Abyss has finally arrived on official VALORANT servers, and the treacherous new map rife with numerous dangerous spots is definitely going to take some getting used to.
While Abyss technically follows the “standard” map format of three lanes and two sites, there’s nothing standard about it, as the latest entry in the VALORANT map pool features pitfalls where you can fall to your death and areas where you can jump over gaps to reach ideal spots. Any new map has a learning curve, and one as dangerous as Abyss will likely have a steep one.
When does Abyss enter the competitive map pool in VALORANT?
Abyss will have a staggered launch as it enters VALORANT, joining different map pools with each patch.
- Starting in patch 8.11, Abyss will be playable in Unrated, Swift Play, Spike Rush, Escalation, and an Abyss-only queue (Unrated matches, but only for the first week of patch 8.11). While console will not feature an Abyss-only queue, Abyss will be available in all these modes on console.
- Abyss enters the competitive map pool for both PC and console players in patch 9.0.
- Abyss will enter the Premier map pool in patch 9.02.
The schedule for Abyss’ inclusion in the map pool is similar to the one previous new maps have utilized, as it begins in the unranked modes alongside an exclusive queue and then gets rolled out into the competitive modes.
For those who want to play Abyss right away, the Abyss-only queue will be the best way, as the other non-ranked modes have begun using an unrestricted map pool. Maps not in the active map pool are available now in modes like Unrated and Swift Play, including Breeze, Split, Fracture, and Pearl.
