The official launch of VALORANT has brought players of Riot Games’ tactical shooter a new agent, a new map as well as a new game mode. Despite the game being met with poor reviews upon release, many players have praised the new game mode, Spike Rush, for being a quick and fun alternative to VALORANT’s sometimes demanding gameplay.
Learning a whole new game may sound like a pain, but Riot designed Spike Rush to be incredibly simple and similar to the game’s main game mode. Spike Rush is essentially just a more casual, fast paced VALORANT. Matches are expected to last eight to twelve minutes, as opposed to the standard mode, where matches could last around forty-five minutes.
Similar to the regular game, Spike Rush places five players on the attacking side, and five players on the defending side. Each attacker will spawn with a spike (or a bomb for all the CS:GO players out there), as opposed to the main game mode where there is only one spike and one of the attackers has to pick it up.
The object in Spike Rush is the same as usual. Attackers have to plant the spike, and the defenders have to defend against it. However, Spike Rush sports a best-of-seven format instead of first to thirteen.
Riot Games also shortened the pre-round and round times for Spike Rush. The new mode has no buying phase, and instead all ten players are given the same random gun, which can create pure chaos at times if everyone spawns with a Bucky or an Operator. Additionally, all abilities besides the ultimate are given for free every round, while ultimate points are earned twice as fast.
The game also randomly places three to five ultimate orbs around the map, which give unique buffs.
That’s essentially all there is to Spike Rush. It’s quick, easy to learn, and most importantly, fun to play. It’s a great way to try out new weapons and warm up your mechanics before jumping in to the real thing. Even if you don’t feel like playing a full game and just want to mess around, then Spike Rush will be there for you.
