Valorant
Valorant
Riot adds three new maps for Valorant TDM
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
Valorant
New Valorant progression system adds free currency in Episode 7
William Davis
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
Valorant has a new Deathmatch, here’s how it works
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
Valorant
New Valorant teaser points at custom maps for Death match
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
Valorant
VCT Masters Twitch drops revealed
Nicholas James
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
Valorant pros pledge Shorty kill donations in Twisten’s honor at VCT Masters
Fariha Bhatti
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
Valorant’s new No Limits bundle has a bat for a knife
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
Valorant
Team Vitality’s Valorant pro Twisten dies at age 19
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
Valorant players hate the recent nerfs to Phantom’s ammo
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant patch 6.11 has a wealth of new updates, but Riot has squeezed in a rifle nerf amid major agent changes. The conclusion of Valorant Episode 6 is drawing near, and Riot Games is rolling out big gameplay changes to fix the meta before agent 23 enters the picture, whenever that is. For this reason, patch 6.11 includes a multitude of notable tweaks, nerfs, and buffs. However, a small change …
Valorant ep 7 will let players buy old battle pass skins
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Couldn’t cop coveted Valorant battle pass skin like the Ruin or Catrina dagger when they were released? It’ll be possible to buy them in Episode 7. It’s common for Valorant players not to buy a particular skin and regret it later after hearing praise from others. Recon, Oni, and Ion are great examples of such bundles, but at least you have a 1 in a million chance to get them …
Valorant agent 23 is a Sentinel, teased with Cypher-like cams
Olivia Richman
Valorant
The next Valorant agent has been officially teased, and FPS players think he’s a Sentinel that specializes in hacking. Valorant developers have confirmed in a short video that a new Sentinel is coming to the game in the next few months. These are agents with a focus on intel-gathering, helping the duelists rack up kills. But an accompanying image has made this allegedly upcoming Sentinel seem a bit more complex …
Valorant players think remake system is flawed
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
After nitpicking about Deathmatch, Valorant players are now unhappy with how the remake works. Valorant is a team game, so losing even one player to a poor network connection can spell disaster. For this reason, Riot has a remake system in place that allows players to re-queue in case one of the players disconnects for whatever reason. But this system is far from perfect, and players want improvements. Remake requires …
Sentinels’ sicK seeks therapy, apologizes for offensive tweets
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant pro player Hunter “sicK” Mims has finally apologized for his “erratic” behavior, which has been making headlines in the past few days. NA Valorant is flush with drama and controversy, but things took a wild turn when sicK started posting alarming tweets regarding his personal life and friends. His behavior led him to Sentinel’s bench after an indefinite suspension. But the organization still has his back. In a lengthy …
Valorant celebrates Pride Month 2023 with in-game items
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games has unveiled in-game cosmetic items to celebrate Pride Month, but players aren’t happy. Every year Riot rolls out cards and titles to commemorate Pride Month and show support for LGBTQIA+ communities. Initially, this trend wasn’t well-received by everyone, but now, it seems players want Riot to put effort into Pride items. On June 2, Riot lifted the curtain on Pride items for 2023, including colorful cards and a …
How to get Valorant Claw and Order spray from Prime Gaming loot
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
It’s a great day to be an Amazon Prime subscriber as Riot unveils brand new free “Claw and Order” spray. Valorant skins can cost an arm and a leg, but Riot is considerate enough to roll out discounted skins via Night. Market. But if you can’t even afford cheap guns and are looking for freebies, Riot has you covered. Prime Gaming loots are reserved for Amazon Prime subscribers for free. …
Here’s the next Valorant Night. Market release date
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant Night. Market is returning, Riot Games has announced. Valorant skins are expensive, but thrift stores are everyone’s best friend. Valorant Night. Market regularly appears in the game once every two months. Players would notice a new card appear on the menu for the Night Market, Valorant’s infamous thrift store. This stays for nearly 19 days, featuring otherwise expensive weapons at a significantly reduced rate. The last Valorant Night. Market ran from April …
Hiko explains why he called Valorant community “cringe”
Fariha Bhatti
Counter-Strike
Retired CSGO pro player Spencer “Hiko” Martin thinks Valorant players are cringe, but he has a solid reason to explain why he feels so strongly. The Valorant vs. CSGO rivalry is still going strong, which is pretty healthy for both games to a certain extent. But the fan base is always on the lookout to compare the two titles. This time, Hiko has reignited the debate on his recent CSGO …
Valorant patch 6.11 finally ends the “run and gun” meta
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Do you also hate the “run and gun” warriors in Valorant? Patch 6.11 may finally end them with a readjusted Error Power. Since day one, Valorant players have had one common complaint: run and gun. To fix this issue, Riot has introduced multiple tweaks to weapons, but to no avail. So finally, the developer has added a no-nonsense solution to remove high accuracy for mobile shooters in Valorant. Patch 6.11 …
Riot has nerfed Valorant’s most deadly pistols in patch 6.11
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Frenzy and Shorty, the top troll pistols, are getting long-due nerfs in Valorant patch 6.11. Frenzy and Shorty are viable weapons, but serious players rarely use them in high-stakes situations. To squeeze full juice out of these two, you need a tenderizing utility and excellent movement skills, especially in the case of Shorty. Still, the two pistols are uber-powerful, and Riot is now trying to balance them. Valorant patch 6.11 …
Valorant patch 6.11 buffs Chamber, Viper nerfed
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
It’s a great day to be a Chamber main, as Valorant patch 6.11 aims to buff his kit. However, Viper mains will absolutely hate the new patch. Chamber has always been Riot’s trouble child. He was so powerful that Riot had to nerf him before even considering tweaks for fellow sentinels. However, after being nerfed to the ground, Chamber is returning to the field with a stronger Tour De Force …
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.
