route during the round — a memorised default expires. |
 FractureOutside the pool | 2 | Two-sided attack | Drop zones | Attackers arrive from both ends, so a slow clear is punished from behind. |
 IceboxOutside the pool | 2 | Vertical | Ziplines and tube | Height wins the fight, so utility has to clear levels rather than corners. |
 PearlOutside the pool | 2 | Three-lane | Mid push | Information before the water push is the round; after it, the round is decided. |
Abyss · Open boundary
There is no boundary to fall back on — a displacement is a death.
- Attacking
- Push the side with cover; the open lane is a coin flip.
- Defending
- Play the edges against them, not with your back to one.
Rewards Duelist · Controller2 sites · 23 calloutsNo outer walls
Buy phase · 30 seconds
- Sites
- 2
- Callouts
- 23
- Mechanic
- No outer walls
First buy Take the covered side on the first buy; the open lane is a coin flip, not a plan.
Utility Hold displacement utility for the edges — a knock here is a kill.
Say it asA MainA SiteA Link
Who works here
Controller · rewarded here
- HarborMoving cover
- ViperPost-plant ownership
Duelist · rewarded here
- JettFirst contact
- NeonSynchronised rush
Initiator
- BreachForced entry
- FadeSite clear
Sentinel
- ChamberLong-angle anchor
- DeadlockHard stop
Because
- ShapeOpen boundary
- MechanicNo outer walls
- SoThere is no boundary to fall back on — a displacement is a death.
- Which asks forDuelist · Controller
Say it in three
- Way in
- A Main
- Plant zone
- A Site
- They arrive
- A Link
All of A: Bridge · Link · Lobby · Main · Site · Tower · Secret · Security · Vent. Callout names are Riot’s own; the reduction to three is ours.
Five minutes in a custom game
- 1Walk in through A Main and B Main.1 min
- 2Stand in A Site and B Site and find two pieces of cover you can plant behind in each.2 min
- 3Hold A alone and time how long the rotation takes to reach you.1 min
- 4Retake through A Link and B Link — the route the defence uses.1 min
After a loss
Nothing is stored and nothing is sent — ticking a box only asks this map what its own geometry says about that loss.
Patch 13.05 · Act 5
Built from
- valorant-api.com 29 agents · 116 abilities · 20 weapons · 13 maps
- Riot patch 13.05 published 1 Sept 2026, checked 3 Sept 2026
- Round economy two independent guides, both dated
- Editorial ability jobs, buy reading and drill pairings — ours
- Map reading shape, mechanic, implication and both plans are ours — the site and callout counts are the map’s own
Official images
Game data and media via IGDB · igdb.com