Valorant
Valorant
Valorant agent 22 leaked codename hints at abilities
William Davis
Valorant agent 22 is already in development, but certain leaked info may have given fans an extra-early sneak peek. Valorant’s roster has ballooned since its launch, with tricky Gekko marking the 21st agent to enter the fray. However, Riot Games is already hard at work on a follow-up. Data miners have uncovered details for the next Valorant agent, and while details are scarce, what we know could mean a lot …
Valorant
Did Valorant copy CSGO patterns for the Black Market knife?
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant Black Market Bundle has a one-of-a-kind melee that confirms Riot took inspiration from CSGO to put this collection together. Riot Games recently introduced the Black Market bundle in Valorant, featuring skins that change appearance on each side. One of the skins in the bundle, the Attacker Vandal, received criticism for its mahogany wood exterior that some players felt resembled CSGO’s AK-47, leading to players labeling the bundle as “CSGO …
Valorant
Valorant patch 6.07 makes it easy to destroy Sova’s recon
Fariha Bhatti
Sova is one of the deadliest intel-gatherers in Valorant because of the tiny size of his recon. But the latest change in patch 6.07 will make it less of a pest. Valorant has six initiators, but few are good at breaking intel. Fade, and Sova often go neck and neck, but typically, Sova gains an edge for the small size of his utility that blends into the map. Even the …
Valorant
Valorant dev explains why attack-defense skins aren’t possible
Fariha Bhatti
The Black Market bundle has given Valorant players a glimmer of hope for the possibility of attacker-defender-sided skins, but the developer has explained why it’s a challenge. Valorant has over 300 skins in total that collectors love to buy. Some players even own almost every bundle available in Valorant, which stacks up to an insane amount of money. But unfortunately, they can only use one skin at a time. Currently, …
Valorant
What is an illegal molly in Valorant?
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant has its fair share of bugs and glitches that players love exploiting in ranked games. But what exactly makes a molly illegal in Valorant? Ranked players get away with many things, like toying with illegal mechanics, bugs, and glitches. But that’s not the case in the official Valorant tournament. Instead, pro players can be slapped with severe punishments and sometimes even get disqualified for using banned lineups. Recently, an …
Valorant
How to buy a Valorant gift card thanks to LoL
William Davis
Cosmetic items might not improve your gameplay, but they certainly make you look cool when you have a clutch play. To buy them, you need money or a gift card. Here is everything you need to know about a prepaid gift card for League of Legends and Valorant. A prepaid gift card is an easy way to buy Riot’s in-game currency if you don’t have a credit card. These can …
Valorant
Bind is back, Icebox out for the next Valorant map change
William Davis
Bind and Icebox are polar opposites in the mind of the Valorant community, so many will be pleased to see the return of el classico. After months of anticipation, Riot Games has finally confirmed that Bind will return to Valorant’s map pool. The developer has already confirmed major gameplay changes for the map for its return, and fans will finally be able to test them out later this month. To …
Valorant
Disguised Toast fires female Valorant roster after GC loss
Fariha Bhatti
Jeremy “Disguised Toast” Wang has already fired his streamer-studded female roster just after three games, trolling fellow organizations. The North American Valorant scene and its dramatics are nothing new for the fans, but this time, it’s Disguised Toast trolling fellow organizations for mishandling their player contracts. The popular YouTube streamer has let go of its streamer-stacked Game Changers roster after a short stint due to “financial” woes. Disguised’s stacked roster …
Deleted Valorant screenshot points at massive Viper nerf
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Imagine if Viper’s ult cost 10 points? Well it could be real, at least according to a deleted Valorant screenshot. Each Valorant agent is equipped with an ultimate ability, which is only unlocked as the game progresses through orbs and kills. Typically, you need max eight points to unlock an ult in Valorant. Riot occasionally tweaks the point requirement for each agent based on the meta, but it stays within …
Valorant unveils 1v5 game mode Cypher’s Revenge for April Fools’
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
A new game mode dubbed Cypher’s Revenge in Valorant is so good players wish it weren’t an April Fool’s joke. Last year in April, Riot trolled the community with agents of romance, a romantic game mode outside of Valorant. This time, the developer is taking things to a whole new level by rolling out fake patch notes that removed the Vandal from Valorant and a trailer for in-game mode. It …
Valorant patch 2004 removes Vandal, allows Wingman to shoot
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Wingman will now be able to use weapons in Valorant, but only for the month of April. Valorant is getting refreshing changes in patch 2004. Everything players have been asking for is now coming true as Riot hands a weapon to Wingman so he can do a crime. The new jaw-dropping changes will likely remain functional for the month of April only, so go ahead, pick Gekko, and have a …
Valorant map Bind undergoes major changes for its return
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Bind is returning to Valorant soon, but Riot has made some major changes that players would like. When each map in Valorant goes out of rotation, it typically ends up in the workshop for some much-needed tweaks. Bind has spent almost two months in the workshop, and it shows. The new-look Bind has small but significant changes that would shift how this map is played in Valorant. Riot has announced …
Leaks point to a new daily reward system in Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Riot Games is boosting the incentive for playing casual game modes in Valorant by introducing a daily reward system. Valorant’s most-played game mode is ranked, but not everyone has the time to commit to a 30-minute-long session. So, busy players often play Spike Rush, Swiftplay, Escalation, and other game modes to kill time. Unfortunately, the incentive for playing these games is pretty low. For this reason, many dedicated Valorant players …
Here’s the next Valorant Night Market release date
Nicholas James
Valorant
The next Valorant Night Marker is arriving very soon, so grab your lucky rabbit’s foot and hope you can snag exactly the skins you want at a discount. The next Valorant Night Market is rumored to be arriving early next month, so fans can look forwards to spinning the wheel for their most-desired skins. The arrival of a new Night Market is always a highly-anticipated event since it allows fans …
Gekko receives minor nerfs in Valorant patch 6.06
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
The latest Valorant patch update 6.06 delivers much-needed nerfs for agent 21 Gekko’s Wingman and Moshpit. Valorant agent 21 Gekko has been getting a lot of flak for being too overpowered. From Wingman defusing the Spike to Moshpit dealing instant death, Gekko is indeed a pest. However, within a month of release, the new agent has become a player favorite, already becoming an S-tier Valorant agent in competitive games. His …
Disguised Toast announces female Valorant team featuring Kyedae
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Popular gaming streamer Disguised toast has announced a female Valorant roster for Game Changers, but some fans aren’t happy. Disguised Toast is one of the first streamers to dip their toes into Valorant esports with a professional roster. He announced a team featuring Joshua “steel” Nissan, inspiring many other content creators to assemble a pro team. But, Disguised Toast isn’t done. The streamer is now ready to take over the …
Altitude bundle features guns that look like fighter jets
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Get ready to spice up your inventory because Riot Games just dropped a hot new Valorant skin bundle dubbed Altitude featuring airplane weapons. It’s been a while since Riot rolled out a new skin collection. Oni 2.0’s release in episode 6 act 2 has set such a high benchmark that is tricky to top it. But Riot is back with a brand new collection that looks promising. Altitude comes with …
Counter-Strike 2 just gave Valorant players an idea for next agent
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Counter-Strike 2 hype is also getting to Valorant, as players come up with an agent idea inspired by Source 2 smokes. Counter-Strike 2 has new smokes that react with the environment and let bullets pass through. If you’re committed to exploiting the new feature, you can even defuse the smoke entirely for a few seconds using HE or Negev. While this game-changing feature sounds exceedingly annoying, it also encourages gunplay. …
Is it possible to dodge Gekko’s flash in Valorant?
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Gekko’s flash, also known as Dizzy, is unforgivable if you’re hit with it. But is it possible to dodge it? Gekko is equipped with Moshpit, Wingman, and Dizzy. These three friends are incredibly powerful, but Dizzy stands out for its unique flashing mechanics. The blue paintball doesn’t excuse any enemy — if it sees you, it flashes you. Typically, flashes are avoidable in Valorant. They can be dodged by looking …
Gekko is already an S-tier Valorant agent
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Gekko hasn’t even completed a full month in the Valorant roster, and he’s already dominating the pick rate chart. Valorant agent 22 had wagged many tongues upon his arrival. A Wingman who can defuse the Spike? Unacceptable. But, his ultimate and flash were less viable, so players let go of the cute sidekick. The downsides to his abilities were plenty, which made up for the overpowered Wingman. However, two weeks …
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.
