One of the win conditions in VALORANT is to plant the spike and stop the enemy from defusing it at all costs, meaning it’s important to set your team up for success in the post-plant. This calls for smart bomb placement—something many players are not aware of yet.
In an effort to educate their fellow teammates, one VALORANT player took to Reddit on Sep. 4 with a simple message: “Stop planting safe.”
By “safe,” the aggrieved player is referring to the default planting spot on a VALORANT site. This is a very common spot on any site where attackers will plant the spike without thinking, simply because it’s the safest place with cover from multiple angles. It’s the easiest place to get the bomb down without dying, but it may hurt your team in the long run.
Think about it—if you plant the bomb in a place that’s safest, it’s also technically the safest spot for the enemy to defuse, unless your team has enough lineups to keep them off the bomb.
So, to make everyone’s life easier during the post-plant, it’s best to plant the bomb out in the open if the site is clear and you aren’t at risk of dying. This will expose the enemy to multiple angles when they go in to defuse, and they won’t know where to look. Naturally, your team will have the advantage since you’ll know where the enemy is when they tap the bomb, but they won’t always know where your team is shooting from.
Still, it’s important to keep in mind there are certain situations where this advice might not apply. For example, if your team can’t get site control when time is running out, your best bet is to plant default, where it’s safe.
It’ll make the post-plant harder, but now you at least force your VALORANT enemy into a position where they need to defuse the bomb to win.
Whatever the situation, the most important thing is to simply be aware of how the placement of the spike can make or break the round.
If you’re always planting default, consider switching it up when the coast is clear to make it harder on the enemy team. Think about where your teammates are positioned, and whether or not they’ll be able to see or spam the bomb from where they are.
By keeping all of this in mind, you’re sure to win a lot more post-plants.
