Valorant
Valorant
Riot to ban agent insta-locking application in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Riot Games is finally cracking down on the agent insta-locking app called Recon Bolt. Picking your preferred agent in Valorant is no cakewalk. You must be lightning fast if you want to grab that Reyna or Jett before anyone else can. For this reason, players pull many stunts, including seeking help from unauthorized third-party apps like Recon Bolt. However, Dunskus, the app’s creator, has revealed that Riot has sent him …
Valorant
This Valorant lineup calculator is a genius invention
Fariha Bhatti
Are you too lazy to explore each Valorant map to learn a new lineup? This app could be a lifesaver. Unlike other FPS games, lineups are a tad tricky in Valorant since you must learn a new one for each agent. This process could be tedious unless you’re a pro player with a proper coach. However, this Valorant player is working on an application that would solve all lineup-related woes …
Valorant
Valorant players feel that cheating has become “terrible”
Olivia Richman
Cheating in Valorant is getting worse than ever. Valorant players are coming together to complain about how bad the cheating in Riot’s free-to-play shooter has become. Cheating has always been prevalent in Valorant and other popular games, but a lot of players feel it’s getting worse despite the use of Vanguard anti-cheat. Recently, Valorant players discussed the worsening problem on Reddit. A Valorant player recently took to Reddit to see …
Valorant
How to play Valorant’s latest Sentinel Deadlock
Fariha Bhatti
Deadlock is the 23rd agent in Valorant, bringing a unique barrier in her toolkit. Here’s how to use each of her abilities. Valorant’s latest sentinel has a high learning curve, but she’s worth the extra effort. Deadlock’s toolkit is promising in both low and high-ranked games, locking enemies in their tracks and making them easy targets for the duelists. With some practice, players can master the latest sentinel on the …
Valorant
Valorant’s rarest China melee to become available for all
Fariha Bhatti
Since Valorant China’s announcement, players have their eyes fixated on the exclusive “Kitana” melee. After leakers’ claim it may not be as exclusive, Riot has now confirmed Fire Fan will be making it worldwide on July 14th. Valorant players are always on the lookout for time-limited, rare cosmetics, even if they have to pay a huge amount for them. The exclusive items are worth every penny. Besides being a flex, …
Valorant
Ken from the Barbie movie is grinding Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant fever has reached the cast of the hotly anticipated Barbie movie as Ken #2 reveals he’s grinding ranked to master a new support character in Riot’s FPS Valorant. Simu Liu is known for playing Shang Chi in Marvel Cinematic Universe. But now, the superhero has made a massive switch to Barbie’s pink fantasy universe. Second to Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu is playing Ken #2. But he’s not just an …
Valorant
This Deadlock Barrier trick allows you to boost on top of walls
Fariha Bhatti
Deadlock’s toolkit is a tough nut to crack, but this one Barrier Mesh trick is highly valuable yet easy to execute. Valorant’s latest agent 23 comes with viable traps and a tornado ultimate that pulls enemies to their death. Unlike Chamber, her traps are a tad trickier to use, but they are worth the effort and practice. However, some Deadlock tricks are so easy even green Valorant players can pull …
Valorant
Valorant pro TenTen fired for being racist towards Indians
Fariha Bhatti
NORTHEPTION has fired Valorant professional player TenTen for being racist in a competitive game. Japanese Valorant organization NORTHEPTION has permanently terminated their star player TenTen for mistaking Indonesian pro Saibani “fl1pzjder” Rahmad as Indian and then being blatantly racist against Indian players multiple times in a single game. Racism, unfortunately, is a common issue in Valorant. Despite Riot’s effort to curb the toxicity, players squeeze in their subtly racist remarks …
Omen can now break the game on Team Deathmatch
Olivia Richman
Valorant
An Omen player has found a game-breaking glitch in Team Deathmatch that gives the stealthy agent a huge advantage. Team Deathmatch is a fun elimination-focused limited time mode in Valorant that allows players to utilize their agent’s abilities to get the upper hand in combat. While the game mode has been a lot of fun, some players have found some fatal flaws that are causing serious mayhem. The latest is …
Valorant players want to disable skins due to toxic beggers
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Skins are a major part of Valorant, but not everyone can afford them. Fortunately, sharing is possible, but even generous players are sick of dropping skins. Skins have become almost necessary in Valorant, thanks to the highly notable placebo, which may sometimes impact aim and headshot percentage. For this reason, those who don’t own skins have become almost desperate, asking for their favorite gun every single round. While skin drops …
Use this trick to master GravNet of Valorant agent Deadlock
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Deadlock is the latest addition to the Valorant agent lineup, and she’s quite tricky to master. Thankfully, this easy Deadlock trick can help master at least one of her abilities. GravNet is a device that forces enemies to crouch and slows them simultaneously. It’s pretty powerful if tossed in the middle of a duel, destabilizing the shooter’s crosshair. It’s also quite valuable for keeping enemies away from a planted Spike, …
Valorant China launches with exclusive melee and replay system
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant is finally coming to China, Riot has confirmed. But that’s not all: Valorant China will have exclusive features the player base has been asking for months. Valorant was released globally in 2020, but it was only in 2022 that the Chinese government’s National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) greenlit Valorant to be published nationwide. Since then, players have eagerly waited for it to release, and now Riot has confirmed …
CSGO players accuse Valorant of copying Deagle animation
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
CSGO players are accusing Riot of copying the infamous Deagle inspect animation for the latest Neo Frontier sheriff. Valorant skins are as popular as its major competitor Counter-Strike: Global Offensive skin store. While Valorant cosmetics may not be lucrative, they are a visual treat thanks to vibrant colors and immersive VFX. However, Riot has never shied away from taking a page from CSGO’s book. CSGO players think the Valorant developer …
Valorant patch 7.0 goes live with Deadlock and new Deathmatch
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Players can now play Deadlock in Valorant in brand new TDM mode, going live in patch 7.0. Valorant TDM mode and Agent 23 have been in the works for months now. After a slew of teasers and trailers, Riot has announced patch 7.0, which includes Valorant Agent 23, new game mode TDM, progression system, and bug fixes. Here’s everything that’s coming in Valorant patch 7.0. Agent 23 will become playable …
Neo Frontier bundle in Valorant is dropping jaws with futuristic Axe
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Like every episode, Riot is rolling out a shiny new skin collection for Valorant Episode 7. The Neo Frontier bundle turns antique guns into futuristic skins. Riot likes to add an immersive backstory or a mind-blending theme for each Valorant skin bundle. Most skins are inclined toward Valorant’s futuristic dystopia, and only some showcase the vintage weaponry. This time, the developer is blending them both in Neo Frontier. Neo Frontier …
Valorant Episode 7 Act 1 battle pass content and release date
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant Episode 7 Act 1 begins on June 28, meaning a wealth of new content will become purchasable via a shiny new battle pass. With each new episode and act, Riot rolls out flew of new cosmetic items, including skins, sprays, player cards, and whatnot. This time won’t be different as leakers have dug out exactly what’s slated for the Episode 7 battle pass. Besides Agent 23 Deadlock, players will …
Here are all the abilities of Deadlock, Valorant agent 23
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant agent 23 is a Norwegian sentinel with traps and a tornado ultimate. All of her abilities have finally been revealed. Sova will finally feel less alone in Valorant because a fellow winter soldier is joining the Valorant ranks. Deadlock is quite similar to Sova, but instead of a prosthetic eye, she’s repping a metal arm — a Killjoy invention. Deadlock has a cold personality and toolkit that will …
Valorant teases upcoming agent that may shake up the meta
Olivia Richman
Valorant
Valorant players have been given a massive agent teaser. Earlier today, the official Valorant Twitter account shared a short clip of Cypher doing some investigative work on his computer. The text reads: “Sova, Cypher here. I’ve decrypted the dossiers. We’ve got weapons experts, extraction specialists… The whole team’s made up of elite hunters. Except one… a Kingdom scientist. I’ll keep digging.” The Valorant community believes this tweet is packed with …
Valorant agent Deadlock is similar to this League of Legends champion
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant Agent 23 release date is merely days away, and leaks are picking pace. We now know the icy nature of her toolkit, thanks to League of Legends. Valorant Episode 7 is slated for June 28. The upcoming act will mark the entrance of brand new Agent 23, battle pass, team deathmatch, and a wealth of new content. So far, not much is known about the new agent, but Leakers …
Valorant esports skins will let players flex their fandom
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant esports buffs will soon be able to support their favorite teams in-game through skins, Riot has revealed. Earlier in 2023, leakers teased that VCT-partnered team skins might come to Valorant sooner than players expect. Data miners discovered early indications that team skins are under development, but no exact date was confirmed. Moreover, Riot was also tightlipped about the details. But we now know that the developer is serious about …
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.
