Valorant players create new game mode with new Icebox zipline

Olivia Richman Published 17/10/2020

Valorant players are having a lot of fun on Icebox’s ziplines.

While the new map’s layout has been causing some frustration for Valorant players that prefer to use abilities over rifles, others have been taking advantage of Icebox’s new features, mainly the horizontal ziplines. This is where they’ve invented a fun, new game mode.

Players gather at the zipline running through A Site. When a round begins, as signaled by Breach’s Flash or Sova’s arrow, opponents grab onto the horizontal zipline and then race towards each other. They zip back and forth, similar to a jousting match, hoping not to get knifed. The winner is decided when their opponent dies or when they knock their foe off the zipline.

New #VALORANT game mode: Zipline jousting

(????: u/luciddaymare) pic.twitter.com/QXpZKMHnCb
— Valorant News (@ValorantUpdates) October 14, 2020

On Reddit, Valorant players jokingly predicted that this new game mode will replace “knife only” rounds.

Even though players immensely enjoyed the discovery, others were still focused on the more serious side of the map, since Icebox will be in the competitive map pool on October 27. Many players haven’t been able to experience Icebox as much as they’d like since Act 3 began, leaving them with more poignant questions.

While jousting only uses knives, some people asked how accurate bullets are while sliding on the horizontal ziplines. Players answered that it’s slightly less accurate than normal, but not quite as inaccurate as when agents are running or in the air. Some players stated that it was too accurate for their liking.

Many Valorant fans used the opportunity to also note how frustrating the actual gameplay is on Icebox, especially for defenders. Players feel it’s easy to push on B Site, to the point where it’s almost impossible to hold. Alternatively, it’s hard to take control of A Site because of all the defending agents hiding around its many corners. Icebox’s layout has also made a lot of agent’s utility abilities useless unless players use them in a completely different way.

Of course, players are still discovering the best playstyles, strategies, and agent comps for Icebox. It’s still a bit new for the Valorant community and players are still getting used to it. For now, Valorant fans can just enjoy some casual jousting if they don’t want to deal with the complexity of Icebox’s teamfight-heavy layout.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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