Valorant
Valorant
New Valorant teaser suggests map 10 could be in LA
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant is likely going back to its American roots, or at least the roots of the protocol’s founding members Viper and Brimstone. The new trailer featuring Cypher and Deadlock is set in a picturesque location that seems like La La Land, Los Angeles. This also aligns with previous leaks and hints that pointed at LA being the next location for the Valorant map 10. In the latest teaser, Riot has …
Valorant
Fnatic Alfajer is the highest-rated at Valorant Champions so far
Tokoni Uti
Fnatic’s sentinel has proven once again that he’s one of the best Valorant players in the world. At Valorant Champions, the largest and most anticipated event in the calendar, Fnatic player Emir “Alfajer” Ali Beder has consistently been the highest-rated player in the group stage of the tournament. At the time of writing, Alfajer has boasted a 1.37 overall rating, according to VLR.gg. He has the highest kill-death ratio of …
Valorant
Here’s how the Valorant Champions playoff bracket shapes up
Tokoni Uti
The final stage of Valorant Champions is set to begin in a few days with the playoff bracket decided. Eight teams from around the world have slugged through hard-fought matches to secure qualification to the playoff stage. Every matchup, barring one, will feature two different regions against each other. The first matchup of the playoff bracket will see European team Fnatic take on last year’s winner, LOUD. https://twitter.com/ValorantEsports/status/1690865426870538240 Fnatic has …
News
Leakers claim Riot is working on a Valorant movie
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant’s official cinematics always leave the fanbase asking for more and it seems that Riot has listened, according to the leaks. Riot sure knows how to build up lore with immersive, tear-jerking cinematics that always leave the players wondering just how awesome a Valorant anime would be. After Arcane, Riot might be cooking something for Valorant fans as well, according to the leakers. Valorant leaker and influencer Kingdom Laboratories took …
Valorant
Team Liquid first to be eliminated from Valorant Champions
Tokoni Uti
Europe is the first to fall as Team Liquid has been sent home from Valorant Champions. Team Liquid, the winners of the EMEA regional league during the main season, were the first to be eliminated from the most anticipated Valorant tournament in the calendar following a loss to Brazilian team LOUD. The first elimination match was a back-and-forth contest between two of the regional titans from EMEA and the Americas. LOUD …
Valorant
EDG Kangkang is fearless at VCT Champions, calls his opponents “trash”
Tokoni Uti
The superstar Valorant player for EDward Gaming (EDG) blasted his opponents at VCT Champions during an interview after his first match. EDG player Zheng “ZmjjKK” Yongkang (Kangkang) expressed his confidence in his team following the victory over European team Giants Gaming in the opening match of Group A at Valorant Champions. “I would say the main goal for us at this tournament is to play our own game,” he said. …
Valorant
What is the affiliate system set to be introduced in tier two Valorant?
Tokoni Uti
Over the past few weeks, developer and tournament organizer Riot Games has contacted Valorant organizations in Challengers to discuss an affiliate system next year. So, what is it? The plan that was discussed with teams, which is yet to be formally released to the public, discusses a system where teams in the international leagues have the option to partner with a Valorant Challengers team to bring players up to the …
Valorant
Latest Valorant bundle Daydreams is cheap and cute
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant players will be pleased to find out that the latest skin bundle, Daydreams, is fancy yet affordable. Recently, Riot Games has rolled out exorbitant gun skins that cost a pretty penny. While these expensive skins are worth the money — considering the rarity and animations — not everyone can afford them. So, after releasing the Champions 2023 bundle, which would leave a massive strain on your wallet, Riot is …
Sources: Several NA VCT teams expected to downsize Valorant efforts in 2024
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
A few of the top competitors in North American Valorant are expected to reduce the spending on the teams next year, multiple sources told WIN.gg. The downsizing comes amid a difficult period for esports organizations. Several teams are losing money, with salaries becoming exceedingly unsustainable. As a result of the move, teams such as Cloud9 and 100 Thieves, which both participate in the VCT Americas league, are expected to reduce …
“The format proposed by Riot does not include pro organizations:” The Union slates Valorant Challengers f…
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
Another organization has departed competitive Valorant following the revised Challengers system after the preliminary details sent to teams. The Union, two-time champions of the Brazilian Challengers circuit, have withdrawn from competitive Valorant and placed the team on the bench. With the team unable to secure qualification to the VCT Americas partnered league, the organization would have been forced to return to Challengers. But The Union had harsh words for the …
Riot cracks down on tobacco products used at VCT Champions
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
The tournament organizers of VCT Champions have issued penalties to teams found to be using tobacco products at the events, according to multiple participants. After allegedly using snus at the event—a product often employed as a tobacco substitute by placing it between the upper lip and gum—participants turned to social media after they were punished by Riot Games. During the Group D playoff match between DRX and Natus Vincere, the European …
LOUD aspas “not healthy,” missing conference at VCT Champions
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
On August 6, 2023, superstar Valorant player for LOUD Erick “aspas” Santos was absent at the post-match press conference following the team’s defeat to DRX at VCT Champions. One of the best players in the world, aspas, is unwell and “not healthy,” but it’s “nothing serious,” according to LOUD teammates Matias “Saadhak” Delipetro and Felipe “Less” Basso. The news follows LOUD’s dramatic loss to DRX in their opening match of …
“He doesn’t get as hot-handed:” Fnatic coach on Derke improvements
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
On August 6, 2023, the head coach of Fnatic Valorant praised star player Nikita “Derke” Sirmitev for his improvements since he joined the team. When asked about his team by the community, head coach Jacob “mini” Harris said that Derke keeps his cool in matches, a trait that he’s improved upon since joining. “[Derke] doesn’t get as hot-handed or hot-headed in officials,” he said on Twitter earlier today. https://twitter.com/minijake_/status/1688400894822694912 Mini …
DRX head coach says Zest will play VCT Champions with Foxy9 benched
Tokoni Uti
Valorant
Yesterday the head coach of Valorant team DRX said that star player Jung “Foxy9” Jae-sung will not participate at VCT Champions. The youngster, known for his impressive fragging ability, was part of the starting lineup for DRX during the most recent VCT Masters tournament, which took place in Tokyo, Japan. Meanwhile, the veteran player Kim “Zest” Ki-seok is set to remain on the team, head coach Pyeon “termi” Seon-ho said during …
Valorant Mobile for China is allegedly entering beta testing
Olivia Richman
Valorant
The closed beta test for the Chinese version of Valorant Mobile, Project C, is apparently open now. Project C is the codename for the Chinese version of Valorant Mobile. Valorant just became available in China quite recently, and now the mobile version is getting a closed beta test. This comes after some rumors of Project C’s existence back in 2021, followed by an official confirmation later that year. According to …
Here is the Valorant Night Market release date (August 2023)
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant’s skin thrift store is returning once again. Here’s when players can purchase skins at a cut price from Night. Market. Valorant has pricy in-game cosmetics that can cost hundreds for a full arsenal. The expensive guns aren’t affordable for all players. Still, skin collectors make a point of buying extravagant weapons. In 2020, Riot introduced a way for all players to enjoy cosmetics through the Night Market. The digital pop-up store brings …
How to fix Riot Vanguard encountered an error in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant can sometimes run into random errors upon booting due to a stringent Vanguard, an anti-cheat that sometimes detects false positives. “Riot Vanguard has encountered an error” is one of the common booting errors in Valorant. Typically it happens when the anti-cheat detects third-party software that could potentially impact the game. Sometimes, however, it’s just a false alarm. Vanguard often detects ad removers and anti-virus as malicious programs, leading to …
Valorant Champions 2023 Event Pass rewards
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant Champions 2023 brings rewards for everyone. Here are all the items in the event pass. Valorant Champions 2023 is one of the biggest esports events of the year and Riot likes to celebrate with time-limited, coveted items. While the most valuable Champions items cost top dollar, the event has something for everyone. Even those who don’t want to spend cash can cop Champions 2023 free drops by watching the …
Valorant Champions theme “Ticking Away” released
Nicholas James
Valorant
The new Valorant Champions theme “Ticking Away” has been released, featuring musical artists Grabbitz and bbno$. Riot Games loves dropping major musical releases with prominent artists ahead of its international esports events. This began with League of Legends and has continued into Valorant’s largest international tournament, Champions. For Valorant Champions 2023, Riot Games has released a music video for the new anthem Ticking Away. The new song takes inspiration from …
This wild Deadlock bug causes Spike to disappear
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Deadlock is deadly, but the icy agent is now doing the impossible, dealing 900,000 damage in a wild bug. The latest addition to the Valorant protocol is equipped with blood-curdling abilities. However, she’s now pulling insane tricks by crook. A new bug is letting her cause mayhem in the server by delivering insta-death with astronomically high damage using her ult, Annihilation. Popular streamer and Valorant personality AverageJonas shared this rare …
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.
