Pearl made its way into unrated and spike rush matches last June 22, 2022. The new map is finally set to enter ranked queues on June 12.
It has been weeks since Pearl made its way into Valorant’s map roster, and players have already figured out the angles and blind spots of the area. As per Riot’s regulations, new maps won’t be available in competitive queues until a certain amount of time and testing has been done. Since everything seems to be in order, gamers can now experience boosting their Valorant accounts on the Portuguese-inspired map.
Valorant’s 8th Official Map, Pearl
Riot’s 5th Episode for their highly popular shooter game unveiled two new significant contents. Dimension featured a new Portuguese-inspired map and a Turkish agent named Faze. A new battlepass and skin set are also available in the Valorantitem shop. The latest map, known as Pearl, is the 8th official map in Valorant and is set on an alternate Earth.
For weeks, Pearl was not available in competitive matches since developers were still doing several optimizations and waiting for player feedback. The map is finally ready to be included in ranked games and will start appearing in these types of matches on July 12. Pearl will be the 7th map available in competitive games since Split was temporarily removed to make way for the latest area.
Most of the maps in Valorant feature some gimmick that makes them unique to other locations. Bind has teleports, and Haven has three plant sites. Pearl will feature a labyrinth-like zone containing various hiding spots and angles. The latest area has been described as deceptively straightforward.
Split Removed from the List
Riot has deemed that having more than seven maps available is too many and can affect players’ gaming experience. Upon consulting several professional Esports organizations and taking feedback from players, it has been decided that one of the older locations will be removed for the time being. Unfortunately for fans of rappels and high grounds, Split was chosen to be removed from the current list.
The choices of which maps would be vaulted were Ascent, Haven, Bind, or Split. These maps are the oldest in the game, and developers were not keen on benching newer sites like Breeze and Fracture. The decision to remove Split was also based on the surveys, updates, popularity, and strategic variance.
Dimension: Episode 1’s Pearl Map
In Valorant’s Lore, multiple universes exist alongside the central reality in which the current agents reside. The game pits the agents from Alpha Earth (Earth-1) against invading agents from the Omega-verse (Earth 2). In the current arc, Alpha agents have finally found a way into the Mirrorverse, which allows them to travel to Omega Earth. Pearl is the first and only map currently situated in an alternate reality.
Aside from residing on the bad guys’ home turf, Pearl has a noticeable dark blue-colored hue. The ambiance is due to the map being situated in a dome underwater. The reason for this is that the surface of this dimension has been ravaged by climate collapse. Dimension: Act 1 will be the starting point where gamers might encounter more maps and locations in Omega Earth. Due to the lore and nature of Pearl, any future maps in this alternate universe may also be situated underwater.
New Features in Episode 5
Aside from Pearl, new features are also introduced in the latest Episode of Valorant. A new rank tier has been introduced in the latest major update called Ascendant. The new rank will be positioned between the Diamond and Immortal elos. The decision to create a new tier was due to the need to distribute player diversity in ranked matches evenly. The condition was a result of too many gamers crowding the lower elos.
A new battle pass has also been introduced that will tickle many players’ interests. The BP features several eye-catching rewards, such as the Task Force 809 gun skins and the Spit fire skin lines for the Areas and the Guardian. There are also several new player cards that gamers might want to collect.
Rise Through the Ranks with Pearl
Various strategies and line-ups have already been made for Pearl, which can now be employed once the map is available for ranked matches. Players are keen on ranking their Valorant accounts with the new area and rank. Make the most out of Episode 5 before it ends on August 23.
