Updated on February 24, 5:36 p.m. (GMT+8): Updated article links.
Valorant’s 20th agent Harbor made a splash, bringing the ability to summon the tides to shape and divide the battlefield.
Designed to compete directly with Viper, Harbor is a promising pick on maps where Viper is almost exclusively played, most notably Breeze and Icebox.
However, he plays very differently from Viper. While Viper excels as a passive site anchor and lurker, Harbor’s kit allows him to play more aggressively and take space early on in the round.
Once High Tide is up, his team knows that it’s time to attack. This is a controller that is markedly better on the offense than defense, so the teams that favor aggression may pick him over Viper.
Here’s a look at the best maps to play him on.
The best maps to play Harbor on
Breeze
With its long sightlines, a wall controller is crucial to controlling sites and executing on Breeze. A wall smoke blocks off multiple angles across large areas super efficiently, whereas dome smokers like Omen, Astra, and Brimstone would need to expend multiple smokes to do the same thing.
At the same time, there could be fatal gaps through the smoke, giving opponents a free opportunity to pick apart your setup.
Like Viper’s Toxic Screen, Harbor’s High Tide can divide both A and B sites using very similar lineups, allowing his team to take control more easily.
Icebox
The same applies to Icebox. Harbor’s wall interacts with elevated ground in a similar way as Viper, which means that it can also block off Snowman and B top site when angled correctly.
On A site, Harbor’s wall can also cut off both top of Screens and Rafters. In fact, it may have an advantage over Viper’s wall, because it can be curved to block off the entrance to Rafters. On the other hand, Viper’s Toxic Screen will only block off Screens, and she will need to use Poison Cloud if she wants to obscure Rafters as well.
The bullet-blocking Cove bubble can also be used to assist in planting the spike, similar to Sage’s wall. While it isn’t as durable as Sage’s wall and enemies can still push into it, it could still prove crucial in taking space and buying time, particularly on retakes.
Bind
On Bind, Harbor could find himself part of a double controller composition, alongside Brimstone. When attacking A site, his wall can be curved to cover the length of the site and Lamps, allowing your team to push from both Short and Showers.
When standing outside the A teleporter, Harbor is also able to send his wall through the teleporter and curve it to cover both Hookah and Garden, providing some cover for his team on defense.
And because High Tide operates on a 40-second cooldown, he has greater flexibility in mid-round situations and is able to deploy his wall for a second time on a different site.
Pearl
Pearl and Harbor may just be a twisted match made for each other. High Tide can be curved to cover both B Tower and B Hall.
When defending B site, his wall can also cover both A Main and Art, the same as Viper.
However, he will probably need a second dome smoker like Astra to back him up, particularly on defense. His abilities lack stopping power, and he cannot help his teammates on the opposite site while defending.
READ MORE: Full list of Valorant Lotus map guides: Agent tier lists, lineups, smokes, walls
