Valorant Ascent Lore: The Story Behind the Map

Riot Games throughout time has added a lot of elements describing the Valorant lore and story by now. But the very beginning of the Valorant lore has to start from Ascent.

The first cinematic that got released for the launch of Valorant was the DUELISTS cinematic. And that already depicted where Valorant's lore would continue. So let's go ahead and see the Ascent lore - Valorant!

Where is Valorant Ascent Located in Real Life?

Ascent like the other maps has its real-life location in our world. And the real-life location for Ascent is in Venice, Italy. This is known because of the coordinates being given to us on the loading screen when we enter a match of Ascent. The coordinates are "45°25'51.1"N 12°20'05.3"E". These coordinates lead directly to the Santa Maria Della Salute basilica.

This Valorant map isn't any different in gameplay than the rest of the maps. It has an A-site and B-site with a wide Mid-section. The interesting part is how Mid's connected from all sides through Mid-Top, Mid-Cubby, Mid-Bottom, and Mid-Link allowing chances for flanks and rotations to occur. The special gimmick for Ascent though has to be the lever doors that close off the sections above.

Now that we've got a more technical insight into what Ascent is, it's time to jump into the lore behind the map!

What is the Valorant Ascent Lore and Story?

The story introduction from the launch of the Valorant game started on Ascent with the DUELISTS cinematic. In it, we can see the Valorant agents Phoenix and Jett battle it out for an item in a backpack on the streets of Venice. In the battle, Phoenix loses and is brought back by his ultimate ability. But what he comes to see is a floating city in the sky.

As we've come to terms with the official Valorant lore and story, the Jett in that cinematic comes from Mirror Earth, while Phoenix is from our Valorant world. Jett was carrying the spike, which she then used to steal Radianite on Ascent. So Phoenix was sent on a mission from the VALORANT Protocol to stop her but didn't succeed. The spike went off and made a part of Venice, Ascent float in the air. We can even hear Sage ask Phoenix if he retrieved "the package", which is the spike.

First off we'll see A-site. From it, we can conclude which part exactly of Venice has floated in the air as the big building outside the boundaries of the map is reminiscent of the Santa Maria Della Salute basilica. This can even be seen from the coordinates above. But high above the building, a source of energy can be noticed which is presumably Radianite as an after-effect of the destruction the Mirror Earth Jett caused.

Another thing worth mentioning is the Kingdom corporation, as they've had influence over any location on Earth that has Radianite. On A-site, this resemblance can be noticed through details such as the advanced technology like the on-site generator, the Kingdom logo being splattered, and such. Though as we move from the defending site towards site B, Kingdom's involvement can be less noticed.

B-site appears to be with more traditional architecture and less modern objects and materials. Yet the Radianite resemblance is still there as B-site is still cramped up with Radianite crates. Because of this, it seems that someone used this area to store Radinaite. So B-site came with the same casualties as above: a flying building with a rift of energy source coming out of it.

Because of the site B Radianite rift, some have speculated that there were 2 spikes planted to steal Radianite alongside the A-site rift we saw above. Maybe the VALORANT Protocol couldn't stop both culprits, or they didn't detect the second one. Though we'll leave that up to you to decide while you think which is the best Phantom skin!

Now, this was the first map where players got confused with Jett until we got to know of parallel universes and that Mirror Earth existed. That's because, in the Valorant lore, Jett and Phoenix are best friends. But enough with the agents and Radianite, and let's see what all the details of Ascent hold for us!

Valorant Ascent Lore Story: Map Details

Before Ascent was blown out of the world, it's only logical that people were still living there. Firstly, lots of stores can be noticed around for general goods for the people. These can range from a vinery to the famous Gelato shop in A-Lobby.

One thing that's always been a famous part of Venice is the rivers with boats. B-site is actually reserved for that, as it's basically a workshop for making boats. On the desk where you can open and close the door, you could even see a boat in the making! You can also see some boats for transportation or in construction in the on-site boat house.

There are also lots of details indicating Kingdom's evil presence on Ascent, like propaganda posters with rats. And on A-site atop the surrounding buildings canons can be noticed pointing at the Radianite rift, presumably installed by Kingdom. These cannons have cables connected to the on-site generator we mentioned above which probably powers them on.

While Kingdom has taken measures for this issue, a crucial detail left behind by them is the posters advertising the flying islands. Another floating island that we know of is the Practice Range. Kingdom may be advertising this tragedy that caused Venice to float for personal profits and gains.

And that's it for the Ascent Valorant lore and story. Riot Games started everything here, and it's wonderful to see how far everything has come down to Pearl's lore. But we still don't know what Riot Games has planned for us in the future. So while you wait, make sure to visit the TheGlobalGaming YouTube channel for more Valorant story content!