Valorant
Valorant
Does Elon Musk play Valorant?
Fariha Bhatti
Elon Musk’s Valorant Champions attendance may not have been as ceremonious, but some Valorant players are still curious if he actually plays the game. The Valorant Champions 2023 final was a big event, both in terms of viewership and celebrity attendance. Ben Affleck and Elon Musk surprised the fans at the event with their kids, leaving the attendees star-struck. While Ben Affleck entertained multiple interviews and even a backstage tour, …
Valorant
Riot criticized over handling of The Guard dismissal from VCT Americas league
Tokoni Uti
The developer and tournament organizer of the Valorant Champions Tour, Riot Games, has been criticized by the community after refusing to admit The Guard as the Challengers team into the Americas partnered league for 2024. Riot Games denied The Guard, which earned qualification to the league through the Ascension tournament earlier this year because the organization failed to “meet the deadline to agree to the Team Participation Agreement for VCT …
Valorant
The Guard set to release all players following failure to join the VCT
Tokoni Uti
North American organization The Guard is set to release all of its Valorant players without buyouts following the revelation that the organization will not participate in the VCT partnered league next year, multiple sources told WIN.gg and confirmed by the head coach. It is understood that The Guard will likely pay the players their termination buyouts to ensure they can be signed to another organization without difficulty. The Guard players, …
Valorant
PRX something says Evil Geniuses players were only “toxic” for show
Tokoni Uti
The star duelist for Paper Rex, Ilya “something” Petrov has downplayed the supposed toxic behavior of Evil Geniuses players toward their opponents at Valorant Champions. During Valorant Champions, which saw Evil Geniuses defeat Paper Rex in the grand final to win the tournament, some fans were critical of the North American player’s attitude toward the other teams at the event. Evil Geniuses in-game leader Kelden “Boostio” Pupello said that China …
Valorant
Elon Musk, Ben Affleck among celebrities who attended Valorant Champions
Tokoni Uti
The most anticipated event in the Valorant calendar, Champions, was attended by some A-list celebrities such as Elon Musk and Ben Affleck, among others. The conclusion of Valorant Champions, which saw North American team Evil Geniuses take down Paper Rex in the grand final, was hosted in Los Angeles, California. As a result, a few A-list celebrities in the area attended the tournament to greet fans and watch the final …
Valorant
Evil Geniuses is your 2023 VCT Champions winner
William Davis
Evil Geniuses is the winner of VCT Champions after taking down Paper Rex. EG is taking the VCT Champions trophy home. EG’s Cinderella story started earlier in the year. The North American squad has been improving slowly but surely. In Tokyo, EG came close to the title, but it was Fnatic who put an end to their dream. In Champions, EG’s performance improved gradually. In the semifinals, EG stumbled against …
Valorant
How to claim Knight’s Market gun buddy in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Riot has dropped a new Prime Gaming reward, allowing players to bag an attractive gun buddy for free. Amazon Prime Gaming is an ongoing rewards system for people who are subscribed to the Amazon Prime service. Tons of games offer free rewards, often refreshing regularly, that players can claim. In order to access Prime Gaming rewards, you’ll need an Amazon Prime subscription. Riot has revealed a brand new gun buddy …
Valorant
Global Esports expected to replace SkRossi
Tokoni Uti
Disclaimer: The author of this post has worked in a consultant role with Global Esports. Indian organization Global Esports is expected to explore replacement options for Ganesh “SkRossi” Gangadhar, WIN.gg was informed by the organization. The player, who has been signed to the team since October 2020, will be allowed to explore his options. SkRossi has been a staple of the organization’s history in Valorant and developed a sizable following. …
EG Boostio credits Paper Rex following defeat: “It’s not fun to play against”
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
The in-game leader of Evil Geniuses Kelden “Boostio” Pupello praised Valorant team Paper Rex following the team’s matchup at Champions. In the upper final of Valorant Champions, Paper Rex managed to defeat Evil Geniuses to secure a place in the grand finals, sending Evil Geniuses to the lower bracket. After the match, Evil Geniuses player Boostio credited Paper Rex for the team’s aggressive playstyle and difficult setups. During the post-match …
Valorant Champions breaks one million peak viewers
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
The most anticipated event in the Valorant competitive calendar has reached over one million peak viewers, according to data collected by Esports Charts. Yesterday, during one of the most contested matchups of the event between Paper Rex and Evil Geniuses, the tournament reached over one million peak viewers for the first time at Champions this year. This was the first time that LOUD was knocked off as the most-viewed match …
Fnatic eliminated from VCT Champions
William Davis
Valorant
Exactly 173 days after the LOCK//IN Sao Paulo finals, Loud finally got its revenge against Fnatic. In the biggest upset of the tournament, Fnatic has been eliminated from VCT Champions. Before the first map was even played in the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles, Fnatic was already considered the favorite to take the title. The European squad was on a roll after its decisive victory at VCT Masters Tokyo. …
Riot nerfs Jett into the ground in latest Valorant update
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
The developers of Valorant have made significant changes to Jett, one of the most popular duelists in the game, it was announced today. Riot Games announced major nerfs to Jett to push back on some of her power as one of the most dominant duelists in Valorant. Every ability of hers is getting a major hit, with her dash seeing a significant change. https://twitter.com/Tanizhq/status/1694705503937741081 To start with, Jett’s tailwind ability, …
More than half of Valorant agents nerfed in patch 7.04
Fariha Bhatti
News
Riot has just nerfed almost all the agents in Valorant, taking the skill ceiling to the next level in patch 7.04. Valorant patch 7.04 is packed with nerfs and adjustments to 11 agents, which is over half the roster. While Riot claims these adjustments are subtle, Breach and Jett mains would disagree. Starting patch 7.04, ultimates would cost a fortune, and abilities must be used with elaborate planning. “Though many …
Sources: NRG exploring possible roster overhaul for VCT 2024
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
North American team NRG could make changes to the Valorant roster for the VCT 2024 season, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation shared with WIN.gg. Following a disappointing finish at Valorant Champions earlier this month, the organization will likely change the direction of the roster. Most notably, with the departure of in-game leader Pujan “FNS” Mehta, according to sources. It is unclear whether FNS will join another team, considering …
Riot introduces Champions points for VCT 2024
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
Several changes are set for Valorant Champions Tour 2024 with an updated schedule and the introduction of Champions points, developer and tournament organizer Riot Games announced today. There will soon be a new way to measure the success of teams with Champions points set to act as the unifying mechanism across all of the international leagues and the global tournaments, Riot said in a release today. While specific details are …
Riot announces China as a new international league for VCT 2024
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
A fourth international league in China is set to be added to the professional Valorant Champions Tour circuit next year, Riot Games announced today. Following Valorant’s successful release in the country, China is set to host its international league next year alongside EMEA, the Pacific, and the Americas. Riot touted the move as a reflection of the company’s goal to include other countries in the VCT. “Recognizing the potential and …
What’s the difference between MMR and RR in Valorant?
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
New players may find Valorant’s progress system to be a bit confusing. Do you need MMR to rank up or RR, or both? Here’s what sets both apart from each other. Valorant’s progress system is less complex than other FPS games due to transparency and simple rank-up progress. However, new players may find themselves confused over what’s the difference between MMR and RR. MMR and RR both contribute to rank …
Leaked Valorant bundle Yeni looks like Forsaken
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Leakers have shared the first look at the next Valorant bundle dubbed Yeni. Riot is bringing back the iconic hues of green made famous by the Forsaken collection. The leaked collection resembles Forsaken and Sovereign, two bundles that took the Valorant community by storm. A poster image of the next Valorant bundle dubbed Yeni has slipped through the cracks, encouraging players to stack up their wallets. The ocean green collection …
Demon1 takes the lead as best player of Valorant Champions
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
North American star Max “Demon1” Mazanov has become the highest-rated player at Valorant Champions, according to the latest statistics. Evil Geniuses player Demon1, who has been essential to the success of the team since his introduction, has accrued a 1.31 rating at Valorant Champions at the time of writing, according to data collected by VLR.gg. Demon1 has overtaken Fnatic player Emir “Alfajer” Ali Beder for the top spot, with Alfajer’s …
All we know about Valorant map 10, Sunset
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Teasers about Valorant map ten are picking up pace as the release date draws closer. Here’s all we know about Sunset. Valorant map ten is called Sunset, according to credible leaker ValorLeaks. It’s codenamed Juliett and will be revealed at the Valorant Champions finals, leakers have discovered. Teasers regarding Valorant map ten are plenty, all pointing toward Los Angeles as the central location. From the theme of VCT drops to …
Riot Games has long looked to expand its footprint beyond the success of popular MOBA League of Legends, and one of its biggest successes to date in this regard is the tactical shooter, Valorant. Blending traditional first-person shooter elements with unique and flashy hero abilities, Valorant seeks to combine the best attributes of tactical shooters and hero shooters into one cohesive experience.
Based on player feedback, the game has largely succeeded in accomplishing those aims. It’s not an easy balance, and it’s one that is arguably still tenuous, but Riot Games seems to be doing as good a job of it as most fans have hoped for.
What type of game is Valorant?
Valorant is a first-person shooter that represents a unique blend of the tactical shooter and hero shooter subgenres. There are some games that represent similar gameplay elements, but not many that offer the exact experience that Valorant puts forward to players.
The tactical shooter genre is often considered to have been defined by the release of the original Counter-Strike, a multiplayer mod for famed single-player PC title Half-Life that later became a standalone game of its own. While most multiplayer FPS games to that point emphasized prolonged battles between opposing players zipping around the game at high speeds, Counter-Strike slowed things down significantly and made players much more susceptible to each other’s firepower, requiring players to take a more tactical approach to play.
That slower and more tactical approach, combined with the lightning-quick nature of action when it does occur, proved reliably popular. That popularity can still be seen today with the ongoing success enjoyed by the Counter-Strike franchise, and it’s this gameplay type that represents the core of Valorant. It’s no accident that former Counter-Strike developers were drafted by Riot Games to help create Valorant during the game’s formative stages.
What differentiates Valorant from CS and other tactical shooters it that each of the game’s characters, called agents, wield a number of unique abilities. Some are typical for tactical shooters, like flashbangs and smokes, while others are wildly different, such as an ability that transports two players to an isolated dueling arena for its duration.
These agent abilities are more reminiscent of hero shooters, a subgenre that arguably got its start with the Team Fortress games but has best been popularized by Blizzard title Overwatch. The abilities, combind with the tactical considerations that are at the core of Valorant, separate it from most any other FPS experience available for play.
How does Valorant esports work?
Like many other popular competitive shooters, Valorant does have a thriving esports scene. That scene is differentiated by the way it’s run and controlled by developer and publisher Riot Games. Riot uses a model based on the success of its League of Legends esports scene, which sees the globe’s competitive players and team’s separated by region. These regions play out their own competitions in their sections of the world before coming together at regular intervals for international tournaments featuring the best teams from each individual region.
While League of Legends once boasted a variety of regions and regional types, Riot sought to simplify that model when setting up esports for Valorant. The game has only a handful of major regions, and these regions are held as largely equitable, each sending their best teams to international events leading up to the year-end VALORANT Champions event.
