Valorant Act 3 will include new winter-themed map Icebox

Valorant’s map pool will finally get some new scenery as Riot has announced the addition of a new map, Icebox. The developers dropped a teaser trailer on social media that featured some interesting clips from the new locale. 

Take on the tundra when Icebox drops with Act III. pic.twitter.com/Mu7OzbLHXF

— VALORANT (@PlayVALORANT) October 6, 2020

Icebox will be the second addition to Valorant’s standard map rotation after Ascent. Initially, the map was set to release later in the year. Developer Anna Donlon said that the early release is attributed to the community’s overwhelming response to the game. 

Previous maps in Valorant have much in common with one another. Dusty weather, greenery, and open playgrounds are standard across Valorant’s maps. Icebox will be a fresh breath of air graphically, as it is set on a frosty tundra. 

A short clip shared by the developer showed a battleship and a congested office bathed in snow. Large containers lined up narrow allies and the office’s interior had small rooms. The defensive side’s base appears to be a spacious area, as most parts of the map seem confined. 

Icebox might have two bomb sites as the video clip showed bombsite A that is much closer to the defensive side’s base. One area of the map has the number “two” written on it, which could be the bombsite B. Players should also expect ziplines similar to the ones in Split.

Icebox will be a fun map for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players, as it seems seems to pull inspiration from maps such as Office and Subzero. 

Icebox to launch with Valorant Act 3

Game developer Altombre plans to keep things interesting for the rest of Act announcement. 

“In general though, we’re working to get you all maps sooner rather than later, and we want to avoid that ’empty episode’ scenario as much as we can,” Altombre said. 

Players can expect Valorant Act 3 and Icebox to arrive on October 13.

Early release of the map comes as a surprise for players as the developers have earlier confirmed that a new map was not in the cards. Icebox’s introduction won’t be just a fun addition, but it will also rectify the map selection issue to some extent. Players have have griped that the play experience can be repetitive due to the limited number of maps.