Agent 16 leaks point to Grenadier as Valorant's next new agent

Fariha Bhatti Published 19/05/2021

As the latest addition to the Valorant agent roster, Astra is still finding her footing in the loaded squad of duelists. While players are still adjusting to her kit, Riot Games may be gearing up to deliver a whole new character. Valorant’s new agent may have grenades similar to Raze’s paint shells, new leaks suggest.

Reliable leaker and data miner Mike revealed a potential name for the upcoming Valorant agent. According to the leak, the 16th agent is dubbed “Grenadier.” Data Miner Shiick, who originally found the codename, further clarified that he noticed the name in a file with all the agents codenames.

New Agent Codename: “Grenadier” | #VALORANT
— Mike – Valorant Leaks & Info (@ValorLeaks) May 11, 2021

The leak had the Valorant players at the edge of their seats, still struggling to master Astra, who has a steep learning curve. alorant is a unique first-person shooter centred around agent abilities, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that its developer is rolling out new agents quickly.

New Valorant agent abilities, category, and kit

The leaker didn’t share much other information, but this small clue is enough to help put two and two together. Riot’s shooter is a relatively balanced game with just the right amount of duelists, controllers, sentinels, and initiators. However, that balance tipped a bit with the addition of fifth duelist Yoru. The recruitment of Astra restored balance to a considerable extent, but sentinel and initiator players still have fewer options.

Considering Valorant’s current agent roster, the new agent will likely be an Initiator. Raze is a passive duelist due to her kit’s destructive ability that gathers intel and deals damage simultaneously. Agent 16 may have similar grenades or a boombot-like ability that opens an area while injuring enemies.

As is evident from the name, Grenadier will likely have a form of nade similar to Raze. The initiator agent category could use an update in the damage-dealing department.

When is Valorant’s 16th agent releasing?

Riot has been spawning a new agent at the beginning of each episode, so nothing should change there this time around. Agent 16 will likely get released in a few weeks with Episode 3 Act 1. Yoru was added to the agent roster with Episode 2 Act 1, which means that the new agent should be available to play after the next big update on June 22 along with a new battle pass and skin bundle.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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