A Breakdown of Bind: Angles, Map Layouts, and Best Agent Compositions
In this breakdown, let's take a look at Bind's overall layout, its unique mechanics and the agents that shine the brighest on the map.
Perhaps the most straightforward of VALORANT’s 3 maps, Bind is all about executing the perfect push. Whereas maps like Split and Haven focus more on your team’s ability to rotate and adapt, Bind will inevitably force your team’s hand on offense and defense in the most simplistic way.
As a result of the map’s limited options when it comes to pushing, there’s really only going to be a few options on the table each round. Mainly, there’s only two routes of entry per site when you’re attacking, and on defense, the angles where you can hold down a site are just as limited. With this in mind, it’s pretty clear that Bind is a defensively-oriented map.
On any given occasion, the offensive team will be forced into pushing through a shortlist of routes, and from there, the built-in nature of the map will often discourage players from rotating. In this overview, we’ll break down all the points of interest on Bind, and what makes the map stand out for better or for worse.
Map Overview
As a whole, Bind can easily be picked out of a lineup as a more traditional tactical shooter map. With an extremely clear-cut layout and a few options scattered throughout the map in terms of strategy, Bind closely resembles a simplistic model of what a basic map should look like.
Additionally, when you consider that entry strategies for each site are broken down into two options at most (Bathrooms and Short for A-Site, and Hookah and Long for B-Site), it’s quite clear that Bind is not going to be a map where option-focused delegation is as prominent as it is on maps like Haven and Split. In fact, what’s even more limiting to the overall layout of the map are the teleporters that serve as quick connections from A to B-site.
And while quick movement might be an advantage on paper, it’s important to remember that the teleporters make an incredibly loud noise whenever a player goes through it. When they’re used, the loud “whoosh” sound that they give off is practically a dead giveaway to any defending team that a player just rotated through the portal and is on their way to the site.
Attacking on Bind
As far as attacking on Bind goes, the teleporters (especially the one in the middle of the map) are crucial mechanics that, quite literally, the entire map revolves around. While its presence is pretty passive and its usage is quite destitute, the fact that it gives away almost any rotation - except for those through the compact passage surrounding mid - is a genuine detriment to the mechanic.
However, with this in mind, it will usually mean that rotations on Bind will often be lengthy and extended when compared to other maps. You’re not going to safely get from site to site in a matter of ten seconds like you can on Haven, per se.
More than anything, your pushes on Bind are going to come down to precise gunplay. Your knowledge of the game’s built-in mechanics, as well as the angles that the map has to offer, will be a large determining factor when it comes to your success.
The most important thing to remember on Bind is that because your options are so limited, and there’s only four entry points onto the sites, nearly every push that you’re going to make will be contested. This brings us back to the concept of gunplay, and why winning a gunfight is so important when attacking on Bind. In nearly every round - if not every round - A-site will be defended from Short and Bathrooms, while the defenders at B-Site will usually plant someone long and another player in Hookah or Mid. The fifth player will simply serve as a backup resource.
As far as pushing goes, you should most definitely try and send your full squad to a site when you’re making a push. “Lurkers” aren’t necessarily encouraged on Bind, as they’ll often be outnumbered when scouting out a site. Additionally, because the map is so heavily focused on gunplay and straight mechanics, the more people you have at a site, the better off you’ll be for a skirmish.
With all of this being said, it’s clear that playing offense on Bind is an uphill battle. You’ll need to carefully select your routes onto your site of choice, and when the moment of truth comes, your ability to win gunfights and play to the strengths of your weapon (and your character) carefully are going to turn the tide in your favor.
Defending on Bind
As for defense, things are a bit easier. The odds are already stacked in your favor and the map’s natural advantages such as corners and angles will swing your way almost every round. However, it’s still important to know that certain caveats of the map will need to be capitalized on in order to secure rounds.
Most importantly, you’re going to need to send someone to cover each of the attackers’ main entryways onto A-Site and B-Site. Fighting around Short and Mid will often result in some intense gunfights, while Bathrooms and Long tend to promote more of a waiting game. Regardless, as defenders, you should be prepared for anything by placing a player at each potential point of entry. The following diagram represents what a typical defensive setup on Bind should look like.
If a rotation is necessary, going through Mid serves as a viable option if you’re coming from either B-Site or A-Site, as you’ll get the flank on the attackers if they’re en route to planting the spike. Overall, defenders have more options at hand than attackers on Bind, as they can easily rotate and flank without needing to utilize the teleporters. Even with the lengthy rotations and vastness of the map in mind, defenders can still find their way into either site quite comfortably if they’re making a rotation, further enforcing the theory that Bind is a defense-sided map.
Building a Composition
Bind is a bit of an outlier in VALORANT when it comes to team compositions. Normally, maps like Haven and Split would demand that players build teams based around mechanics and fundamental pillars of the game like vision control, site defense, and sightline manipulation. However, while Bind does take a few of those elements into account, raw skill is going to be the most dominant and prevalent factor on this relatively straightforward map.
Since the only “standout feature” that the map can call its own is the presence of two teleporters, it’s hard to find characters that can take advantage of Bind’s layout. If anything, the thing that makes Bind stand out in terms of character selection is going to be its immense number of angles and corners that it has to offer in a similar vein to many of the maps in VALORANT. With this in mind, characters that can take advantage of these corners are going to excel on Bind. Namely, agents such as Sova, Breach, and Sage are going to be solid choices on both offense and defense, while other options are certainly flexible as well.
The following chart represents a tier list showing each agent on the VALORANT roster and how they stack up on Bind. Keep in mind that characters that can utilize the map’s angles and built-in advantages will find more success.
Like every map in VALORANT, the key to building a strong team composition lies in your team’s ability to combine both offensive and defensive elements effectively. While raw mechanical ability is going to obviously play a major factor, it’s also important to remember that certain agents will always fluctuate in and out of the meta. Utility and reconnaissance should be your top priorities when building a comp, so characters like Sage, Sova, and Cypher should immediately come to mind. More aggressive characters like Phoenix and Raze are also solid options for rounding out a team in need of a playmaking option.
However, at the end of the day, your ultimate goal when creating a team composition in VALORANT should be to find agents that work well together and ultimately create a balanced product that can do well in each stage of the game.
