Valorant
Valorant
Valorant China launches with exclusive melee and replay system
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
Counter-Strike
CSGO players accuse Valorant of copying Deagle animation
Fariha Bhatti
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
Valorant patch 7.0 goes live with Deadlock and new Deathmatch
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
Valorant
Neo Frontier bundle in Valorant is dropping jaws with futuristic Axe
Fariha Bhatti
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
Valorant agent Deadlock is similar to this League of Legends champion
Fariha Bhatti
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
Valorant esports skins will let players flex their fandom
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
Valorant
New Valorant Sentinel ‘Deadlock’ teased at VCT Masters
Nicholas James
The new Valorant agent is being teased yet again, this time with a close-up look at their armory and projects. Riot Games has steadily been teasing the next agent being added to the game with new images, easter eggs, and more. The latest teaser has given a name and role to the enigmatic new member of the Valorant Protocol. New information has been trickling out about the new agent as …
Valorant
Valorant Champions Los Angeles — tickets, schedule, teams
Olivia Richman
The Valorant Champions Los Angeles is coming up and FPS fans are wondering how they can watch the event, both online and in person. If you’re lucky enough to attend the event, there are a few different ticket options to keep in mind. Valorant Champions is the culmination of the 2023 VCT season. The 16 best teams in the world will qualify for a spot in the event, competing for …
Here’s all you need to know about Valorant progression system
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant has a new progression system that finally lets players buy cosmetics without spending real money. Since Project: A, players have complained that Valorant is a mere cash cow for Riot. They weren’t totally wrong. Currently, you can’t buy a single thing in Valorant for free. Even instantly unlocking agents costs Valorant Points (VP.) But now, Riot is opening a shop for freeloaders with a brand new currency called Kingdom …
Riot adds three new maps for Valorant TDM
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant has three brand new maps exclusive to the Team Deathmatch mode that allows players to use abilities. On June 15, Riot unveiled a brand new game mode called Team Deathmatch, which was previously teased as HURM. The new mode resolves all issues players had with the regular DM. Spawns are quicker, and load-out enables fair play, — but that’s not all. TDM is better than any other game mode …
New Valorant progression system adds free currency in Episode 7
William Davis
Valorant
Valorant players will get access to a brand-new progression system that rewards free skins in Episode 7, leakers claim. Valorant fans love skins, and Riot knows this very well. Instead of its usual shtick of gating them behind time-sensitive battle passes and Night Markets, Episode 7 appears to be introducing a new way for players to earn cosmetics that were thought to be long gone. Here’s how the new system …
Valorant has a new Deathmatch, here’s how it works
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant Team Deathmatch (TDM) mode is finally here and it resolves all the issues players had with Valorant’s regular practice mode. Valorant’s hotly anticipated TDM mode, codenamed HURM, has officially been unveiled and looks promising. Players had plenty of issues with Valorant’s DM mode in its current state. But it seems Riot has addressed them all in the new TDM mode. Evident from the name, TDM is a 5v5 game …
New Valorant teaser points at custom maps for Death match
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot has dropped a cute new teaser with dark undertones hinting at a hacker who’s toying with existing maps in Valorant. Valorant’s adored couple, Raze and Killjoy, are back for Pride Month. While fans are happy to know that the duo is still dating and thriving, the teaser isn’t all happy-go-lucky. The short trailer dubbed RVNG adds color to Valorant lore. On June 14, Riot cut the curtain on a …
Riot has secretly buffed smokes on Valorant map Pearl
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Pearl is a tricky map to tackle as a defender due to its larger size and even larger entrances. But the new rework will make the controllers’ smokes slightly more powerful. In the latest Valorant patch 6.11, Riot Games decluttered Pearl to make it more maneuverable for both sides, specifically defenders. While everyone noticed how new design changes made Pearl easier to defend, the update has also secretly buffed the controllers …
Why did Riot disable Valorant Night Market?
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant players may not be able to buy skins at cheap this time around due to a pesky Night Market bug. Every two months, Riot Games puts up exuberant skins at a cut price so everyone can enjoy Valorant’s coveted cosmetics. This act’s Night Market came swinging in on June 8, but since then, it has caused a lot of trouble for players, prompting Riot to make some tough decisions. …
Disguised Toast may leave Valorant, drops DSG team
Olivia Richman
Twitch
YouTuber turned esports enthusiast Jeremy “Disguised Toast” Wang is seemingly stepping back from Valorant after he announced he is releasing his Challengers players and coach. Disguised Toast has been struggling throughout his Valorant journey, but most recently signed a promising roster to his NA Valorant Challengers League team. Unfortunately, the team failed to reach playoffs and had no chance at Ascension. In the relegation bracket, the team went 0-2 against …
VCT Masters Twitch drops revealed
Nicholas James
Valorant
The VCT Masters Twitch drops have been revealed. Here are the free rewards you can claim and how to get them. VCT Masters is nearly upon us, and Valorant esports fans have a chance to take home some exclusive in-game rewards for watching. VCT Masters Tokyo will be launching on June 11, and Riot Games is bringing out viewer rewards for fans who tune in. While League of Legends’ rewards …
Valorant pros pledge Shorty kill donations in Twisten’s honor at VCT Masters
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Team Vitality’s Valorant pro Karel “Twisten” Ašenbrener recently passed away. In response, players have planned a heartwarming tribute for the legendary soul. On June 7, Team Vitality confirmed that their primary duelist Twisten is no more. Players close to Twisten allege that the pro player took his own life after battling depression for over two years. The pro player had revealed self-harm behavior and his history with mental health issues …
Valorant’s new No Limits bundle has a bat for a knife
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Bat melee is back with the Valorant No Limit bundle commemorating the 2023 VCT Masters tournament in Tokyo. In 2021, Riot added bats to the melee skins with the Radiant Crisis 001 bundle. Now, those who couldn’t get them at the time can still cop the unique melee in the new skin collection, inspired by Japan. The 2023 VCT Masters tournament is commencing in Tokyo, and to celebrate that, Riot …
Team Vitality’s Valorant pro Twisten dies at age 19
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Team Vitality’s pro player Karel “Twisten” Ašenbrener has passed away at the age of 19, the organization has confirmed. In devastating news, Team Vitality has confirmed that Twisten died at the young age of 19. The Czech player was the French organization’s main duelist, who joined the Valorant team in November 2022. Since then, Karel has been on the organization’s main roster, garnering a massive fanbase worldwide with his performance …
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.
