Valorant is defined as a tactical first-person shooter game. That means the game is based on both skill and strategy, one can’t go without the other. In order to be able to execute different strategies, you got to have a decent map knowledge. That’s why today Run It Back is kicking off its first installation of a four-part series going over each map in Valorant. First up on the list, the newest map, Ascent.

Ascent is the fourth Valorant map released in Patch 1.0. The map is set in Venice, Italy and it reminds fans of the CSGO map Dust 2. It has two Spike sites, A and B, and a huge Mid area that connects the whole map. Ascent is definitely a defense-oriented map because attackers have to gain Mid control if they want to win the round. Even if they get Mid control and proceed further to the site, both sites are huge with multiple angles for defenders to hold. All things considered, a team with proper defending tactics has a huge advantage on this map.

Map Callouts

First of all, communication and coordination are crucial on every Valorant map. Information is everything and you need to be able to both give and receive it. In order to do so, you need to know the exact name of a certain location in every situation. You can’t just give a bland callout like “one to your right”. That intel is good for only one of your teammates that actually have an enemy to his right. The rest of your teammates will get confused and maybe even killed while looking to the right while no one is there. That’s why there are map callouts for every location on the map. Make sure to check out the image down below and try to learn as many callouts as you can.

Valorant Map Ascent – Attackers side

The default Attackers setup on this map should revolve around the Mid area. It would be best to send two Agents to A and B main to fight for Orbs and three Agents on Mid to get control, which is crucial on this map. Successful control of the Mid area opens additional routes for Attackers to both Spike sites.

Middle Area

As we already said, Mid control is everything on this map. Just take a look at the picture above, both A and B main are heavily guarded and it is hard for the whole team to enter the site through only one entry spot. You need to make sure to get Mid as early as possible. Take the necessary duels and use utility to force your enemies to fall back. Once you get Mid control, you can go wherever you want and attack either site from multiple entry spots.

Defender rotations are very long on this map if they don’t control the Mid area. That will force Defenders to rotate through their own spawn which will provide you with enough time to plant the Spike and set up your defenses.

Take note that the defenders will probably have an Operator guarding Mid, so you need to be careful. It is best if you can smoke both Mid Bottom and Mid Cubby areas as the Operator is probably holding an angle on one of those two places. After the smoke, make sure to use a flash before you enter into a fight.

A Site

The best strategy to attack A site is through A Main and Mid. Send three Agents to A Main and 2 Agents to gain Mid control. After gaining the control of Mid and A Main, you can coordinate your attack and push through A Link and A Main at the same time. One Agent from Mid can also go lurk behind the enemy lines and wait near the Defenders spawn to catch unprepared enemies that rotate from B. After you gain the site control, don’t forget to shut down the doors to Mid while your teammate plants the Spike.

You can also consider an alternative strategy of five-man A Main rush on Eco rounds. This strategy isn’t recommended on buy rounds because your enemies can hide on the site and there are too many angles to check. However, you can sometimes surprise your enemies and catch them off-guard and maybe even win an eco round. If you decide to do A rush, make sure to have at least one player keep rushing from A to Mid and take the A Link control because enemies will surround you from 3 sides if you don’t do so.

B Site

The B site should also be attacked through 2 entry spots. Unlike A, this strategy needs 3 Agents on Mid and 2 Agents in B Main. You have to send more Agents because you need deep Mid control to get to the B site. Make sure to send your dualists to do the job because they are expandable and don’t have too much utility. Other Agents are better in post-plant situations as they can buy additional time with utility.

The alternative is also a full B main rush which can be a good strategy even on buy rounds. Just make sure to send 1 Agent to guard Mid Link and watch for the flanking players.

Valorant Map Ascent – Defenders side

Defending on this map can be a challenge if you don’t control the Mid area. The default defensive setup should be one A Main, one B Main, two Mid Bottom, Market or Pizza and one Mid Catwalk.

Middle Area

Your main task as a defender is to hold a Mid control. Don’t be afraid to send 3 Agents on Mid as they can easily rotate to sites if there is a rush. Catwalk player can easily rotate to A while Market players are already guarding B with no need to change position. The Mid control is crucial at any cost and you need to send your best Operator to Mid in every round. This map also allows you to play double OP setup and you can send them both to Mid, preferably one Catwalk and one Bottom. This way, you will have an Operator guarding both sites.

Take early aggression and use utility to hold your opponents as long as you can. If you have a Brimstone on your team, make them smoke Mid Link and Mid Top so you can have the full control. If you do lose Mid, don’t take unnecessary fights, just fall back to the site and be ready to rotate.

A Site

The site is pretty open and easy to defend. You have a lot of cover to hide behind and you can play it both aggressively and passively. We recommend an aggressive approach as you can always fall back and hide on the site. The crucial spots to defend are A Link and A Main so make sure to have your duelist at one of those two spots. If you are about to lose any of those two spots, just retreat and throw smokes on entry lanes to buy time for your teammates to rotate.

B Site

B site is a little bit harder to defend if you don’t control B main. Always try to take B Main with early aggression and capture the orb. If you fail at taking the B Main, Mid Market players should rotate and hide on the site. The site is big and it also has a lot of angles that you can hold. Just be creative and switch positions so your enemies always have to check every angle.

We hope you liked our Valorant Ascent Map Guide. If you want to read more Map Guides and more Valorant news, make sure to come back to Run It Back as we post fresh content every day.