Cover-Credits:
Pearl launched in Valorant earlier this year and a lot of players had mixed opinions on the map. While many regard Pearl as one of the most fun maps we have in the game, there was room for improvement. Months of feedback from players have led to a new iteration of Pearl being added to Valorant in patch 5.06 and here are all of the changes that have been made to the map.
New changes to Pearl explained
The changes to Pearl were introduced in patch 5.06 to reduce the complexity of the map and make it easier to move in for both attackers and defenders.
B Main
A lowered waist-high wall on the left side of B Main so that it can no longer completely hide anyone.
Mid Shops
Clearing this area in Mid Shops is harder than what was intended by Riot Games. By extending the platform, the devs are still keeping some of the holding power for attackers, but making it easier to push this area.
Mid Shops to Mid Plaza
This is another spot on Mid Shops that’s proven to be painful to clear when trying to move through mid. One of the corners has been removed from the area.
Mid Top
Mid currently favors attackers so a wall has been pushed on Mid Top, to remove a 50-50 check. This should make it slightly easier for defenders to challenge mid.
A Art
A Art was a difficult side to move on which is why the layout of the area has been simplified.
B Link
The box in B Link provides a good piece of cover for attackers pushing B link, but it’s been tough to re-clear for defenders. Riot is keeping a little attacker-side power, but making it easier for defenders to manage. The stack of boxes closer to the site will shift from the left side to the right, to simplify the number of angles approaching players need to consider, as well as close a difficult sightline to B Hall.
A Main
A cut-out on the wall of A Main has been removed to simplify the space, which should also make this area slightly easier for defenders to aggro into.
A Main to A Site
This spot was unnecessarily tough to smoke effectively. By tightening the choke by a margin, the developers hope to make smoking easier and give a small buff to defenders. The cubby on the right will also shrink slightly to keep it from being too deep. Pearl is the only map that saw some tweaks and we also got some Stinger changes in the new patch. A larger balance patch with nerfs to Chamber is expected in the coming weeks.
