Five best Valorant Smokes for new players

Packing some smokes and don’t know what to do with yourself? It’s a common problem for new players, especially those that haven’t played a shooter in the style of Valorant. After all, what’s the best application of an ability that blocks vision for every player on the field? More often than not—and much like with flashbangs—new players will end up hurting themselves more than helping when it comes to the deployment of smokes. Allow us to clear the air and let you know the best map locations to smoke 'em if you’ve got 'em.

Icebox is a large map with plenty of ways to get around, meaning that smokes need to be less reactive and more premeditated. And while both teams have the ability to get to the Sites without much trouble, it leaves the Mid area up for grabs. If you’re looking to provide some safety movement for your team when moving together, then consider dropping smoke right on the middle path. Not only can it keep your team’s movements hidden for a little while longer, it can also potentially be used as a flank.

Low-level games on Split often revolve around which team is willing to charge at Bottom Mid and Top Mid, for better and worse. The map location is a great entry point and dangerous because both sides of the field are given multiple angles to cover it. Even if your team doesn’t plan on going that way, consider giving it a smoke as a feint, made even better if you’ve got a Brimstone who can lay it down while your team is elsewhere.

Haven is yet another map that, when played at low levels, features one specific entry that Defense and Attack alike love to focus on, specifically the Mid Doors area. You can almost always expect someone stationed at the Garage on Defense, while Attack’s safety point of entry is with this smoke that covers Mid and forces the Defense to either push in or backtrack to enter Garage from its own side. This smoke can either give the Attack cover to push into Garage or give Defense a pressure point.

This is a hyper-situational smoke placement, but one that needs saying. Any plant on B Site means players will have to contend with the cubby hole behind the Site itself. Even if those defending or diffusing aren’t in there, the sheer fact that it’s there provides a psychological advantage. If you’re planning on making an entry into the Site or even defending it, you can do worse than putting a smoke there and using it as cover or as a deflection.

While Bind features many a twist-and-turn worth of smoke, newer players should concern themselves with the sniper’s perch sitting above A Site. It’s an obvious sniping spot, but obvious doesn’t mean it isn’t effective. Attackers would be wise to smoke this spot when making the first approach or if a team is looking to diffuse, as there’s almost always someone up there no matter the round. Of course, the difference from round to round is if said player is packing an Operator or not. Tread carefully.