Have you been using the Valorant minimap the right way?
In FPS games, a minimap or radar is typically used to track teammates’ positions, orientation, and strategic decision-making. But the Valorant minimap is multi-purpose.
Valorant is not an easy FPS game by any means. Compared to other 5v5 shooters, Valorant’s character-specific abilities make it tricker for an average player to stay focused and navigate through colorful smokes and abilities.
With flashes blasting in your face from all directions, Riot’s shooter can be a handful. Thankfully, small details within the game can make your competitive experience less stressful.
On your Valorant minimap, there’s another tinier circle that may not be as noticeable at first glance. Your player model is constantly surrounded by this circle, which becomes visible only when you’re moving.
This circle transforms Valorant’s radar from a mere location detector to a mechanical tool.
You may have been using the Valorant minimap to track teammates’ movements and follow Spike points, but it has three other game-changing uses.
Valorant minimap guide: Throwing on-the-fly molotovs
It’s a known fact that Viper gets a utility indicator on the minimap that helps her land accurate smokes, but other agents can also use the radar to achieve the same purpose. At least those who own a molotov.
Agents who have a projectile molotov or an incendiary in their toolkit can use the smaller radar circle to execute on-the-fly lineups.
This radius can be used as an indicator to guide the incendiaries of a select few agents in Valorant. For example, Gecko, Killjoy, Brimstone, and Phoenix’s Molotov all have a similar trajectory, one that ensures that the utility doesn’t escape the tiny radius on the Valorant minimap.
Using this trick, players can execute all lineups at the last minute without practicing for hours in the range. However, you may want to keep a few things in mind before using this trick.
- When tossed in a stationary position, Molotov will drop two-thirds of the overall gap within the ring.
- Always place your crosshair at 30 degrees higher from the headshot angle.
- If you release the Molotov while running, it’ll land at the edge of the smaller circle.
One bonus trick, you could practice this trick on any one agent, say Viper, and all your lineups will work on agents with the same trajectory as hers, saving you tons of time.
Valorant minimap guide: Avoiding getting heard
While the smaller circle is surely a great guide to land-accurate Molotovs, that’s not really its true purpose.
It’s actually the sound radius, meaning your footsteps will be audible to everyone within the circle. Enemies and teammates can both hear you as long as they are within the radius.
Anyone outside of this white circle can’t hear you. You may use this feature in retakes and flanks. This information will come in handy in risky clutch situations when you’re trying to be quiet.
It adds a layer of stealth to your strategies that could mean the difference between victory and defeat, especially when silence is your best weapon.
For example, your last teammate dies on point B, and you’re rotating from point A. You can comfortably run towards B site and start walking as soon as the radius touches the danger zone, which in this case is B site.
Valorant minimap guide: Avoiding the Spike blast
In Valorant, the Spike blast not only creates an audible explosion but also has a visual area of effect that engulfs everyone within its radius. While running is the first thing you should do when Spike explodes, you can also avoid it strategically.
Now, this trick doesn’t really impact gameplay, but it sure can help impress teammates. The radius of the circle is a safe distance that you need in order to avoid the black boom of the Spike.
As long as your circle’s edge is touching the Spike, you won’t die. This little trick can be really impressive in-game as the Spike bursts an inch from your player model.
Besides being a flex, it’s a nice intel to have if you often find yourself stuck in the pesky blast impact. Just run far enough that your sound circle is barely touching the Spike icon on the map.
It’s crucial to avoid dying to the Spike in Valorant since it can significantly damage your economy by making you lose the weapon you’re holding.
These tricks should help you squeeze full juice out of the tiny circle on Valorant minimap and win your ranked games.
READ MORE: Is there rank decay in Valorant?
