VALORANT Devs Share New Info On Lotus Map: 'A Goal Here Was Movement Fluidity'

A new map for a game like VALORANT is a big deal. In hyper-competitive games, combat areas need to be well-considered to absurd degrees.

Every inch of the playable floor has to be balanced and fair, with enough added environments to keep things interesting without being so overwhelming that players can't focus on the important stuff.

All of this is alongside an overall design that reflects the game's aesthetics and ethos. No pressure, then.

As a result, there was a lot of pressure on the new VALORANT map, Lotus, to stand up alongside its counterparts. And so far, it has proved itself well.

Now, a new dive into what makes the map truly special has shown us just how meticulously the Riot Games team has brought the City of Flowers to life.

VALORANT Reveals New Secrets About The Lotus Map

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With a new look at the work that went into bringing Lotus to life, VALORANT's developers have revealed some new secrets about the map and its creation.

"A big design goal here was movement fluidity," says Joe "Pearl Hogbash" Lansford - Level Designer for the game. "We wanted to allow teams to flex and pivot as the round progresses more easily than they often can on other maps."

"Teams can very quickly flex between sites and areas," continues Lansford. "Taking door control gives strategy power as well, like pinching someone in B main for example - the audio and minimap cues also allow for some fun mind games.

"Yoru can do some interesting stuff with his teleport, activating the door on one side of the map then jumping to the other. Or not… The main goal is to create interesting movement and utility decisions for both teams."

VALORANT Devs - Letting Art Be The Guide

The latest dev comments show that they've taken a new approach to developing Lotus, and haven't designed it with specific team compositions in mind.

"We measure areas for crosshair height, we look at corridor width for smokes and mollies, and we pay a lot of attention to how important angles play," says Lansford.

"But in terms of specific util lineups, we don't really build anything like that intentionally. We just let the art kind of be the guide."

It's an interesting approach to design that fans can decide if they like or not. At the very least, it means we get to discover the comps that make the map more fun to play all by ourselves. If you see us flapping around the map, trying to figure out how it all works, ignore us.