In and out of Bind: 6 flanking tips for Valorant’s most frustrating map

“Two sites. No middle” is not a description that instills confidence, but that’s Bind. Depending on what day of the week you ask players, they’ll probably say that the two-site, all-corners agony that is Bind is the most teeth-grindingly difficult map in Valorant. And for good reason: Bind is a map that requires players to face forward while also keeping an eye on their backsides. As each round ticks on, Bind opens up as a flanker's paradise, meaning that lurkers of all skill levels can get the kinds of kills that light team voice chat up with howls of anger.

In truth, many rounds on Bind fall apart because the weight of trying to deal with pressure on Hookah or A Port is so heavy that teams hardly notice when the flank happens, leading to devastating pincer attacks. Add in two tricksy teleporters, and it all means that games on Bind can turn on a moment’s notice.

Allow us to watch your back and provide three handy tips each for flanking on Attack and Defend. Spoilers: having a Sentinel factors in big-time.

Hookah is one of the hardest points on Bind to defend thanks to its multiple corners, height, and noise factor. Defenders can’t easily get into Hookah without having to give up two points of entry, and Attackers have to completely dedicate to the push — or falsify pressure while going in elsewhere. In a round where players have already been eliminated the defense can push up to B-Long if they know that the attackers began their push on A and are looking to rotate. Watching this spot gives easy sight to both Market and Cave. And as with most of these spots: Cypher or Killjoy can lock down a side by placing their Camera or Turret for awareness back on the point.

Conversely, defenders who know the pressure has shifted to B (or has so focused on A Short that they’re stalled out) can press in on Showers. This allows the defense to either provide pressure against an attack on A Port, or take a risky teleporter to shift over to B Site. Take care of the alcove to the right of A Short’s entry point, as it's a favorite spot for campers to sit and wait.

The Bind teleporters can be a play-making deus ex machina if done well. However, in the hands of most players they’re simply a real easy way to tell your opposition where you’re planning on going. All bets are off once rotations begin and a few players are eliminated, putting the teleporter up as a main field of engagement. Pressure from A Site and Market over to B Short via the teleporter can catch Hookah off-guard, as well as provide mind games if you have the numbers advantage. Keep in mind that there’s enough room to hide once you go through the teleporter and that the door is shut until approached. It’s a fantastic set-up spot if you can live long enough to take advantage.

While attacking your focus is going to be more about not allowing the enemy to sneak behind or split your attention. And so, we go back to the aforementioned alcove of A Short, which allows for a sneak attack on anyone going into Market, as well as defense approaching from Showers. Careful with this spot, though: It’s easy to predict and is probably the first place enemies will place their sightlines.

If your attack is focused solely on B Site then you can expect a rotation to happen through the shortest route--A Short to Market. Placing a lurker here in this doorway can catch defenders who abstain from the teleporter giveaway and attempt to go through Market and into B Short. For added safety, a Sentinel who can watch or block off the Caves straight-stretch does wonders.

Hookah is maddening, straight-up. There are boxes to jump, it’s easy to defend but also not easy to defend, and only the boldest dare charge through without a plan. That said, Hookah is also a three-phase room when it comes to fighting, meaning that there are three potential areas where a firefight may happen. This placement inside the room and against the knook provides defense against Market and teleporter approaches while also being far enough back that someone going from window-side can be caught unawares. That said, be weary of the Razes and Breaches of the world that love nothing more than to huck their abilities into Hookah and catch campers not paying attention.