How to Play Haven VALORANT: tips, tricks, and secrets

Looking for tips on how to play Haven in VALORANT? We’ve got you covered! We have all the tricks and secrets to help you turn Haven into a nightmare for opponents.

If you are new to VALORANT, or just looking to improve your play style, this guide will cover everything you need to know about Haven, including callouts, unique features, and the best Agents to play in this map. 

If you are interested in other VALORANT maps, check out our most recent articles like Ascent and Pearl.

And last but not least, check how Stryda can make your game more rewarding with our VALORANT competitions like daily Missions, Ladders, and Clans Events.

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Overview of Haven map in VALORANT

Debuting in the Closed Beta, Haven is one of VALORANT three original maps. It's set in the Bhutan’s Thimphu District on Alpha Earth. The map is on the grounds of a mountain temple under the threat of radianite. 

Haven draws inspiration from the real-world city of Thimphu. Bhutan’s capital is well-known for its Buddhist temples and monasteries such as Tashicho Dzong. 

Unique features of Haven

Without question, Haven holds the distinction of being one of VALORANT most unique map. It owes it all to its third control site. Haven is the only map (together with map Lotus, that was added later to the game) to feature a C Site where Attackers can plant the spike. This makes it extremely hard for Defenders as they have to secure nearly every part of the map simultaneously. Retakes are more common on Haven than on any other map.

Haven is also one of the largest maps in the game. However, its individual sections are small, and there are few wide open spaces. The map is mostly made up of small rooms and courtyards intertwined with narrow hallways, corridors, and alleyways. This design somewhat makes Haven feel like a maze. It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with Haven’s layout and know the quickest routes between each area. 

Tips, tricks, and secrets to conquer Haven in VALORANT

The map is notable for having a ton of choke points. Ambushing tactics are very strong on Haven. Initiators play an important role, and any other Agents with smoke abilities in their kit grant a huge boost. There are also plenty of structures and platforms that provide elevated sightlines. While not all are easily accessible, there are Agents who can take advantage of this verticality. Players who excel at sniping have a feast on Haven. 

Haven features a very small Mid nestled between B and C Site. There are destructible panels on the doors (which aren’t fully closed) between Mid and C Short. These can’t be damaged by gunfire and must be taken out with abilities. They are similar to the destructible wall panels found on Ascent. Once they are destroyed, players are able to wall bang through the doors. 

A Site has a “Heaven” tower overlooking most of the area. It is a crucial point of control for Defenders because of the vantage points and is easily accessible from their Spawn. Located near the middle of the map, B Site is incredibly tiny and completely indoors. There is a ton of cover, but its small size makes it an extremely volatile area to control. C Site is more generic but includes two different platforms delivering extra elevation and a large rectangular structure in the center for cover. 

Map Haven callouts in VALORANT

Haven has a ton of rooms, courtyards, and landmarks throughout the map. Here are all the callouts you’ll need to know when playing on Haven. 

Callouts for map Haven A Site

• Garden - an area leading to A Site from Mid, as well as Attackers Side Spawn. There are levels of plants that can be jumped on for extra elevation.

• Lobby - a room connecting A Garden to both A Short and A Long

• Long - a long, narrow pathway connecting A Lobby to A Site. It has a peculiar angle that shortens sightlines.

• Double - a pair of square blocks stacked on top each other sitting against the wall in A Long

• Cubby - a large cubby in A Long near the entrance of A Site

• Ramp - a ramp connecting A Long to A Site

• Tunnels - a descending corridor connecting A Lobby to A Short. Serves an alternative route to A Site from Attackers Side Spawn.

• Short - a sewer-like area leading to A Site from A Tunnels

• Heaven - a tower overlooking a vast majority of A Site. It is easily accessible for Defenders from their Spawn.

• Hell - a covered area beneath Heaven that is enclosed on three sides

• Yellow - a small corridor leading to A Link from A Site

• Link - an L-shaped area connecting A Site to B Site. It also acts as one of the routes to B Site from Defenders Side Spawn. 

Callouts for map Haven Mid

• Courtyard - the largest part of Mid that serves as a heavy point of control for taking B Site

• Cubby - located in Mid Courtyard adjacent to B Site

• Window - a room connecting A Garden to Mid Courtyard. There is a large window providing a vantage point over all of Mid that also looks into B Site. 

• Doors - the first part of Mid accessed via C Garage. Refers to the doors featuring destructible panels. 

• Barn - a partially enclosed area leading to Attackers Side Spawn from Mid

Callouts for map Haven B Site 

• Boost - three levels of boxes stacked together in a line along the wall. Agents like Jett and Raze can boost up and take advante of high sightlines

• Tetris - a large structure directly in the center of B Site. It is a substantial piece of cover and provides elevation to some Agents. 

• Back - the back area of Site B, featuring a cubby with a wall for cover

Callouts for Haven C Site

• Ramp - a small set of stairs leading into C Site from Defenders Side Spawn

• Logs - a stack of logs sitting on top of some wooden crates. One of C Site’s two elevated platforms accessed via jump 

• Plat - the other elevated platform located on the other side of C Site

• Tetris - a large wall of blocks near the center of C Site

• Link - a small area connecting C Site to C Window. It also acts as one of the routes to B Site from Defenders Side Spawn. 

• Window - a small room featuring a window peeking into A Garage

• Connector - a narrow hallway connecting C Site to C Garage

• Garage - an enclosed room connecting C Site to Mid. It is also known as C Short. 

• Long - an elongated area leading from Attackers Side Spawn and looking into C Site. This area has the longest sightlines found on Haven. 

• Cubby - a large cubby nestled near the center of C Long

• Dragon - a small courtyard connecting C Long to C Lobby. Sometimes considered to be a part of C Long.

• Lobby - an open area leading from Attackers Side Spawn in the direction of C Site

Best Agents to Play on Haven

As is the case with every map in VALORANT, some Agents are more advantageous on Haven than others. Below is the best Agent composition to run on Haven.

Playing Jett in map Haven

Jett is the best overall Agent in VALORANT, and that is something of an understatement. Her versatile and effective kit makes her an essential pick on nearly every map. Haven is no exception, but Jett actually shines even more than usual here. 

The Korean Duelist's mobility is what makes her so deadly on Haven. Updraft allows her to access all of the map’s high vantage points. She can even Drift between Tetris and the other elevated areas on C Site. 

Jett can be a force of destruction on Haven when equipped with an Operator. Furthermore, she counters opposing snipers with her Signature Ability, Tailwind. It allows her to quickly dart away from danger, basically making Jett impervious to headshots. 

On top of all her mobility enhancements, Jett also has a smoke ability in Cloudburst. Since Haven is littered with choke points, you can never have Agents with smokes in your composition. 

Playing Killjoy in Haven

Sentinels are highly effective on Haven. While Chamber and Cypher are fine picks, no other Agent in this role can compare to Killjoy. She is by far the best Agent pick for defending every site as well as securing retakes. 

Killjoy has several abilities that help her defend all three sites at once. Turret, Alarmbot, and Nanoswarm are able to defend sites autonomously. They help Killjoy keep tabs on each part of the map and also stop flankers weaving through Haven’s corridors. 

When it comes to Ultimates, none reign over Haven like Killjoy’s Lockdown. It creates an impenetrable dome around an area from which enemies can’t escape. It has the perfect radius for shutting down any of Haven’s three sites. If you notice the full enemy team present when defending one site, use Lockdown to keep them from rotating to another site that may be unguarded. 

Playing KAY/O in Haven

VALORANT’s resident robo-Agent is the game’s most well-rounded Initiator. KAY/O’s abilities mirror the tools found in traditional first-person shooters (namely CS:GO) like frag and flash grenades. He has the perfect kit for exploiting Haven’s tight quarters and chokepoints.

The previous knock on KAY/O was that playing him came with a difficult learning curve. However, changes were made in Patch 5.01 to make the time-traveling robot more accessible to all players. Learn more about KAY/O from our Agents guides!

Playing Astra in Haven

At first glance, it almost seems as if Astra were designed specifically for Haven. Astra Signature Ability (Astral Form) grants access to a full overview of a map so she can set up traps known as “stars”. The key is that Astra can place stars all across the map no matter where she is positioned. 

Stars can be reactivated three different ways, each with their own properties. They can be turned into smokes with Nebula/Dissipate, concuss enemies with Nova Pulse, or make them vulnerable with Gravity Well. They are an extremely versatile tool that gives enemies plenty to fear around choke points. 

Astra’s Ultimate (Cosmic Divide) forms a large barrier that blocks bullets and dampens audio. Use this when taking a Site You can even misdirect opponents by casting the barrier in one site to draw their attention and then quickly rotating to another.

Playing Omen in Haven

Omen has perhaps the most complete kit to succeed on Haven. Like Astra, VALORANT’s dark-clad phantom man can place smokes anywhere on the map regardless of his position. Omen’s Dark Cover also lasts substantially longer than most other smoke abilities. 

Paranoia is a blinding orb that deafens players and hinders their vision. It is a strong ability on Haven since it passes straight through walls. Despite the map’s maze-like catacombs, there is no hiding from Omen’s Paranoia. 

What truly separates Omen from the rest of VALORANT’s roster is his ability to teleport. He can use Shrouded Step to quickly gain the high ground or escape from an area when in danger. His Ultimate (From the Shadows) is one of the game’s best bail-out abilities. Like Dark Cover, Omen gains access to an overview of the map and can teleport to any location from any position. 

Ready for your next VALORANT game?

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