VALORANT Leakers Have Discovered a New Map,
Every VALORANT player has a favorite map – whether you love Bind’s twists and turns, Lotus’ lightning-fast rotations or Icebox’s exhilarating vertical play, VALORANT’s maps contribute hugely to player enjoyment and experience. In Episode 6, VALORANT devs welcomed Lotus and new agent Harbor.
Episode 7 followed with Sunset and Gekko’s tandem release. Episode 8 is already introducing a new agent, Clove, but recent leaks indicate it may follow precedent and introduce another new map, “Bastion,” along with them. Let’s dive into everything we know about the upcoming map, its notable features, strategies and when it will possibly be released.
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What information do we know about the Bastion map?
We know for certain that the map’s name is Bastion due to in-game datamining leaks. It is either a Team Deathmatch map or a Competitive and Unrated queue map. The Bastion leakers also revealed a rudimentary graphic showing an aerial view of the map’s design. Only half of the map is visible in the image. The graphic is possibly a loading screen and indicates that the map is located in France (2024’s star French Masters Madrid team, Karmine Corp, will be pleased).
The image and in-game code were originally discovered by Reddit user Impossible_Ad1362 on the r/VALORANT subreddit and have since appeared on the @VALORANTLeaksEn Twitter.com account.
Possible New Map: BASTION // #VALORANT
— VALORANT Leaks & News (@VALORANTLeaksEN) March 19, 2024
🔗 u/Impossible_Ad1362 pic.twitter.com/newnikJZrX
Despite its limited view, the Bastion image delivers valuable insights into the map. Firstly, the map appears asymmetrical – most Team Deathmatch maps are identical on the Attacker and Defender sides. Logically, this points to Bastion being a Competitive Queue rotation map. In addition, the map image features several crates and sloping areas, so there could be vertical potential in duels. There is a large pit in the image’s A plant site – perhaps the map has underground tunnels, an area where players can fall out of the map or even simply a ladder into a basement-like area. The map also features sloping dugout areas reminiscent of a Counter-Strike map.
What agents are best for the Bastion map?
If Bastion’s A plant site abyss leads to tunnels, sentinels like Cypher and Killjoy will be incredibly important. Sage might be a wise pick due to her ability to wall boost to higher angles and wall off sneaky flank routes despite her weakness in the current meta.
The map’s A plant site is also incredibly open, so smoke agents that can place utility precisely to cover choke points like Omen, Astra and Brimstone will be vital. VALORANT’s new Controller Agent 25, Clove, will likely fit the map well. Plus, flashes will be extra effective since A site has few locations to play anti in. Sova mains may enjoy more efficient recon scans too – of course, this is all speculation.
When will the Bastion map be released?
Bastion’s release date is unknown, but it wouldn’t be unheard of for it to arrive at the same time as Clove or another new agent. VALORANT previously released Lotus along with Indian agent Harbor and complemented Gekko’s release by introducing his L.A. hometown, Sunset. However, we know that Clove is Scottish, and the map is in France, so this may be unlikely. We can assume since Bastion is in the game’s files with completed graphics it will arrive sooner than later.
The Bastion leaks give VALORANT players something new to look forward to after Clove’s reveal settles in. The player base is feeling more competitive than ever after an exhilarating VCT season and Premier mode revamps. This competitive spirit combined with new agent Clove and the upcoming map will certainly lead to more exciting developments in the meta and pro play. Stay tuned for further Episode 8 updates, leaks and news as the Episode 8 saga unfolds!
Gabby is a Marketing major at DeSales University and a member of the DeSales University Varsity Valorant team. Aside from Esports, she loves painting, cooking and writing.