VALORANT announced its fourth Team Deathmatch map, named Drift, on Dec. 3, and as much as it looks elegant, its ratty spots, longish midsection, and isolated three-lane design will encourage more challenging fights.
Drift will be launched with VALORANT’s Patch 7.12 on Dec. 5, alongside some highly anticipated agent updates. It’s the first new map to be released for Team Deathmatch after the Max Bot-driven alternate game mode was launched in Episode Seven, Act One, back in June.
Set against a backdrop of Thailand’s popular floating markets and beach resorts, Drift features long site lines connected by a happening mid-section. It will seem very similar to Breeze at first look, but explore a bit more, and you’ll find multiple elements resembling the intricacies we see in Haven, Split, and Lotus.
Starting with a shore with shops and eateries near one of its spawns, Drift is crowded with wooden houses throughout and also has a beach resort on the other side. Besides featuring multiple wall-bangable structures, drops, and corners, it’s also the first TDM map to feature a zip line that connects the lanes together, bringing all kinds of dynamic engagements you can hope for. That said, its routes are more isolated than what we’ve seen in existing TDM maps—Piazza, District, and Kasbah. You can choose to engage in predictable fights or challenge the enemies using the map’s dynamic features.
Speaking about Drift’s design goals, Joey Simas, Lead Map Designer, said, “Drift takes our approach to TDM maps and carves out more isolated lanes allowing for more predictable fights. It also features a long-range mid that has several paths that let you weave in and out of the space for more dynamic engagements.”
When asked about the challenges faced while creating Drift, Simas shared how the buildings and structures in Thailand’s floating markets being made of wood posed a challenge because “suddenly weapons could penetrate a lot of thick surfaces.” “Through a lot of testing and iterations, we eventually found a nice balance between gameplay readability and weapon penetration,” he said, before encouraging players to pick Sova and Fade to take advantage of Drift’s wall-bangable spots.
From the looks of it, Drift should be a great place to warm up with your favorite agent before you begin your daily dose of VALORANT’s ranked.
