Pearl is the latest map to join the pool in Riot Games’ tactical first-person shooter, VALORANT. Now that it’s hit live servers, savvy players are already discovering the best spots to play from or angles to hold on Pearl. This guide provides some of those positions with basics about how to best optimize your gameplay.
A Site
One of the best angles to hold as a Defender on Pearl’s A Site is standing on this ledge. It’s a hard spot for Attackers to clear unless they peek wide. What’s more, this angle allows you to drop into Secret if you are flashed or after you get the first kill.
Secret is an extremely strong position because it lets you keep pressure on the A Site without exposing yourself to the Attackers. The walls are spammable with medium penetration weapons, which means it’s important not to get tagged by Sova or Fade.
Middle
The Mid Plaza is a hotly contested area of the map. These are some angles that you can use to help keep control of the area.
If you’re planning to peek Top Mid from A Art, considering using this elevated angle on top of the box. Most Attackers will default to holding the lower peek, meaning if you hop on top of the box and swing, they will have to adjust their aim. It’s a small advantage, but everything helps.
If you’ve cleared Top Mid or smoked off the position, the above angle is one of the best to hold if there’s any aggression from Shops. Again, this relies on someone watching your Top Mid or keeping it blocked off because you are extremely exposed to Attackers in that spot.
One good position for the Attacker is on top of his structure in the middle of Plaza. It gives you a strong vantage to watch for aggression out of A Shop. You do leave your back to Mid Door so make sure a teammate is keeping that covered.
Mid Connector
As the Defending team, if you can’t keep Mid Plaza control then you’ve absolutely got to watch Mid Connector. This long corridor is pivotal for control of the map. The above angle is the best way to keep tabs on Mid Door as a Defender on Pearl. It gives you a clear path to fallback and you can also spam the doors from relative safety.
This is less of an angle and more of a spot to play from. This corner in Mid Connector is a powerful position if you have a teammate to support you from the bottom of the Connector, close to B Site. The idea is that the teammate can flash for you or bait out enemy aggression before you swing and mow down the Attackers. It’s also a great spot to play with a Judge.
B Site
B Site has some extremely powerful positions for Defenders, particular up in Tower and hiding at the back of the site in Halls. These are both spots that give you a lot of room and require the Attackers to flush you out with utility.
If you’re looking for more of a “cheese spot,” this is a great option in B Main. If you tuck yourself into the above corner and stare at your feet, Attackers shouldn’t be able to see you unless they go looking. This is not entirely true if you’re playing an agent like Sage, whose ponytail sticks up and can ruin the surprise.
If you’re able to successful hide in this spot, let the enemies walk past you towards B Site and then pop out of cover and shoot them in the back. It’s a high risk, high reward strategy.
One of the best angles to hold on Pearl is actually an Attacker angle. If you can cross to this sign in B Ramp, you can create some powerful headshot angles by slowly walking forward. It gives you a great vantage to watch for Attacker aggression.
