Riot disables VALORANT map after players discover a gamebreaking boost exploit

The map is out of the pool until Riot finds a fix.

Cypher up-close-shot in VALORANT.
Image via Riot Games

Riot Games has immediately disabled Split today after it was discovered agents can reach an incredibly powerful location near A bombsite. The VALORANT map was set to feature in Premier matchmaking this week, but has been replaced by Ascent.

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The VALORANT team made the announcement on April 23, noting the Split boost was one of two unintended bugs that was just recently identified, with the second being a Cypher Tripwire glitch that showed his traps on teammates’ minimaps even after death. Riot confirmed fixes for both the Split boost and the Cypher trick would ship with VALORANT Patch 8.08, and while Cypher’s Tripwire bug isn’t all that gamebreaking, the Split boost certainly is. “We will be removing Split from the Competitive, Unrated, Premier, Swiftplay, and Spike Rush map pools,” Riot said in a short statement on X (formerly Twitter).

Overhead view of VALORANT's Split.
Split won’t be available until Patch 8.08. Image via Riot Games

It is possible for certain agents, such as Jett and Raze, to leap from Rafters near the A site up to a wall immediately to the right as attackers enter the VALORANT bombsite. This structure is incredibly tall and normally has a sheer face, but a small edge of geometry not too dissimilar to a “pixel walk” allows players to stand and fire from.

Given its position, attackers wanting to hit the bombsite from Main will be at a major disadvantage if trying to deal with that angle, and should they take the bombsite, it’s then easy for a player to hold a post-plant from the same position.

A Jett stands in an overpowered boost spot on Split in VALORANT.
You can see straight back toward attacker spawn from here. Image via u/mr_kaatjes on Reddit

VALORANT patch 8.08 isn’t expected for another fortnight at least but with the emergency removal of Split due to this boost bug, we may see the patch brought forward earlier once Riot has fixes for both glitches.

Author
Image of Nicholas Taifalos
Nicholas Taifalos
Weekend editor for Dot Esports. Nick, better known as Taffy, began his esports career in commentary, switching to journalism with a focus on Oceanic esports, particularly Counter-Strike and Dota. Email: nicholas@dotesports.com