Episode 6, Act 3, of the Valorant was marked as a very fan-friendly gesture by the gaming industry in March 2023. It brought with it Bind, the map and removed the overly criticised map Icebox from the setup. Icebox, as complained by the fans, had an imbalanced structure and a lack of dynamics. Everyone saw this step coming.
Riot has a history of maintaining the 7-map pool for competitive queues in Valorant. It brings a larger number of map rotations to arrive every season, giving developers an opportunity to introduce newer maps alongside old reworks.
Details on Valorant Episode 8 update
With Episode 8 set to be released in the first week of 2024, there are many significant changes planned for the Riot games to be introduced in this new set.
Episode 8 is all set to bring major improvements to Riot Games’ FPS. A new gun,the Outlaw Sniper, since Beta is planned to be inducted. The weapons stand between the Marshall and the Operator with a price of 2400 credits, dealing non-lethal damage of 140 HP to the body and only disposing of an opponent with a clean shot to the head, much like its little sibling.
This is St. John Bosco's High School Valorant team, they went undefeated during the regular season and playoffs, and have qualified for Nationals to compete against 8 of the best teams in the US
— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) April 27, 2023
And had one of the sickest plays of the entire tourney pic.twitter.com/xoBp9YOJ44
According to prominent leaker ValorLeaks, there will be at least fifteen sprays in the upcoming Episode 8 Act 1 Battle Pass, of which two are animated. Additionally, new content, such as player cards and cosmetics, will be introduced, accompanied by a new battle pass expected to launch on January 10th.
Is Icebox map returning to Valorant?
With Icebox removed from the Valorant for a while, it is expected to return in Episode 8, Act 1.
Icebox was unpopular among the players for its poor lurk potential and lack of transitions between the bomb sites. While a lot was expected to be changed in the map, according to a post by prominent dataminer @KLaboratories, the map stands to be the same as before.
With Episode 8 we seem to be getting a Map Pool Change. | #VALORANT
— Mike | Valorant Leaks & News (@ValorLeaks) December 28, 2023
Currently, Haven will be taken out and Icebox will be put back in. (Note: This can change) pic.twitter.com/VZl3BlmYei
To maintain the 7-map pool, Haven is set to be removed from the game in exchange for the Icebox. Haven is one of the two maps to feature three planting sites, with the other one being Lotus.
Since the return of Icebox is only a leak as of now with no official confirmation, the community of gamers awaits official confirmation and release from Riot Games. It has brought the gamers’ hopes high, longing for favourable changes that can give them a better playing experience.
Are you eager to play Icebox again? Tell us your thoughts on this in the comments section.
