VCT Master 2 Copenhagen is set to begin in July 2022, and Riot Games have shocked the entire VALORANT community by announcing that they will be removing the Split map from the map pool starting from the VALORANT patch 5.0. The Split map has been in the game since the beta launch, and will indefinitely be removed from the Competitive and the Unrated queues.
The map will still be available for Spike Rush, custom games, and other game modes. As per the Devs, there is a reason behind the removal of the map. If you think this means the map pool will be reduced to seven, then you are wrong. VALORANT will be receiving its eighth map Pearl, with the launch of the VALORANT patch 5.0 update.
This decision has been taken after working with our esports team, surveying players, and talking to professional organizations we’ve decided to keep a 7 map pool and will be rotating Split out for now. If you’re interested in our thought process, read on.
Joe “Pearl Hogbash” Lansford, design lead on the Maps team
VALORANT Patch 5.0 New Map: Pearl
Pearl will be the latest addition to the VALORANT map pool replacing Split. Pearl will be available to all the players with the introduction of VALORANT Episode 5: Dimension on June 22, 2022. Pearl is the first map set on Omega Earth. There are no mechanics like teleporters, ascenders, or doors, just a three-lane map with small mid and long-range wings. It’s also underwater!
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Key Features of Pearl
- Underwater
- 3 lane map
- Attackers descend into Defender territory
- Set in Omega Earth
- Features murals from actual Portuguese muralists
- Features a traditional piece of Portuguese music, a fado, from Portuguese artists
A very important point to note down from the removal of Split is that for esports events, the Split map will be removed slightly later in the year. August’s Last Chance Qualifiers will be the last official tournament that will utilize Spilt. The developers wanted to make sure that players had ample time to practice Pearl before integrating it into our official map pool for LCQ and Champions.
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