Valorant’s ninth map Lotus could be the most complex battleground Riot Games has released yet.
The map is vast, and has unique elements including rotating doors, a breakable wall that opens a path, and a silent drop that’s sure to catch players by surprise.
In addition to these exclusive features, the map has three sites, similar to Haven.
To get players up to speed, we’ve put together all the callouts and locations that are crucial for communication and strategies on Lotus.
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Here are all the callouts and locations on Lotus
At the start of each round, attackers have three lanes they could take control of — C lobby, B pillars, and the A root/A rubble area. The tricky task for attackers is that they need to clear a lot of ground to reach any one of the three spike sites.
Defenders, on the other hand, have many areas to play around with since more of the map will be accessible to them before the start of the round.
The difficulty however, is that rotating from A to C, and C to A, will take a while because of the map’s large size. To shorten the distance, they will have to go through the rotating doors at mid.
Attacker side spawn
The A side portion of the map is the most complex, with the A main area providing the perfect area for long-range gun battles.
However, once the attacking team makes their way closer to the site, the encounters shift to close-quarters-combat.
All three unique elements of Lotus can also be found on A site. Players who shift-walk from A top to A drop will not create an audible drop sound. The breakable wall/door can be found on A main, which leads directly to A link — a fast-track to the B site.
There’s also the interactive rotating door between A main and A rubble. Attackers can take this path as a shortcut to the A site.
- A lobby
- A root
- A rubble
- A door
The B side of Lotus is the least complicated, with both teams having a direct path to the B site. Players should be careful of sudden rotations since the B site has many openings from A and C.
- B pillars
- B main
The C side is straightforward as well, with the attackers’ main path to the C site will be C main. To pressure defenders holding in c site, they will have to come from B or the defender side spawn.
- C lobby
- C mound
- C door
Defender side spawn
Defenders have plenty of options. They could hold and wait for the attackers to come to them since there will be many areas and angles to clear.
An aggressive push could also benefit defenders. A push through A Door, for example, could catch attackers in A rubble and A root by surprise.
- A top
- A drop
- A stairs
- A link
Breaking the wall/door at A link will also add more pressure to attackers pushing into A main.
- B upper
Taking a fight at C main might be too risky it since attackers could be lying in wait from C lobby and B main if the rotating door is activated.
- C gravel
- C link
- C hall
- C waterfall
Sites
The A site is like a small maze, with the two walls from A hut.
- A site
- A hut
- A tree
- A main
The B site is quite small, but what it lacks in size, it makes up in verticality. The small room incorporates the high-ground element that favors defenders.
- B site
The C site has features from the A and B sites, with it being a larger maze that has three different levels – if we’re including C hall.
- C site
- C main
- C bend
Lotus shares similar gameplay elements as Haven. Defenders holding A and C have the choice of standing their ground, but run the risk of being overwhelmed. Their backup will have to pass through the whole map before they can help their teammates.
Bad comms will also lead to early rotations, which gives attackers openings around the map.
Meanwhile, attackers must play with patience. There are many areas to clear, and one small mistake will give defenders the numbers advantage.
Lotus will be available to play when Valorant patch 6.0 goes live. The new update comes with a brand new Battle Pass, the Araxys skin bundle, and the Split rework.
READ MORE: Valorant’s new map Lotus is a 3-site map that’s inspired by Indiana Jones