Valorant players think new agent Gekko needs a nerf

Mar 8, 2023

Reading time: 2 min

Valorant agent 22 Gekko has officially been unveiled, and streamers are enjoying him. But the community thinks he’s breaking the game.

Valorant agent 22 Gekko hasn’t even officially arrived and he’s already causing a debate. Clips of Gekko pulling off ridiculous stunts are going viral, and players are theorizing all scenarios where his Wingman could basically kill Valorant. Counterarguments to Gekko being too OP are many, but most think he needs a nerf.

Gekko rolls into Valorant with a molotov, a flash, and an assistant stunner. His Thrash ability gathers intel and detains enemies. Overall, his toolkit sounds mediocre but Riot has added small bonus features to each ability that make him too powerful.

Is Gekko too OP?

Players are currently upset that Gekko is basically immune to Valorant’s post-plant meta. Currently, if Viper throws her molotov, an agent would instantly back off in fear of dying. For this reason, players often lose their 1V1s. But, with Gekko, defenders will have the opportunity to let Wingman take the damage, run-down Viper’s Molotov, and defuse half the Spike.

This mechanic is game-changing as it allows players to win 1V1 without putting much at stake. Besides that, players are generally not happy with Wingman’s range. The tiny penguin can be released from afar and somehow still reach the site and plant the Spike, which puts a team without Gekko at a heavy disadvantage.

É assim que o "Wingman" de Gekko planta a Spike.#VALORANT pic.twitter.com/Lpw1YiAh2t
— CypherNews | Notícias & Vazamentos de VALORANT (@cyphernews) March 6, 2023

Some have even shared a bug where Gekko would wrap the entire site and strategically plant the Spike at Icebox’s rafters.

His Moshpit is also getting a lot of flak for having a large AoE. Players are sharing clips of killing multiple enemies using just the Molotov. Currently, no other agent in Valorant has an incendiary that can cause instant death.

All in all, the Valorant community is convinced that Gekko isn’t balanced. Especially his Wingman. It remains to be seen if Riot would consider the feedback and roll out a Gekko nerf prior to the official release.