What with Riot Games just announcing a new map soon to be released in VALORANT, Corrode, the forums witnessed an upheaval. To be fair, the reactions were mixed. ValorINTEL posted a minimap screenshot, splitting the players into two camps: one group called it a chaotic mess while the other cynically compared it with existing maps.
To begin with the design: One player comment simply was, “This looks like another Fracture, I’m done bro,” with Corrode laying down many Fracture vibes as far as layout goes. Honestly? True. Reflecting on it gave me a very fair judgment. The Fracture has this really love-or-hate kind of reputation, and if Corrode is indeed following down that sort of path, then that clearly explains the sudden backlash. Another player went as far as calling mid “torturous,” which is not good. If the mid is already being criticized with such strong vocabulary even before the map hits live servers, that can only be a bad omen.
Rat spots. Ohhh, the rat spots. So many players found themselves in full spectator mode due to all those sneaky corners and hideouts, with one saying, “A site has so many fing rat spots.” For all those of you out there that hate to get ambushed by a lurking Cypher or a camping Chamber, Corrode surely spells out your worst nightmare. And then, there was the comparison to Fortnite-yes, someone actually said it looks like ‘the ballistic Fortnite map,’ which is… a choice.
Notwithstanding, not all of them outright oppose the proceedings. One participant moved forward to call the “best” agents for the map, naming Yoru, Raze, Harbor, Astra, Cypher, Viper, and Fade. So, at least some strategic talk is being held amidst the chaos. Discontent is the major theme, however, with comments such as “very generic and too many rat spots. 3/10” or “Not a clean map, it’s dustbin 😭😭” painting a pretty apt picture of the users’ mindset.
The real question is: Will Riot bother to do any tweaks before release? Or is this just going to be one of those cases where the players will have to spend a lot of time getting used to it? VALORANT’s map pool has always been a controversial topic (Looking at you, Breeze), but usually, those complaints come to an end after two weeks when the players learn to feel the flow. Maybe Corrode is about to share the same destiny. Or maybe it will live on just like the legacy of Fracture, with half of the player base dodging it for the rest of their lives.
Regardless, we won’t ever know for sure until it launches, but this much is certain: VALORANT players are never shy about voicing their opinions, and Corrode is now stockpiling enough drama of its own. It will be up to everyone whether it will be a blessing or a curse by then. Just… maybe don’t try queuing for it if you’re unprepared for utter mayhem. Or rats. Loads and loads of rats.
