Is pushing sites with all five players not working as expected? Or maybe faking an execute on one site and then going to another site isn’t really fazing the other team? Maybe it’s time to try defaulting! This guide will show you exactly how to default on each map and how to gain more map control with this one simple strategy.
“Let’s default” is a saying that many VALORANT players will encounter within their games. Either your previous strategies and tactics may not have been working quite as planned, or your team just wants to give it a try! But you may be asking, what is a default? A default, or defaulting, is an attack-sided strategy where a team splits up their five players onto certain key areas around the map. The key areas will include certain entry points to the various bombsites, as well as areas that can lead to the enemy’s flank if the default goes as planned.
The main idea of defaulting is to try and get kills around the map to gain map control, so that the sites will eventually clear up. On each map, there will be at least one player walking towards each site either alone, or with a partner, while the rest of the team will be working the other key points of the map. Once the attacking team gets a kill on or near one of the sites, the enemy team will assume that it is time to rotate to that site because their teammate has been killed. However, what they don’t know is that there are a number of attackers ready to lurk into the site that they had just left.
Defaulting will look different on every map, mostly because each map has a different layout with many different features, as well as one special feature that no other map has. Defaulting will also look different for every game, as there will most likely be a different selection of agents in your games than the agents I chose for my examples!
On a map with a simpler layout like Bind, it can be fairly easy to default, mainly because there are only four different entry points on the map: two for each site. But keep in mind, since there are only four entry points, that will make it easier for the defending team to keep an eye out for attackers lurking around the map. The teleporters can also make a big difference by allowing players to quickly rotate to another site. For instance, if an attacker’s teammate gets a kill onto an enemy player defending a certain site, the attackers can all regroup after by taking the teleporter leading to the other site.
On Haven, having three different sites where the spike can be planted is a huge advantage for the attackers. Having three sites, instead of the usual two sites, spreads the defending team thin to protect every site. For example, this is how a typical defensive layout would look like for the defending team:
Did you notice how it is an even matchup on all three sites? When defaulting, each site or key area has an equal number of attackers and defenders. This means that once an attacker gets a kill, they will be at a huge advantage to take that site.
Now, you may be wondering, why not just push a site with five people if that will always put you at an advantage? While that is very true, it can be much more impactful if it was just one or two players pushing each site. This is because if the defenders notice that it was only one or two players that killed a defender, the defenders will know to stay put on their respective sites to defend against a lurker who will eventually be pushing up to their site. Or even better, the defenders will leave their respective sites because they assume that the entire team of attackers is pushing the site that the defender was killed on. The attackers can then take advantage of this by pushing the empty site that the defenders had just left. Whereas if the attacking team pushed a site with all five players, the defending team would notice and would all rotate to the site being pushed, making it a 5v5.
On Split, taking Mid control is extremely valuable for the attacking team. Almost every round, there will be some gunfire located in Mid because of how vital this spot is. As a result, having at least two players Mid on a default round is key. As you can see on the previous image of the map, Mid leads to two different pathways, Vents or B Tower, which leads to A Tower and then A Site or B Tower and then B Site, respectively. Say one of your teammates pushes up onto the A Site, and you’re Mid. Having Mid control allows you to push through Vents and then quietly walk into A Tower to help out your team on site. This shows how important Mid is, as it is essentially the heart of the map.
Ascent is in the same boat as Split. Both maps are heavily Mid-oriented because it leads to both sites. Two players can walk up Mid and either wait for the players B Lobby or A Main to get a kill, or also initiate the fights in Market or Tree. Getting a kill Market would help the attackers lean towards the B Site unless the defenders are already rotating towards the B Site. On the other hand, getting a kill in Tree would allow the players A Main to push onto the A Site. Once a player gets a kill, this is how the rest of the players should react depending on where the kill took place.
On Icebox, there are many different ways to catch the enemy off-guard. One of the most impactful ways of doing this is by having one player walk through B Tube, and into Kitchen. Kitchen is a key area of Icebox, as it leads to either the B Site, or the defenders’ spawn. If you want to go for a fake, be sure that the two players walking up onto A Site are making as much noise as they can to sell it, while the player at B Garage is walking up into the B Site, taking control of the site. Once the site is clear and the spike is planted on B, there are also multiple ways for the attackers to flank those who are trying to retake the site. This is what the map could possibly look like once the bomb is planted, and after a successful default:
As you can see, the Raze who was faking the A push with Sova in the previous image, decided to go under B Tube, with the hopes of catching the enemy off-guard while they are trying to defuse the spike. The Sage that was walking up B Tube, is walking through Kitchen, with the same goal as the Raze on her team, flanking the enemy.
Breeze can be viewed similarly to Icebox, Ascent, and Split in a few aspects. The map can be compared to Ascent and Split in the way that the middle area of Breeze is very important and can lead to many different areas of the map. It is also similar to Icebox in how it can be fairly simple to sneak into the enemy’s backlines, as well as the defending team’s spawn. The map image above shows two players walking Mid, waiting for one of their teammates to initiate a fight. Once a player gets a kill, this is how the players Mid should react depending on where the kill took place.
Fracture is the most recent addition to the map pool and has a very distinctive layout. As you may notice, the defenders spawn in the middle of Fracture, whereas on every other map the defenders spawn at the end of the map. With the zipline that goes from side to side, the attacking team has four different entry points they can work with, similar to Bind. While this makes defaulting easier for the attacking team, it also helps the defending team, as they only have a small amount of entry points they need to watch.
Once getting a kill on a defender playing on a site, your teammates must regroup to go to a site together, while you have the advantage in the number of players alive. But be careful, you must be fast, or else the defenders will rotate quickly because of the short distance on this map for a defender to switch sites. As for flanking on this map as an attacker, it’s not so easy as the defenders can only be flanked through their spawn.
The game of VALORANT involves a plethora of strategies and playcalling, and defaulting is a great option to turn to when your strategies are not working quite as planned. Defaulting specializes in covering all the key areas on a map while attacking and gaining map control while still playing safe. Although it may take a few rounds to adapt and overcome the enemy’s tactics, try switching it up and experimenting with a default strategy, and it just might be the play that turns the tide around and helps you win the game. Good luck and, most importantly, be sure to have fun!
