Riot Games has committed to changing VALORANT’s map pool every single act, but the next map swap set for Patch 10.04 is not being well received. The second act of the 2025 season will see the removal of Abyss and Bind, and the return of Ascent and Icebox.
While many players won’t miss Abyss, there is a widespread feeling of disappointment that both Ascent and Icebox are returning. That is, unless they return with some changes.
VALORANT Patch 10.04 Map Changes
As part of VALORANT’s new yearly season model, the team at Riot has pledged to making map pool changes each act. There are currently 11 standard maps, with seven making up the active pool. Riot said at the beginning of the year that the initial plan is to swap two each act, but noted that number “might change” throughout the year.
When the second act of 2025 begins on March 4, Patch 10.04 will replace Abyss and Bind with Icebox and Ascent. This change has not sat well with the community though, especially on the pro side. Prior to this current act, Ascent was the only map that had never been rotated out, and now it’s being reinstated after just a few weeks. Icebox has also been one of the more disliked maps across the community, but most of the replies to the official announcement are upset about Ascent’s fast return.
Fans and members of the VALORANT pro scene are also not pleased about the impending changes. Sentinels’ coach Adam Kaplan is frustrated with announcing the map changes ahead of time, claiming teams that don’t make the first Masters event of the year will have twice as much time to prepare for the new maps. Kaplan also says this will lead to an increase in burnout, as teams that attend Masters will have no time to rest if they don’t want to get out-prepped for Ascent and Icebox.
Is it too soon to bring Ascent back? Let us know in the comments below or on our community forum!
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