With the patch 7.04 in Valorant came the map Sunset based in downtown Los Angeles. One of the most unique maps in the game, it can prove a little difficult to navigate. This guide will look at the best strategies for the Sunset map in Valorant.
Valorant has this new system where they introduce new maps and pull the old ones out of rotation to rework them according to the current meta. Breeze is the most recent map that came out with a rework. Likewise, in patch 7.04, we were introduced to the newest Valorant Map called Sunset. It is the 10th map in the game and has a unique design full of cubbies, medium-ranged alleyways, and more.
This guide will look at every single strategy needed to play Sunset in the game. We will look at all callouts, strategies, the best agents for the map, attack, and defense sides, and more. Without further ado, let us dive into it.
Contents
- Valorant Sunset Locations and Callout Guide
- About Attacking on Sunset in Valorant
- How to Attack A Site
- Where to Plant The Spike on A Site?
- How to Attack B Site
- Where to Plant The Spike on B Site?
- How to Attack A Site
- About Defending on Sunset in Valorant
- How to Defend the A Site
- Ways to Retake on A Site
- How to Defend the B Site
- Ways to Retake on B Site
- Best Agents to Pick on Sunset in Valorant and Why
- Tips to Remember When Playing Sunset in Valorant
Valorant Sunset Locations and Callout Guide
In terms of the general layout of the map, Sunset appears to be a defender-sided map. However, if attackers co-ordinate with each other properly, then it is easy to take advantage of the cubbies and corners to disrupt the line of sight of defenders. As usual, team coordination takes the cake when it comes to winning any map in the game, let alone Sunset.
The map is simple with no zip lines, teleporters, and rotating doors. However, there are still two breakable doors that can be used to anyone’s advantage depending on the situation. People will have a tough time navigating the B Site due to its congested design while the A Site is free and gunfights will be the name of the game there.
That being said, before diving into strategies, let us take a look at the callouts that one can use for team communication on the Sunset map.
- When Playing on A Site on Sunset: A Link, A Alley, A Elbow, A Main, A Lobby
- When Playing Mid on Sunset: Mid Top, Mid Courtyard, Mid Tiles, Mid Bottom
- When Playing on B Site on Sunset: B Boba, B Market, B Main, B Lobby
We also have the attacker and defender spawns on opposite ends.
About Attacking on Sunset in Valorant
The attacker side on Sunset can be a bit challenging if your team coordination is off but with a little bit of luck and early picks it can go well. That being said, the map gives a lot of room for defenders to be aggressive without consequences. That is why, Duelists will shine on this map. You have got to be careful and on the lookout for early aggression as well as mid-round flanks from the enemies.
A composition with an Initiator, a controller, a Duelist, and two Sentinels would be ideal since you will need someone to grab information, secure passage, and let you capture space respectively. Choose your team composition based on the design of the map and how comfortable each person is with their pick.
That being said, classic setups like a 3-2 split and a 4-1 lurk setup are bound to work on this map if executed carefully. Playing like a rat does sound bad but it can help you win sometimes. You will have to execute with your team whenever they need you and trade kills during entry. Let us see how you can attack A site and then hop onto B.
How to Attack A Site
The A Site has the highest chances of success due to its design. Once you enter A Lobby, you can either continue towards the path that leads to A Elbow or divert and get some mid-control and A Main control. Both will help you get control of the site. That is why, A has the most success because if you fail at entering, you can pivot from Mid to B. That being said, we suggest two different setups to hit A.
The first one is the classic A Rush. This one requires team coordination and timing has to be sublime. The objective is for all teammates to hit A at the same time. Duelists should be taking the first fight after Initiators and Controllers block off common angles. Lurking players are free to divert to mid and take control of A Link after traversing through mid-top.
The people executing on-site can take control of A Main and A Lobby at the same time by splitting into two groups. When hit collectively together, it will ensure all-round control of A Site. Another strategy you can employ is the 3-2 Fake setup. An agent like Yoru is particularly useful in this strategy. Make lots of noise in B, trying to give the impression of a Site hit.
When the enemy takes the bait, you can quickly switch and get out of there. For this, a small team of three has to slowly creep their way towards A without making noise so that the plan works. This ensures that after the Yoru comes back, you can quickly hit A Site.
Where to Plant Spike on A Site?
Planting the Spike on A can be a tough decision since it is open from so many angles. However, if the defuse angle is open to two or more pathways, then you are good to go. For example, if you plant in a place where you can kill the spike defusers from A Lobby and A Main, you are good. It is essential to have A Main and A Site control for it to work, however. That is why, we recommend one player staying in A Site itself rather than falling back.
An alternative way to decide how and where you want to plant the spike is by asking your controllers where they want it planted. The reason is that most of the time they will have a lineup that can delay in post plants. That is why, either giving them the spike to plant or planting at the spot designated by them is the way to go. There is no guaranteed spike plant that will get you the round win, it is situational.
How to Attack B Site
Executing B Site is a little different from the usual A Site shenanigans. The main entrance into the site is through B Main which can be difficult to get complete control of, especially if the defensive side has agents which can get away after a kill. Collective execution and prompt utility usage can be the only way to counter these defenders. A Kayo knife can disable their abilities which can lead them to falling back.
That being said, two strategies can work here. The first is executing on B after obtaining complete Mid control. Start with a 1-3-1 setup where two attackers are holding B and A lobbies respectively for pushes from the defenders. Make lots of noise at mid and kill off any enemies who peek. At this point, you are free to hit any site you want. For the B Site hit, ask the one player who is holding B, preferably a Controller, to move onto B Main.
The enemies will be distracted by the noise made on Mid. The B Main player can easily sneak onto the site and wait for the rest of the attackers to take out the player holding B through Market or Boba. Another strategy is the all-out rush. After the barrier goes down, get your Duelists in position to take the first fight in B Main. Ensure that the Initiators are providing support so that the Duelist can have an easier time taking out the defender.
Once you have control of B Main, gather your teammates and execute together. The Controllers should provide cover and smoke off relevant angles while Duelists should rush onto the site and take the space. Initiators should help with utility and planting the Spike. Once the site is in your control, setup post-plant positions and ensure that angle holding is tight and prompt.
Where to Plant Spike on B Site?
The B Site has lots of different angles you can experiment with in terms of bomb plants. However, we recommend planting anywhere near the Pillar area. It can help set up multiple angles from most of the site and is a safe plant for people holding B Main. Or you can go with the best strategy and ask the Controllers on where to plant. This can help because they have lineups that can help you turn the tide of the game even if the enemy successfully retakes.
If you are scouting the Mid angles heavily, then shift the plant spot a little towards the angles that favor Boba or B Platform on-site. That will help you kill defusers if you have major mid-control and want to delay as much as possible.
You can experiment and see what works for your team as well since not every plant position is universal. Some things might work in a single lobby but not for all the ones. That is why, we recommend experimenting with different positions depending on your post-plant positions.
About Defending on Sunset in Valorant
Defending on Sunset is a whole different ballgame. If the opposite team is well coordinated, you will have a hard time countering their utility and aggression. That being said, a Sentinel’s utility can be a game changer if you are playing on a site where they have set up their utility. That is why, for defense, we recommend a simple 2-2-1 setup. The two Sentinels you have will be posted on each site.
Their utility will be crucial to stopping and delaying enemy pushes until your own team can regroup and take the site control. In addition, we recommend taking space as much as possible. This can get you two things; some information about where the enemy is going or a kill and an advantage for your team if you catch the enemy off guard. That being said, let us take a look at the various strategies you can employ for various sites in order to excel at Sunset Side Defense.
How to Defend the A Site
To have control of the A Site properly, you will need control at two different spots, A Lobby, and A Main. However, it is okay to abandon those areas if you have achieved one of two objectives. First, you can abandon posts if you want to play retake or are being overwhelmed by the enemy. The second is that you can fall back after getting the first pick on your enemy. It is better to play the team advantage rather than venturing out for more.
Your Mid-player can also watch A Link and A Site just in case an enemy slips through. We recommend that you venture towards A Lobby for early aggression so you can get some information about the enemy’s moves. A classic 3-2 setup can also work well if you want to only work sites and leave things open for Mid. Be careful because this strategy can backfire and you might get overwhelmed.
As for the setup itself, we recommend a Sentinel, a Duelist, and an Initiator on this site. The Duelist and Initiator combo is great for getting the early advantage while the Sentinel can easily hold down a site if it gets rushed by the enemy team. However, there comes a time when retaking is more important than engaging enemies on-site.
Ways to Retake on A Site
Retaking on this site can be easy because of various angles you can gradually take control of. Now, to successfully retake this side of the map, you will need complete control of A Link, A Lobby, and A Main. There are various ways to establish that control. Firstly, start off by ensuring control of A Link by pushing together. Meanwhile, two Agents can take control of A Alley.
Next, we recommend smoking off the common angles that are open that allow line of sight towards the bomb on A Site. That is why, smoke off A Elbow and A Main entrance. This can help you pull off a ninja defuse in the chaos if the enemy isn’t playing on-site. Initiators should use their utility to allow Duelists a passage onto the site while the Controllers block off common angles.
Stuns, recon darts, smoke orbs, and walls are going to be really important when retaking this map. That is why, we recommend playing with Agents that can take control of a large area by themselves. We will look at some of them later on in this guide.
How to Defend the B Site
Now, defending B Site will require less effort since it naturally favors the defensive side due to the design. However, it still has lots of dangers if one is not careful enough since a lot of teams can be easily flanked through Mid. That is why, we recommend that you place one person on Mid to exclusively monitor activities there. A Sentinel and a Controller on B Site should provide natural defensive capabilities.
B Boba should be the place you retreat to if you are overwhelmed. However, setting up utility as a Sentinel in B Main and On-site while your Controller watches Mid is the ideal setup for anyone defending B Site. Watching B Market is also going to be an important part of the defense. Still, you should be alright as long as you can maintain sight control or force the enemy into mistakes.
We recommend two players on B and one on Mid while the other two are on A. However, you can switch the setup according to the team composition since some Agents are more viable around certain parts of the map. That being said, let us say you are overwhelmed by the enemy and fall back to Boba, Let us see how you can retake this site.
Ways to Retake on B Site
Retaking B Site can be easy compared to A because there aren’t many angles you have to watch out for. Firstly, you should have control of B Boba and B Market before starting the retake of the site. After you do so, you will take control of only two areas, B Main and B Site. Once you get control of Boba and Market, ask your controllers to block B Main with their utility. Ensure that one person is always on the lookout for flanks so that your team doesn’t get caught off guard.
Once your Controllers smoke off B Main, you have to take control of the Site. Ask your Initiators to use their utility so you can gather information about the whereabouts of enemies. Once you do, your Duelists can get on site and take out any enemies with the help of other Agent’s utility.
Take out enemies, gather space, and watch flanks after you get control of the site. If you do all of these things, the only possible way the enemies can come from is B Main, which is smoked off. Start the defuse, and ensure that the defuser is smoked off so that they have an easier time defusing.
Best Agents to Pick on Sunset in Valorant and Why
Moving onto the best Agent picks for this map, we will take a look at the ones that have the most potential out of all and the ones who can fulfill their role to the best of their capabilities.
Duelists
- Raze: After the Jett Nerf, Raze has emerged as one of the best Duelists on any map. Her satchels can help her create space while her grenades and boombot can be lethal in terms of damage and information gathering respectively. Her Ultimate ability is really useful in retakes.
- Yoru: Yoru is one of the best Agents when it comes to faking site hits and gathering information. Plus, he will excel on the defensive side due to his ability to take a pick and get out quickly. His Ultimate is the best information-gathering tool any team can use to pivot whenever they want.
- Reyna: Despite her reduction in pick rate, Reyna can be a good Agent on this map if played well. Her leer can be used for retakes while both of her main abilities are essential for survival.
Sentinels
- Cypher: Playing Cypher on this map can have advantages beyond measure because you can have multiple setups which can get you easy kills and catch the enemies off guard. He is also a great option because of his ability to watch flanks and gather info through the Spy Cam.
- Killjoy: Killjoy is never a bad choice on any map. She is made for defensive and post-plant situations. Her utility can be useful for information gathering, watching flanks, and doing chip damage which can help weaken enemy ranks. Her Ultimate can be used for retakes and taking control of sites.
Initiators
- Sova: Sova is one of the best information gatherers in the game. His utility is perfect for the attacker side since his Recons and Owl Drones can be used for info gathering while the Shock Darts put in work in post-plant situations. His Ultimate can be used for delaying enemy defuses or gaining an advantage in numbers.
- Kayo: Suppressing enemy abilities is Kayo’s job. His Ultimate is the best for retakes and his kit in general is made to assist his team.
Controllers
- Viper: Despite being nerfed quite heavily in the past, Viper is still a good choice for a Controller. Her wall can help her sneak onto sites unnoticed while her Smoke Orb combined with Snake Bites can make for lethal post-plant utility. Her Ultimate is perfect for holding down a Site or for post-plant.
- Omen: Omen is an underrated pick that is overlooked by most. His utility is good when you want to be aggressive. His Ultimate can be useful as a pivoting tool.
Tips to Remember When Playing Sunset in Valorant
Here are some tips and tricks you should remember while playing Sunset in Valorant.
- Use Vents and other Off-angles to get an advantage over your enemies. Jump on boxes for elevation and take down enemies using that height.
- Lurk often. Lurking can help you sneak into enemy territory without having to expose yourself to enemies. It can help you flank enemies and get easy kills.
- Learn lineups. They can be a game-changer and can help in securing rounds if your team has lost control of the site.
- Play with your teammates. This is the most important team. Lurking is good if it’s a strategy but if you are purposely straying away from your team, it can lead to disaster.
That is all you need to know about the Sunset map in Valorant. For more Valorant content and news, click here and stay tuned to The SportsRush.
