VALORANT will be getting a new tundra-themed map in Episode I, Act III, developer Riot Games revealed today. The map, fittingly named Icebox, appears to be set on or near a cargo ship right next to a large glacier. Icebox is VALORANT’s fifth map, following Act I’s Ascent.
Icebox will be available to play in VALORANT’s Episode I, Act III update, which is set to go live on October 13th. The new map was announced via a Twitter video, where the VALORANT team urges players to “take on the tundra.” Fans of VALORANT have been waiting for a new map since the game’s June launch, and it looks like the winter holidays have come early on Icebox.
The new battlefield is set around what appears to be a massive cargo ship, with large shipping crates littering the choke points. A wall of ice takes up the back of the map, looming over players as they fight for victory. The map also appears to include zip lines (or something similar), which also appear on Split, though only in a vertical orientation. This addition would change up the competitive atmosphere of the map, and potentially make for an added element of surprise. Zip lines could speed up rotation times for defending players, or make site rushes move a little faster for the attackers, depending on where they are placed.
Icebox is VALORANT’s fifth map, and the first to be added after launch. It is also the first to showcase a winter theme. Existing maps Bind, Haven, Split, and Ascent all come with clear skies. Each VALORANT map comes with its own unique features, like Bind’s teleporters or Haven’s three bombsites.
Icebox will be added to the game as part of the Act III update, which is set to bring a number of additional changes. As revealed by Riot earlier this week, VALORANT is tightening its restrictions on rank disparity in competitive matchmaking. Previously, players could queue up with friends who stood within six competitive ranks of their own. Starting in Act III, that six-rank gap will be reduced to a three-rank gap.
VALORANT Episode I, Act III will launch on October 13th, 2020.
Source: Riot Games