Pearl is the one of the ten playable maps in VALORANT. It is set in an underwater Geodome in Lisbon, Portugal, and is the first map to be set on Ω-Earth.
Attackers push down into the Defenders on this two-site map set in a vibrant, underwater city. Pearl is a geo-driven map with no mechanics. Take the fight through a compact mid or the longer range wings in our first map set in Omega Earth.
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Lore[]
Located in Lisbon, Portugal, Pearl is the very first map on OMEGA-Earth. In this version of Lisbon, much of the city has been flooded as a result of rapidly rising waves caused by OMEGA's climate crisis. However, the entirety of the city has not been lost - Kingdom Industries, using Radianite procured by the VALORANT LEGION (Omega Earth's counterpart of the VALORANT PROTOCOL), encased some areas of Lisbon in a radianite-infused polycarbonate dome that protects it from the water.
In the events of the SHATTERED cinematic, ALPHA's VALORANT PROTOCOL took the portal from their Earth and ended up beneath the comic shop in Defenders' Spawn. From this cinematic it is learned that the radianite in-use at Pearl is for fueling a life-support system for the city, and for its reality stabilization.
It is important to note that, on Omega Earth, the VALORANT LEGION is not a secretive shadow organization like the PROTOCOL on Alpha - instead, they are public icons, worshiped the world over as heroes who fight to protect it. The public in Omega is also definitively aware of the existence of multiple universes.
From Aurora Pontes' Email about the Geodome, and from an announcement that plays when near Attacker Spawn, it is known that the Geodome can be lowered down at times. Aurora's comment on how this is affected by 'tidal forecasts' implies that the tides have a much more prominent effect on Ω-Earth than on Alpha.
Keeping in line with this, many official mentions of the rising water level is referred to as the 'rising tide' - for example, an announcement (transcribed below) audible in the Garden of Heroes (see below). While this is nothing definitive, the heavil implication that the submerging of Pearl was caused in large part by the tides and not just rising water levels suggests that the tides have a much greater influence on Omega Earth than on Alpha.
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Visite no Jardim dos Heróis o memorial da espada e do escudo, dedicado àquela que conteve a maré e que serviu de inspiração para a cúpula que agora nos protege a todos.
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Visit the Sword and Shield memorial in the Garden of Heroes, dedicated to the One who held back the tide and inspired the dome that now protects us all.
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— Announcement played near the Garden of Heroes[1]
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Remnants of Ω-Lisbon[]
Despite it's abandoned-seeming appearance, Pearl is definitely a living, breathing city[2][3]. At the moment that the Agents explore it, evacuation protocols are in place (perhaps to ensure that civilians don't get harmed in the fighting). Importantly, the dome that the map is set in is only one small section of the city - in the distance, we can see at least two more domes connected via a railway network.
The ruins of Lisbon outside the Geodome
The 'main' Geodome (with 'main' being a purely relative term) comprises of 5 major islands interspersed around, with the map set in the one at the center. The islands are separated by bodies of water. Unlike the vast ocean beyond, the water in the dome isn't seawater - it is desalinated, and fit to use for agricultural purposes, with the various rings present in the water being Hydroponics stations[4]. The fact that seafood is common in the local restaurants also implies that the water is used for fishing.
When looking out in the distant ocean from B Site, one can see the crumbling ruins that remain of the old city of Lisbon. Harbor identifies the visible castle outside of the dome as a priceless monument dating back to 48 BC. The decisions made on which parts of the city to save were primarily based on saving human lives[5], which could have been why such important monuments were left to be submerged.
The structure of the underwater city seems to be divided into various 'districts', with 'Pearl District' being the name of the one in which the map is set. Whether a 'district' refers to the different Geodomes that shelter the city, the individual islands within the geodome, or something else entirely is unclear (although it is thought to be the first of the three).
This system of division in the city was first introduced in the posters advertising the Multiverse Museum (see B Site below), and was reaffirmed later in the Pearl District playercards released in the Episode 5: Act 2 Battlepass.
The Pearl District: Sanctuary card shows a representation of some of the murals seen at Pearl, which can be found in Mid near Mid Doors.
The Pearl District: Seascape card shows a representation of some of the murals seen at Pearl, which can be found over O Cetáceo (the store selling diving equipment) in Mid Shops.
K-IND's work restoring part of Pearl
Aside from the danger from the ocean water, Pearl is also plagued by a breakdown of reality. Down A Restaurant can be seen a segment blocked off by K-IND construction screens. Above and beyond these screens rise a series of arched columns, the tops of which are breaking off and floating by means of a light-purple electric energy. The barriers covering these areas note the site as part of a "Reality Restoration Project", and advise citizens to keep a safe distance from the work.
Announcements[]
Similar to Fracture, a prominent feature of Pearl's narrative delivery are announcements that play intermittently at various locations across the map. These announcements are in the city's native language, Portuguese. A complete list of all the announcements, along with their translations, has been made by Kingdom Archives. You can find it here.
As of Episode 5 Act 1, there are 5 different locations in which these may play, each with their separate and unique pool of announcements. These are:
- The Garden of Heroes (near Defender Spawn)
- The Multiverse Museum (in B Site)
- The Metro Station (in B Ramp)
- The Aquarium Arena (near Attacker Spawn)
- The Reality Restoration Project (in A Main)
Layout and Design[]
Attacker Spawn[]
Attacker spawn is a large, mostly empty courtyard that leads to a large amphitheater, named the 'Aquarium Arena'. The path to it goes through an arch set in a decorative wall, which is chained off and inaccessible without Ghost mode. The wall that blocks the two areas is plain and grey, adorned with a couple posters advertising the Multiverse Museum's Alpha Earth Exhibit (see below for more information about the Museum and posters)
The Aquarium Arena itself is large and mostly empty, comprising of a series of seats and steps steadily leading downwards towards a central stage at the back. The structure is plain and somber, keeping in line with the architecture of the rest of the city, with the outer ring decorated with greenery, benches, and some columns. During major VCT tournaments, the amphitheater was completely redecorated to help build hype.
Possibly the most important structure in Attacker Spawn is a small shack on the right side, with closed doors and shuttered windows. Peering through the gap in one of the shutters reveals inside to be a Teleportal - the one which the Alpha Agents use to get onto Omega Earth.
How the portal stays undetected by the VALORANT LEGION remains a mystery. The walls and poorly-shuttered windows by themselves aren't nearly enough to keep the portal a secret from the LEGION. It is, however, unlikely that something of such great strategic importance to the PROTOCOL would be left completely unguarded.
A Site[]
A is the smaller of the two sites on Pearl. Leading into A Site from Attackers' Spawn through A Restaurant (so named for its featured restaurant, Peixe à Mesa [Fish at the Table]) is a corridor flanked by Kingdom Industries construction barriers. Printed across these barriers is "Kingdom - Restauramos a sua realidade." [Kingdom - Restoring your reality].
Above these barriers is a crumbling series of arches of an old cathedral, remnants of what was once a prominent historical site. The monument is facing a breakdown of reality itself, resulting in dangerous destabilization and physical damage to the environment. White matter is present around the pillars, similar to the tears and gashes over the sky in Ascent#A Site, or around the suit of armor in Icebox#Samurai Armor On Display - After Yoru.
Aside from the damage to a historical structure, the reality destabilization is also a major risk to anyone in the area, with workers being required to stay within 3 meters of designated locations for safety. The works on the Project are also a significant drain on the city's Radianite[6], with shortage of the precious resource causing several delays in completion[1].
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Aviso: Está a entrar numa zona com registos de perturbações à realidade. Preste atenção ao que o rodeia.
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Warning: You are entering an area with records of disturbances to reality. Pay attention to your surroundings.
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— Announcement played near the Reality Restoration Project[1]
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The site itself sits is a small open area, with a coffee stand called the "Pérola Café" and a vending machine offering Spike Rush drinks in the center. Just behind this stand is a locked door, with the logo of ATLAS (an organization on Omega Earth).
Unlike many of the maps taking place in ALPHA, the Radianite the detonation of the Spike is intended to steal is not immediately apparent. However, going around back through the 'A Secret' area reveals two small windows through which boxes of orange and green radianite can be seen. Based on this location, it appears the radianite is being stored and held by ATLAS, making them a significant security force positioned in Pearl.
In A Link, one can find a newspaper stand titled 'K-IND: Undercurrent'. There are two newspapers found on it, each with articles containing information about the current happenings on Omega Earth.
- 'Local Notícias' [Local News] has a snippet from the Yellow on Rails playercard as it's headline, along with images of Oran McEneff and Rúben Pontes - likely a story about how the two of them escaped to Omega Earth, marking them as wanted criminals.
- 'World Watch' has a small picture of Fade in the bottom-left corner, possibly in reference to her early reconnaissance of Omega Earth prior to the main missions (Fade discussed this recon mission in a Voicemail sent to Brimstone, audible in Brimstone's Office in Patch 4.09)
The Yellow on Rails card shows one of the public transport trams used in Lisbon, in one of the many underwater tunnels around Pearl. Notably, we can see Rúben Pontes and Oran McEneff in the tram. This card is a teaser for Pearl.
Aside from the more lore-relevant content in these newspapers, there are also mentions of skins. For example, a part of the Lycan's Bane playercard can be seen in the 'Local Notícias' paper, and a banner from the Doodle Buds skin line can be found on 'World Watch', which pushes towards these skins potentially having canonical implications.
Mid[]
At the heart of Mid is a large white statue holding up an enormous, stylistic pearl that is the origin of the map's name. The statue itself was built by K-IND, in is named the 'Statue of Kingdom' in their honor[7]. Beyond aesthetic beauty, it also encases air purifiers for the city[8]. It is because of these purifiers that one sees a trail of air around the statue, and can hear a faint hum when around the it.
The statue is also symbolic of the role that Kingdom Industries plays for the city[9] (and the rest of Omega Earth in general[10]) - literally, holding the city afloat. Aside from building the dome that covers the city and lets it survive, K-IND has also taken up an almost-'governmental' role is Lisbon.
In the back of Mid, towards B Site in 'Mid Connector' is the residence of R. Pontes, or Rúben Pontes, who was one of the scientists working at Fracture before its destruction. The door of the residence is covered by police tape, and links to an investigation of Rúben and Oran as seen in wanted posters in 'B Main' (see below).
in 'Mid Shops' connecting Mid to B Main, the shop Onze can be seen. It sells sports gear, primarily for football, with the name 'Onze' (the Portuguese word for '11') most likely being in reference to the number of players in a Football team.
Proudly sitting on the shop windowsill, on the bottom right corner, is a golden trophy with the words '1st Place' at the base, along with an image of a young girl holding it up. It is assumed that this image is of Aurora Pontes, niece of Rúben Pontes.
B Site[]
B Main[]
Leading up to B Site, near B Ramp, is a small metro station that serves as the island's primary means of external transport. From the announcements that play near it, it is implied that these trains carry passengers up to the surface as well as serving as transport between the domes of the city - thanks to which they are also used for fast evacuation of the city in an emergency[11].
Portuguese
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O vaivém com ligação à superfície aproxima-se à plataforma 1. Os passageiros sensíveis a alterações de pressão barométrica poderão sentir algum desconforto durante a subida.
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The surface-connected shuttle is approaching platform 1. Passengers sensitive to changes in barometric pressure may experience some discomfort during ascent.
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— Announcement played near the Metro station[1]
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Interestingly, the railway network doesn't actually connect to all of the 5 islands inside the dome, only the central one on which the map is set. The rest of the islands have small docks, possibly indicating that the citizens use a system of ferries or boats for transport between the multiple islands. How this affects the usability of the railways as a rapid evacuation system remains unclear.
Outside the Multiverse Museum is a small building labeled with the ATLAS logo. By the building's door is a pair of posters for Oran McEneff and Rúben Pontes, two scientists who had a prominent role at Fracture. According to the posters, Oran is wanted for being an Illegal Alien from ALPHA, while Rúben is wanted for "harboring a fugitive", and is labeled as a "dangerous person". That Rúben is wanted likely what prompts the announcement for his niece, Aurora Pontes, to be asked to "go to the reception desk in order to retrieve a lost object"[1] at the Multiverse Museum.
Multiverse Museum[]
The main feature of B Site is the "Museu do Multiverso" [Multiverse Museum]. In and around the site itself are several posters written in Portuguese. Some of them are clearly geared towards the visitors of the Multiverse Museum, and have generally positive quotes about Omega's exploration of other universes. Others, however, have similar messages to the various 'motivational' posters in the Omega sector of Fracture - laying a heavy emphasis on work and secrecy.
Support our Heroes
High Risks
Keep it Safe
In front of the museum, one can see two boxes of Radianite. Unlike ALPHA, OMEGA's Radianite is orange. This was first seen at Fracture's A Site, and now again at Pearl, impling some degree of difference between the Radianite used in OMEGA and that used in ALPHA (see the Radianite page for more information). These boxes also have a different pattern on their sides, more curved and natural than Alpha's sharp straight lines.
Through B Hall can be seen a glimpse into the museum itself. Along the back-most wall rises an orange chart that depicts a timeline of symbols, numbered 1 through 15. Some of the events shown are more interpretive than others, such as image 4 that shows two hands with a ball of fire above them that is often taken to signal the emergence of Radiance after First Light. Other symbols, meanwhile, have a more clear purpose, such as 10 showing the formation of ATLAS.
Across from this mural lies another important element of OMEGA's history: their exploration of other worlds[12]. Behind glass cases are what appear to be a full-body suit similar to ones an astronaut would use to explore space, a small-scale version of an inter-dimensional portal, a shard of unprocessed radianite, a pair of gloves, and a backpack. For the radianite, it appears to be the signature blue-green of ALPHA's radianite, making it possible for this sample to have come from an exploration of ALPHA.
B Tunnel and Defender Side Records[]
Moving towards Defender Spawn, inside B Tunnel is a closed entrance to a structure marked 'KINGDOM/Centre de Dados' (translating to KINGDOM/Data Center). The logo at the bottom of the text is the same one that is seen in the SHATTERED cinematic, implying that beyond lies the same place which Neon, Reyna and Killjoy explored in it.
In Defender Side Records (so named because of the Vortice Records shop), which connects Defender Spawn to B Site, one can also find a set of three posters advertising the museum. These were updated to have new posters hyping VCT during major tournaments.
The subjects of the three posters are, in order: 'Radianite - Future or Threat?', 'History of First Light', and 'Alphaverse Exhibition'. Each poster also has a diagrammatic representation of their content, with the shapes drawn from a single continuous line. Below the main title, all the posters have the same body text. The third poster, which speaks of an Exhibition dedicated to Alpha Earth, can also be found in Attacker Spawn.
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Venha nos visitar no distrito de pérolas
Grátis para moradores Patrocinado por KINGDOM INDUSTRIES |
Come visit us at Pearl District
Free for residents Sponsored by KINGDOM INDUSTRIES |
Defender Spawn[]
Defender Spawn features two prominent landmarks. The first is the Garden of Heroes, an open courtyard dedicated to the VALORANT LEGION, located directly behind the defending team when they spawn. It features large triangular fountain, surrounded by grey statues of four Agents: Sage, Omen, Phoenix, and Jett.
The garden also has a series of unique announcements that play when near it[1], further emphasizing it's importance. Out of these, each of Agents who has a statue in the garden also has a special announcement dedicated to themselves.
According to the announcements, the garden was created "in honor of the heroes who saved [their] city, and continue to protect [their] world from the threat of ALPHA Earth". This element pushes a significant portion of Pearl's narrative in which OMEGA Earth has set up to their citizens that ALPHA is a major threat to their world, despite the fact that Pearl is the first instance of ALPHA Agents coming to OMEGA.
All the statues in the Garden of Heroes are referred to as 'Memorials' in their announcements. While the term 'Memorial' has become commonly associated with remembering someone who died, that is not always the case (memorials can be made in remembrance of living people, or important events), and in this situation highly unlikely. We already know that Ω-Phoenix was still alive after the building of the dome[13], and there is no reason to speculate that the other three aren't.
All of the Agents who are featured in the garden are Radiants[14], and moreover, are the first four Radiants to join VALORANT. This, coupled with an announcement played in the Aquarium Arena outside Attacker Spawn that talks about a celebration dedicated to Radiance, suggests that Omega Earth has a very different attitude towards Radiants than Alpha.
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OEntre no aquário para o evento de 'Radiância Revelada', uma celebração de dois dias de tudo que é Radiante, de música a gastronomia e arte. Será um fim de semana que não se esquecerá tão cedo.
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Enter the aquarium for the event of 'Radiance Revealed', a two-day celebration of everything Radiant, from music to food and art. It will be a weekend that you won't forget soon.
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— Announcement played near the Aquarium Arena[1]
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In the battlepass of Episode 5: Act 2, we got the Garden of Heroes card series, a set of four cards dedicated to the Agents featured in the garden. The cards gave context to their actions, announcements, and the events for which they had statues erected in their honor.
Jett and Sage both played their part in holding off the oncoming waves, by pushing them back or blocking them altogether, giving the city vital time to allow the people to escape. Omen used his powers of teleportation to reach people stuck in inaccessible conditions, saving the lives of many. Phoenix served as a lighthouse for the distraught citizens of the drowning city, a (literal) 'Beacon of Hope' providing warmth and light, guiding those who gathered around him to safety.
The Garden of Heroes: Phoenix card shows Phoenix's part in protecting the city of Ω-Lisbon, by providing warmth and light to the citizens, and guiding them to safety.
The Garden of Heroes: Sage card shows Sage's part in protecting the city of Ω-Lisbon, by raising walls to hold back the oncoming tide.
The Garden of Heroes: Omen card shows Omen's part in protecting the city of Ω-Lisbon. He used his powers of teleportation to reach and rescue people who were all but swept away by the water
The Garden of Heroes: Jett card shows Jett's part in protecting the city of Ω-Lisbon, by summoning winds to push back the oncoming waters and making way for the citizens to escape.
Nothing speaks 'Heroism' quite like premium marketable merchandise
The second notable location in Defender Spawn is the Hi-Tide Comics shop. Inside the shop can be seen a variety of comics and merchandise, all centered around the VALORANT LEGION. These include figurines, cardboard cutouts, posters, signed comics, clothing, water bottles, and what could be a board game; all further emphasizing the Hero status that the VALORANT LEGION enjoys. The store was redecorated during major tournaments to be themed around VCT, complete with new posters and branded clothing.
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The first teasers for Pearl came in the emails at Fracture, specifically Aurora Pontes' email to her uncle, Rúben Pontes (visible in Defender Spawn in Patch 3.06). In it, Aurora speaks about her soccer achievements, stating that her team made the playoffs, concluding with a comment that they "might even get to open the geodome for the matches".
This was, so far, the first hint that we had gotten that the upcoming map would take place in a Geodome. Aurora saying that the tides had a role to play in determining whether or not the dome could be opened also implied that the map would be submerged, as least in part. The fact that Aurora was from Omega Earth also suggested that the next map would take place there as well.
Aside from a hint that the next map would contain a Geodome, the fact that Rúben's, Aurora's, and her School's names were all in Portuguese implied that the map would also be set in a location with a large Portuguese-speaking populace.
In Patch 3.07, another batch of emails were released, continuing the potential hints for a new map. One of these was from Oran McEneff to Rúben, meant as a follow-up to a recent discussion that they had had. Once again, there is a passing reference to a "city-wide geodome".
Later, on October 7th, Riot released the Controlled Ruptures: Making VALORANT's Fracture Article, describing the creative process that went into developing the 7th map of the game. After some insights into how Fracture was made, the article ended with a small hint on what to expect in the next map. This left us almost certain that the hints towards a Geodome-covered-city were in reference to a future map.
"As for what comes next on 'Map 8', no spoilers, but you might find some clues in those Fracture emails. Hopefully they’re not lost in your spam folder."
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— Joe Lansford, Level Designer, Controlled Ruptures Dev Blog
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The Portal Project[]
Since the latter half of Episode 3, the VALORANT PROTOCOL had been focusing its efforts towards developing some way to traverse over to Omega Earth. Almost every major decision made by the PROTOCOL since then, such as recruiting Chamber and Neon, has been in some way connected to making progress on this portal.
The heavy emphasis on developing a bridge between Alpha and Omega that continued into Episode 4 made it ever more likely that the next map would take place somewhere on Omega Earth.
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There were several other hints towards Pearl that took place before the portal was completed, being presented over more than 2 months through various media.
The earliest of these hints came in November 2021, during the RiotXArcane event meant to build up hype for the series. In the Arcane Visual Novel, if one looked carefully at a support beam in Killjoy's lab, one could find a set of coordinates: "38º 42' 5.4" N 9º 8' 24.19" W". These were found to lead to Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal, and the city in which Pearl is set in.
The next major hint came with the release of the WARM UP cinematic, on 10th January 2022. The cinematic showed the Agents in a more casual light, spending time together in the VPHQ common rooms. At multiple instances in the cinematic, one could see a blue map of Lisbon placed on the back wall. This was another hint towards Pearl being set in Lisbon.
After this, throughout Episode 4, the development of the α-Ω portal continued. Aside from a short break to handle the threat posed by Fade's Blackmail attack, the work on the teleportal went on without interruption. After several setbacks and failures, Killjoy and Neon ultimately managed to get the portal working right before the end of the episode.
Fade was the first Agent through, sent in to survey the landing area and determine if it was suitable for a full mission. This test was a success, with the portal functioning perfectly, and Fade able to do some reconnaissance of the area. For more details, see the Voicemail she sent to Brimstone discussing this.
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The next teaser for Pearl was the Yellow on Rails card, obtainable at tier 50 of the Episode 4: Act 3 battlepass.
The Yellow on Rails card shows one of the public transport trams used in Lisbon, in one of the many underwater tunnels around Pearl. Notably, we can see Rúben Pontes and Oran McEneff in the tram. This card is a teaser for Pearl.
The last in-game teasers for Pearl came in the Voicemails in Brimstone's Office, during Patch 4.11 (the last patch before Pearl launched). Both of these voicemails, sent by Sova and KAY/O respectively, summarized a recent mission intended to scout out α-Earth's Lisbon. If it was not clear enough already, these voicemails confirmed beyond any reasonable doubt that the next map would take place on Pearl.
Commander! I return with good news. A rarity these days, but no less welcome. My mission to α-Lisbon was a success by two measures: First, Killjoy's invention worked without incident! The Dimensional Radiometer can calculate the α-Ω Mesh with a 2% margin of error. Extraordinary... or so I am told. Killjoy ran off shouting before I was given a better explanation [laughs].
Second, the readings confirm our projections: the Radianite fabric on our side is strong. There is no imminent danger of Omega breaching to this location. We can relocate our defenses to more vulnerable sites. I would suggest S-43, but that is a contentious point at best. I look forward to my next assignment. Until then.
Brimstone! The team is heading back from Portugal. We scouted every inch of the city, down to the last brick. If the layout here on Alpha matches what's in Omega, we'll feel right at home. Now, you just need to find that Radianite. The scouting brief you sent was good... it's smart sending Killjoy and Neon: they know the portal best. If anything goes wrong during the mission, they'll solve it. See you in a few hours.
Social Media Campaign[]
The final section of Pearl's teasers came, as with most other new content, in the form of a series of social media posts starting on June 8th, 2022, all of which were on the @PlayVALORANT twitter account. However, hints towards Pearl were also dropped in various twitter posts before that date as well.
Aquarium Week[]
On May 23rd, the @PlayVALORANT twitter account announced 'Aquarium Week', a set of four posts[15] to hype up the upcoming Neptune Bundle. Of these, the first and last had notable hints towards Pearl as well.
The first post showed three children at an aquarium, staring at a large collection of marine life through the glass. This included several small fish, a turtle, some jellyfish, and at the center of it all a Giant Octopus themed around Omen (a reference to the "Omen is an Octopus" theory).
In the lower-left section of the image, partially hidden by the plant life, is a single oyster opened to exhibit the pearl inside. However, it isn't a natural pearl, but rather the same stylistic pearl held up by the Statue of Kingdom (see above for more information).
The last post of the series once again showcased the Aquarium, this time from the inside. The centerpiece of the image is a logo for K-IND, half-submerged into the sandy floor. Once again, we see the oyster in the corner, with the same stylistic pearl from the Statue of Kingdom at Mid inside.
There’s lots to discover under the water – it can almost feel like an entirely different world.
Até logo [See you soon]. | ||
— @PlayVALORANT Twitter Post
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Main Social Media Campaign[]
The main body of the Pearl's Social Media Campaign started about a week after Aquarium week ended.
The Sanctuary Day Poster
The first post[16], released on 8th June, 2022, contained only a simple Oyster Emoji. It was a reference to the map's name, since pearls are found in oysters. It can also be interpreted as a reference to the city Pearl is set in, Lisbon, as seafood such as oysters is popular in the region.
The second post[17], released on 9th June, was an image of a poster in Portuguese. The poster shows a view of the city, taken from right behind the Statue of Kingdom (see above), showcasing the Geodome that encases it in its full grandeur. The stylistic pearl that the statue normally holds is now placed floating in the air, and the statue's design is altered such that it appears to reach out for the pearl.
The text on the poster reads:
Portuguese
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English
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DIA DO SANTUÁRIO
CELEBRA A NOSSA CIDADE A MARAVILHA DEBAIXO DAS ONDAS O SEU FUTURO ESTÁ SEGURO |
SANCTUARY DAY
CELEBRATE OUR CITY THE WONDER BENEATH THE WAVES YOUR FUTURE IS SAFE | |
— @PlayVALORANT Twitter post
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Here, 'Sanctuary Day' is probably a city-wide event, meant to celebrate the city itself - a marvel of engineering, providing shelter and cover (quite literally, 'sanctuary') for all the citizens of Lisbon, allowing them to continue living their lives despite the climate crisis that ravages their Earth.
The vital, borderline-governmental role that Kingdom played in this city (and, in truth, a large part of Omega Earth as well[10]) is clearly visible. Kingdom branding, including its logo and name, are proudly displayed on the poster.
The last social media teaser[18] related to Sanctuary Day was a video posted 5 days later, on 14th July. It was a continuation of the earlier post, in a sense - it showed the Sanctuary Day celebration in full swing in the city, with colorful streamers placed everywhere, posters decorating the walls, and confetti raining from the skies. Charming traditional Portuguese music plays in the background.
However, despite all the joyousness that the celebration tries to instill, something's still missing - the entire city seems silent, inactive, abandoned. This does tie into Fade's description of the city, from her short reconnaissance mission (as described in her Voicemail to Brimstone, audible in Brimstone's Office in Patch 4.10) - that of a city on edge, filled with fear and oncoming dread.
On June 15th, another teaser for the map dropped in the form of the two new songs, Casa de Vidro and it's VALORANT remix. They were also highlighted in a twitter post[19]. The words 'Casa de Vidro' translate to 'Glass House' or 'House of Glass', mixing well with the map's thematic of a dome set underwater. The cover art shows a guitar shaped like a glass vial, partially leaning into the water, pushing the imagery further.
The final posts of Pearl's long-winded Social Media campaign were a series of short clips taken from the map's trailer, Dia do Santuário, in a similar manner to Fracture. Notably, this time the source video had already been released before the 'teaser' posts, causing the excitement they generated to be somewhat more muted. These posts were released between June 19th and 20th.
- The first post[20] focuses on the dome covering the city, with the camera slowly panning downwards to reveal the skyline of the city. (0:32 - 0:36)
- The second post[21] shows a glimpse of A Site. We first get a view into A main, with the camera slowly rotating clockwise. Eventually, the screen is consumed by yellow glitches, transitioning into a shot of the Perola Café at A Site (0:56 - 1:04)
- The third post[22] starts with a close-up of the Statue of Kingdom, which holds up the air purifiers for the city[8]. After a few seconds, it zooms out to a sweeping look at the entire city (complete with the metro moving in the background) taken from above mid (0:36 - 0:44)
- The fourth post[23] is of B Site, showing B Hall and B Ramp, with the Multiverse Museum in the background for most of the first half (0:44 - 0:52)
- The final post[24] shows a hologram of the Kingdom Industries logo, which morphs into a diagram of Lisbon with the Geodome being built up over it (0:20 - 0:29).
Notes[]
- Since Pearl is set on Omega, it has the traditional roles of the PROTOCOL and the LEGION flipped - here, the PROTOCOL are the attackers, and the LEGION are the defenders.
- Pearl's Development Codename was 'Pitt', because early designs had Mid cut through my a large pit in the floor[25][26]. This was changed later, because the space taken up by the hole made the area feel restrictive and difficult to move around[25].
- The rising tides and their repercussions have been felt all over Omega Earth[27], and are not unique to the city of Lisbon. This does leave us to question what protocols have been taken up to protect other costal areas, given how one-of-a-kind the Geodome over Pearl seems to be.
- Following the release of the Map, VALORANT's Portuguese account (@Valont_PT) released a series of posts under #PortugalIsRadiant, featuring various works of VALORANT-themed street art in Portugal.
- One of Pearl's potential names was 'cascade', because of how the Attackers 'cascaded' down onto the defenders[28].
- Early designs of Pearl had the map only partially filled with water[29], instead of being completely submerged like we see in-game. This could indicate that the old versions had the city in an earlier stage of the climate crisis.
Sources[]
- The Pearl Map
- Dia do Santuário - Pearl's Map Trailer Go
- A Reddit AmA on Pearl, organized on 14th June 2022 on the r/VALORANT subreddit Go
- Various twitch streams by NotToDisturb - Twitch Go, Youtube VODs Go
- Cynprel's Archive of teasers for Pearl, in collaboration with ValorLeaks - Twitter Go
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 An archive of all the announcements that play at Pearl can be found at Kingdom Archives Go
- ↑ Pearl is not an abandoned city - Reddit AmA with Environmental Artist, Riot Echo Go
- ↑ The shops in Pearl were designed considering the needs of a living population in a submerged city - Reddit AmA with Level Designer Joe Lansford Go
- ↑ The water inside the dome is desalinated and used to water crops - Reddit AmA with Level Designer, Joe Lansford Go
- ↑ What went into deciding which parts of Lisbon to preserve - Reddit AmA with Narrative Lead, Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ Omega Earths' reality stabilization issues cost them a lot of Radianite - Reddit AmA with Narrative Lead, Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ The statue located at Mid is called the 'Statue of Kingdom', as well as reaffirmations for the names of the Aquarium Arena and the Garden of Heroes - Pearl's dedicated travel website Go, made by @Valorant_PT in collaboration with TRIBES, a tour operator, as part of the #PortugalIsRadiant campaignGo
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "The statue houses an air purifier, and stands as a monument to the might of Omega Earth and Kingdom Industries' achievements" - the original message was made by Concept Artist Adrian Bush in an Artstation post about the project, which subsequently got deleted; reputed dataminer Floxay was able to save the relevant image and its comment before then, and shared it on the VALORANT Lore // Art discord Go
- ↑ The Statue of Kingdom is "representative of Kingdom Industries 'holding up the world', saving the city" - Reddit AmA with Level Designer, Joe Lansford Go
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Kingdom Industries' presence and role on Pearl is generally reflective of its role across Omega Earth" - Reddit AmA on Pearl with Narrative Lead, Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ The surface trains serve as emergency evacuation means for the city - Reddit AmA with Narrative Lead, Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ Relevance of the displays in the Multiverse Museum - Reddit AmA with Narrative Lead, Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ At 1:39 in the SHATTERED cinematic, we see a list of LEGION Agents summoned to fight against the Alpha team, and Phoenix is present on there.
- ↑ Interestingly, an early version of the garden had statues of both Radiants and Tech Users present in equal number. This was later changed to only have the four Radiants we see now - Senior Concept Artist Michael Shinde, ArtStation Go
- ↑ The four Aquarium Week posts, in order - Twitter Go Go Go Go
- ↑ The 'Oyster' Post - Twitter Go
- ↑ The 'Sactuary Day' Poster - Twitter Go
- ↑ The Sanctuary Day Video - Twitter Go
- ↑ The Casa de Vidro Twitter Post Go
- ↑ The first clip from the Dia do Sanctuàrio trailer - Twitter Post Go
- ↑ The second clip from the Dia do Sanctuàrio trailer - Twitter Post Go
- ↑ The third clip from the Dia do Sanctuàrio trailer - Twitter Post Go
- ↑ The fourth clip from the Dia do Sanctuàrio trailer - Twitter Post Go
- ↑ The final clip from the Dia do Sanctuàrop trailer - Twitter Post Go
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Some information on Pearl's Codename, 'Pitt' - Reddit AmA on Pearl with Level Designer, Joe Lansford Go
- ↑ Pearl's development codename was 'Pitt', because of a giant pit present at mid - @PlayVALORANT Twitter Post Go
- ↑ "The impacts [of the climate crisis] have been felt all across Omega, not just Pearl, in many different ways" - Reddit AmA with Narrative Lead Riot ParmCheesy Go
- ↑ 'Cascade' was an alternate name for the map, that got dropped in favor of 'Pearl' - Reddit AmA with Environmental Artist Riot Echo Go
- ↑ An early version of Pearl wasn't fully submerged - @PlayVALORANT Twitter Post Go