How to use Valorant's favorite Sentinel, Killjoy

Fariha Bhatti Published 05/01/2022

Killjoy might be a bit boring to play compared to some of the more dynamic agents in Valorant, but she’s one of the deadliest Valorant agents. Here’s how to play Killjoy effectively without compromising on kills.

Killjoy is equipped with some of the most potent abilities in Valorant. When used correctly, the cutesy genius of Germany can annihilate an entire enemy team.

How to play Killjoy in Valorant

Killjoy’s abilities include two Nanoswarms, a Turret, an Alarmbot, and a Lockdown device that shuts down a large area. Using her kit, the agent can defend an entire site independently, relieving some pressure from her teammates. According to some players, Killjoy’s kit is boring as it’s challenging to bag easy kills using her abilites. But using her kit correctly can help with earning assists and first-bloods. Here’s how to best use Killjoy’s ability kit.

Nanoswarm (C)

These tiny trinkets deal damage at a rate of 45 per second, which means they’re capable of killing unsuspecting enemies. Find creative spots to hide your Nanoswarms and activate them when you hear enemies pushing through. On narrow entryways, these devices can be potent.

If you’re a more aggressive Killjoy player, throw these grenades at predictable choke points to reveal enemies. The grenades can also be used to keep the opponents away from the Spike. Learning throw lineups is a plus, but you can hide them around plant spots if you don’t have time to memorize setups.

Tip:

Pair your Nanoswarm with your Alarmbot. The tiny device notifies you of the enemy’s presence, ensuring that you don’t waste your grenades on a decoy.

Alarmbot (Q)

As is evident from the name, these tiny bots detect enemies within their area of effect. They are small, invisible, and hard to spot, so enemies often end up stepping on them. Alarmbot concussions last for a few seconds. Always pair the device with some other ability, like Raze’s nades, Viper’s molotov, or a flash if a teammate wants to push in response to the alarm.

Tip:

Alarmbots are audible devices. Place them at unusual spots in each round so that enemies can’t easily destroy them.

Turret (E)

The Turret is one of the deadliest abilities in-game, so use it wisely. The Turret bot has 125 health, which means enemies must be careful when trying to destroy it. Place it at elevated angles to maximize Turret damage against your opponents. Shooting at unusual angles will distract them, allowing you to take enemies down in a vulnerable state. You can lock down an entire site for the whole round by adeptly placing your Turret.

Tip:

Always place the Turret robot near a site entrance to buy time for a defensive rotation before attackers can enter the site.

How to use Killjoy’s ultimate?

Killjoy’s Lockdown device detains all enemies caught in its radius, but it can also be destroyed. Place it at safe spots to take control of a bomb point on the attacker’s side. On defense, use it when your team struggles with guarding a particular area.

Always wait for eight seconds before jumping inside Lockdown’s AoE to pick a fight with enemies. Agents only get detained during the last few seconds of the Lockdown ability. So if you’re retaking as the defenders, wait a few seconds before jumping back into the site after using Lockdown.

Tip:

Always deploy the Lockdown device some distance away from walls. Enemies can destroy the machine with Odin spam, Breach’s kit, and other powers if it’s adjacent to a wall.

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.

View full profile