Is the Practice Range Actually the New VALORANT Map “Ascent”?

With any new game, there is the ever-present question of “when is the next thing coming”? Whether it be a new character or a new weapon, the player base of any game loves to have something new to try out. For VALORANT, the latest “new thing” may have been here the whole time. There have been rumors and posts about a new map that may be announced during the SummerGameFest on May 21st, and there just may be plenty of evidence to suggest the latest addition will be “Ascent”.

As reported earlier by Dexerto, there is a datamined map circulating Reddit and Twitter that has people wondering what the new map will look like. Earlier this month, another version of the map appeared with specific call outs, initially posted by the Twitter account VALORANT Source.

A Missing Piece of the Map

The map itself looks similar to Split, with middle area packed with corridors and hallways, as well as wide-open plant sites. Though the map may seem even more familiar, as players can potentially see a preview of the map in the Practice Range. Checking out the map in game, the mini-map shares some interesting parallels to the potential leaked map. Take a look at the shooting range for example.

Comparing the site layout to the leaked map, the shooting range looks eerily similar to many plant sites throughout VALORANT. If players take a closer look at the cut-off mini-map while standing in the shooting range, it looks as though the map may be a piece to a bigger picture. The A-Site of the potential “Ascent” map and the shooting range appear to be slightly different versions of the same area.

As a whole, the practice range appears to represent a Venetian style area. Boats litter the area, and the iconic red and white poles that dictate boat paths are strewn across the ground. This may one of the key hints dictating this is a taste of the latest map, as the initial teaser for VALORANT has Jett dashing over a canal. A canal that would typically be seen in a place like Venice.

The Identical B Site

The most concrete evidence towards the practice range being the latest map is the B-Site. The “Spike Planting” area has an identical layout to the leaked map. With locations like “Switch” and “Boathouse” being perfectly synced up with the practice range layout, it is almost certain that the map will have a similar look.

Even the boxes are placed in an incredibly similar location, hinting that the “Spike Planting” practice area may have been more practical than initially thought

The area leading into the practice site has an exact layout as the potential new as well. The “Spike Defuse” area mirrors the alleged “Shop” call out on the map. While it may not be the site in the final version of the map, the area looks incredibly similar to what has been leaked.

There is also a entry way that appears to be blocked on the B-Site, with the sign “Top Secret” sitting on the doorway. Players can go in, but there is only a few boxes that fill the area. Comparing this to the new mini-map, this would be the exact entry way coming from the defender spawn to cover B-Site.

Will There be a New Practice Range?

If this is truly the latest map, potentially Riot may be looking to do something similar for later maps. The portal in the sky of the Practice Range is a reflection of the current map. Maybe that is also the reason the map is incredibly destroyed? Could the map have been destroyed due to the portal?

With a new map, players may see a new area of the world of VALORANT that gets sucked into the portal and shot into a new Practice Range. Could this be Riot’s way of world-building in a first-person shooter? We only have speculation now, but keep on the lookout for more hints and clues laying around in VALORANT.

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Featured image courtesy of Riot Games

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