Their efforts were noble, but sacrifices must be made. Get ready to contest the Fracture, an accidental rift created, a result of a coverted experiment gone wrong.
During the VCT 2021: Stage 2 Masters, held in Reykjavík, Iceland, the community witnessed a cinematic explaining “Duality”, a fight between the same set of Valorant agents. From the duo Killjoy and Viper addressing an unusual radiante signature from the environment to Phoenix confronting his own version, but from another mysterious and a parallel habitat, it all comes down to the sole scratch on our heads, “Which timeline does the real estate in Fracture belong to”
Today Valorant on their social media revealed a new map, known as the Fracture which is set to hit the game on September 8, a part of the 3.05 patch update. Along with this mysterious map comes a brand new battlepass with some exciting cosmetic packs, a chance to personalize your gameplay experience.
A press release was shared with TalkEsport ahead of the map’s launch and our writers got the opportunity to dig in more about this project. The developer notes consisted of a Q&A involving the group of designers, creators, and artists who further opened up about their goals and what actually led them to carve out Fracture.
I will try to keep this piece short but would really like to shed light on some key factors about this map, starting with the question “What If?”
Mr. Joe Lansford, Level Designer at Riot Games, focused on the idea where the attackers would start out on the map instead of the defenders and could pinch the latter. Fracture is designed in an H-shape with the defenders to start from the middle of the map. He further added that the structure would completely different when compared to other maps in the pool. Elements like Ziplines and Pathways will have their own say when it comes down to the actual release. Defenders might now need to figure out their own strategies ahead of the impending doom from the attackers.
The sites within Fracture were detailed by Lead Artist, Mr. Brian Yam who stated,
“The A-site is distinguished by its arid desert environment with its abandoned facilities deteriorating. B site is contrasted by lush, overgrown foliage left to take over the science facility. The mid-building is where the central collider is located, underneath where players can zipline through. Fracture is a special map from a design standpoint, but we also wanted to push unique solutions on the visual side. Having two distinct sides, allows visually interesting storytelling by prompting players to question the events that took place and the radical results that ensued. It also provides clear player orientation from a visual and callout perspective.”
An exclusive image from Riot further reveals two zip lines running beneath a certain energy source, which may profit the defenders in making their moves real quick, only to be found out on September 8.
The whole foundation of Fracture was initially showcased at the Stage 2 Masters of the Valorant Champions Tour where the concept of Duality was pondered upon through a cinematic.
According to Mr David Nottingham, Creative Director at Riot Games, the birth of Fracture was a result of conflict between two earthly forces, but from planet Earth’s other twin. What we learned today does connect to Valorant’s mirror-verse theory and with the launch of Fracture on the Horizon, there might lay a potential plot for the lore behind the concept of Duality.