Hannan Mundia 
Valorant’s Episode 8: Defiance will begin soon and fans have information regarding its map pool, start date, and other changes that will be coming with the new season.
Episode 8 of Riot Games’ tactical shooter Valorant is on the horizon and will bring a slew of additions to the game. While the studio hasn’t given many explicit details, aside from the knowledge that it’s titled “Defiance,” data miners have already extracted details regarding the episode’s battle pass skins, map pool, and more.
Riot posted a cinematic teaser for the upcoming Valorant Episode that revealed nothing new, but advanced the story further. Regular Valorant data miner ValorLeaks followed up on the reveals of Deadlock’s GravNet buff and the upcoming Controller agent by making more reveals for next season, and some of them are big.
Valorant Episode 8 brings map pool changes, may add Outlaw sniper rifle
Valorant Episode 8 Act 1 will see a new map pool for competitive modes, changes to two maps, and a new Battle Pass. The new Outlaw sniper rifle may also be introduced at the start of the season, though this is uncertain.
The official map pool for Valorant Episode 8 includes the following stages:
- Icebox
- Lotus
- Ascent
- Split
- Bind
- Sunset
- Breeze
Many of these maps are already available in Episode 7 Act 3. Haven is getting replaced by Icebox, which is reportedly in the shop getting changes alongside Lotus, which has been tweaked regularly of late. It is unknown whether the changes will be purely visual or if they’ll affect gameplay. Every map in Valorant has received changes at some point, whether it’s moving props around, removing unintended footholds, or reducing wallbang viability.
The Episode 8 Act 1 Battle Pass skins are the Fiber Optic Skinline, Guardrail Skinline, Tactiplay Skinline, and the Guardrail Hammer. Previously leaked information suggests the Battle Pass will also have a “Kuronami” Vandal skin and a chain blade weapon skin.
Valorant Episode 8 Act 1 start date, time
Valorant Episode 8 Act 1 begins on January 10, 2024. While the exact timing is unknown, previous updates suggest it’ll come around 7 p.m. ET.
Episode 8 Act 1 will likely follow the trend of previous acts and bring a new title, theme, and cinematic. Each episode lasts three acts, while each act lasts for around two months, suggesting that players can expect Episode 8 Act 2 to begin around March 2024.
