The new Valorant map Icebox might be hiding a secret event

M Alzamora Published 14/10/2020

With the release of Valorant’s Act III, Riot has unveiled Icebox, a brand new map for the tactical first-person shooter. And it might have more to it than players realize.

Icebox is already different from the game’s other maps. It combines tight corridors and twisting hallways with verticality that the game’s players haven’t seen before. But a quick tour around the frozen facility hints that there are some things to trigger and secrets to find in Valorant’s third act.

Littered around the new map are smaller maps that show the locations of “main power lines.” Each one is connected to another, some doubling back on themselves before leading to other nodes. Normally, players might consider this just some fluff, something to help give the map some character. But these maps actually lead to power boxes scattered around the level.

There’s yet more to be found on Icebox when players take into account the graffiti and promotional material of the port that seems to be almost everywhere. On a map named “Icebox,” a logo that says “Think outside the box” might be something more than just a cheeky message. If users set up a custom game and fly around, there are even more details that all point to there being some sort of unlockable event or puzzle included alongside Icebox.

Valorant’s new map Icebox is full of hidden secrets

It’s possible that the potential event can only be triggered in certain game modes or would require a certain number of players to solve and activate, but Riot has put an awful lot of time into modeling, rendering, and placing assets that no one would ever see unless they made a real effort to seek them out.

For example, these two computers are in one of the towers that overlook the Icebox’s B site. Unless no-clipping in a private server, players would never see the two computer screens or that each has a different display. And they’d never be able to compare them to several other computers with similar symbols around the level.

The game’s files show an interactive object called called “Breaker Box,” which also seems connected to Icebox and its mysterious power boxes and maps. It is full of hints that there is a world beyond Valorant’s five-versus-five competitive mode, and it looks like Act III might be Valorant’s way of bringing that part of its game to its audience, just as it eventually did with League of Legends.

Until then, here’s how to check out some of the hidden rooms and spaces on Icebox.

Setting up a custom Icebox server in Valorant

Click Play
Choose Custom Server
Select Icebox from the map dropdown
Enable Cheats

From there, players can start up the game and enable “Ghost” mode, Valorant’s version of noclip from the new “Cheats” menu in Valorant’s settings. Useres can then assign a key to the function and explore to their heart’s content.

M Alzamora

About M Alzamora

There are few things that writer M Alzamora loves more in life than Pokemon. And there are even fewer things that she loves more than her favorite Pokemon, Eevee. But M’s appreciation for gaming isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s famous pocket monsters. She’s interested in every type of game across every genre of gaming, and she has the credentials to prove it. M’s work has also been seen on Working Classicists and gaming sites.

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