When will Abyss enter Competitive active map pool in Valorant?
Abyss will go online in Valorant on June 11, 2024. However, since it is a brand-new map, players will only get to play it in a special Abyss-only Unrated queue. This is similar to the release of all the older maps in the shooter. The queue is meant to help players get familiar with the way the map works in the game without having to wait to play it in other modes.
It should be noted that Abyss will not enter the competitive active map pool in Valorant on its release date.
What to know about Abyss' availability in Valorant's active map pool
As mentioned earlier, Abyss, which will enter the active Valorant map pool on June 11, 2024, will be available in the Unrated mode. This, combined with the special queue, will give players a similar experience to the way the map is played in long competitive matches.
Once the special queue concludes, Abyss will officially join the active map pool for competitive matches starting with patch 9.0. Players will also be able to enjoy it in the premier active map pool from patch 9.02.
Apart from Unrated, the Swift Play, Spike Rush, and Escalation game modes will all have an open map pool. This means that all the maps in the shooter will be available in these modes.
The open map pool will apply from Valorant patch 8.11 onwards, meaning these game modes will feature Abyss right from the beginning.
To guarantee play on the new map, it is best to opt for its special queue. Once it joins the active map pool for competitive play, there will be seven playable maps to earn or lose ratings on. Here is the list:
- Ascent
- Bind
- Icebox
- Lotus
- Sunset
- Haven
- Abyss
Here are the official patch notes related to the map pool from Riot Games' earlier announcement:
MAP POOL UPDATES
- Please note, there are significant map pool updates in the 8.11 patch. In addition to a brand new map entering the rotation, we have made the following changes.
- Starting in patch 8.11, Competitive, Deathmatch, & Premier queues will contain ASCENT, BIND, ICEBOX, LOTUS, SUNSET, and HAVEN (returning).
- ABYSS will enter the competitive pool in patch 9.0.
- ABYSS will enter the premier pool in patch 9.02.
- BREEZE and SPLIT have been removed from the above map pools.
- Starting in patch 8.11, Unrated, Swift Play, Spike Rush, & Escalation will move to an OPEN map pool. All maps (including ABYSS) will be available in these queues.
- Please continue to share feedback as we work through improving the map pool experience. And keep an eye out, because we’ll be sharing more about map pools in the future!
That's all you need to know about the new map in Valorant. Follow Sportskeeda for more news and guides on Riot Games' shooter.