Valorant
Valorant
Counter-Strike 2 just gave Valorant players an idea for next agent
Fariha Bhatti
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. …
Valorant
Is it possible to dodge Gekko’s flash in Valorant?
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
Valorant
Gekko is already an S-tier Valorant agent
Fariha Bhatti
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 …
Valorant
TenZ’s life-size Valorant Reaver Operator is incredible
Fariha Bhatti
Could you imagine having your very own real-life Reaver Operator? Well, TenZ does, thanks to an incredibly talented fan. Valorant fans are creative; that’s no secret. They are always busy whipping a pistol skin out of scrap, creating a functioning turret, or sometimes a fully-fledged 3D Killjoy statue. Riot’s response to their artwork and effort is one reason that motivates them to make better art. The fist bump gun buddy, …
Valorant
Valorant mobile leaked PBE files hint at imminent release
Fariha Bhatti
Riot Games hasn’t forgotten about Valorant mobile. Leakers claim the release date is soon! The rumors of Valorant mobile have been swirling since 2021. Besides confirmation of its existence from Riot Games and a few screenshots, nothing more is known about the mobile counterpart. In the past few months, even leaks had slowed down, leading players to assume that Riot has likely put it on the back burner or, worse, …
Counter-Strike
Shroud says CSGO is “four times harder” than Valorant
Fariha Bhatti
Twitch streamer Michael “shroud” Grzesiek is known as the king of FPS, and he thinks CSGO is the superior game when it comes to mechanics. Valorant’s release in 2020 saw hundreds of players bid farewell to CSGO. shroud and Tarik “tarik” Celik were the most notable streamers to switch games due to their storied legacy in CSGO. Both former top professional players had started streaming Valorant, with shroud briefly dabbling …
Valorant
Sentinels planning to bail SicK out of jail, reports say
Olivia Richman
Sentinels may be trying to bail Hunter “SicK” Mims out of jail. SicK, a substitute Valorant player for Sentinels, was arrested earlier this month and charged with trespassing after a hostile altercation at a Ferrari car dealership. The bail was set at $5,000. Leading up to this incident, SicK had been dealing with some mental health issues. These struggles are what led him to leave the Sentinel’s main Valorant roster …
Valorant
How to plant the Spike with Gekko without dying
Fariha Bhatti
Gekko is your latest initiator in Valorant — and he’s too good. Why? Besides instant death, Gekko can also plant the Spike. Valorant agent 22 Gekko is overpowered, which has been established during the short time of his release. Moshpit delivers instant death, his Dizzy is undodgeable, and his ultimate is a Skye-Killjoy combination. Besides, Gekko can plant the Spike without stepping into the line of fire. Wingman is just …
Kyedae responds to cancer hate after winning Best Valorant Streamer award
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
QTCinderella’s streamer awards were a success, but they were not without controversy. Kyedae “Kyedae” Shymko won Best Valorant Streamer, but some in the community aren’t happy with the results. On March 11, about 300 streamers gathered at Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles for the annual Streamer Awards hosted by QTCinderella. The event saw 381,000 concurrent viewers watch their favorite entertainers live. From fun banter and brutal roasts to heartwarming speeches, the …
xQc reportedly close to signing Valorant team Turtle Troop
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Twitch’s top streamer Félix “xQc” Lengyel is eyeing Valorant as his next venture, as reports of Turtle Troops joining the “juicer squad” pick up steam. xQc is purely a variety streamer. He’s created a massive fanbase that continues to grow in 2023. But, following in the footsteps of fellow streamers, xQc could be the next streamer to buy a Valorant team. However, it doesn’t come off as surprising, considering xQc’s …
Complete guide to playing Gekko, Valorant’s OP agent
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant’s sixth initiator Gekko is easy to learn, but smart players can execute incredible tricks out of his simple toolkit. Here’s how to play Gekko in Valorant to easily win your games! Valorant agent 22 Gekko is equipped with a flash, stun, and molotov. His ultimate is a mix of Skye’s Seekers and Killjoy’s Lockdown, making him a robust jack of all trades. Some may even say that Gekko needs a …
Valorant players think new agent Gekko needs a nerf
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant agent 22 Gekko has officially been unveiled, and streamers are enjoying him. But the community thinks he’s breaking the game. Valorant agent 22 Gekko hasn’t even officially arrived and he’s already causing a debate. Clips of Gekko pulling off ridiculous stunts are going viral, and players are theorizing all scenarios where his Wingman could basically kill Valorant. Counterarguments to Gekko being too OP are many, but most think he …
Valorant patch 6.04 fixes bugs and introduces Gekko
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant patch 6.04 is here, bringing Gekko, Oni 2.0, rank reset, and bug fixes. Time is flying for Valorant players. We just got Harbor, and Riot is already rolling out the sixth initiator, Gekko. Patch 6.04 marks the entrance of agent 22 Gekko, along with minor bug fixes. Players should look forward to a drastic meta-shift because Gekko seems like trouble. Valorant agent 22 is officially stepping into his initiator …
Here’s everything in Valorant Episode 6 Act 2 battle pass
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant Episode 6 Act 2 is here, bearing tons of cosmetics packed in a chunky battle pass. Valorant Episode 6 Act 2 is a big one. We got a new agent in green-haired Gekko and the hotly-anticipated Oni 2.0 bundle. Unfortunately, the new collection may not be affordable for all, but the battle pass is the answer. Thrifty players can grab multiple new skins at only 1,000 Valorant points by …
Valorant pro SicK in legal trouble, arrested for trespassing
Olivia Richman
Valorant
A Sentinels Valorant player has been arrested after an incident at a car dealership. Sentinels substitute Hunter “SicK” Mims was arrested on March 4 for criminal trespassing, according to documents from the Collin County Jail. At this time, he has spent two days in a Dallas county prison and has been charged with a Class B Misdemeanor. His bond is currently $5,000. SicK was arrested after refusing to leave a …
Kyedae opens up about her cancer, says she “feels sick”
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant streamer Kyedae has opened up about her cancer diagnosis in her first stream since announcing the heartbreaking news last Friday. On Friday, the gaming community was hit with an unfortunate health update from popular Valorant streamer Kyedae. She revealed that she had been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, cancer affecting the blood and bone marrow. Following her announcement, fans have expressed concerns about her health, but Kyedae has since …
Gekko’s song “GREATER THAN ONE” is out now
Nicholas James
Valorant
The brand new Valorant agent revealed at VCT LOCK//IN has had his musical theme released, fans can check out Gekko’s theme “GREATER THAN ONE” now. Gekko is the latest agent being added to Valorant, a Radiant artist from Los Angeles with three supernatural friends who help him out. Like all the new Valorant agent releases, Gekko has had his own musical theme released in a music video that helps flesh …
Fnatic is the VCT LOCK//IN Sao Paulo champion
William Davis
Valorant
Fnatic is the VCT LOCK//IN Sao Paulo champion after the European squad took down the local team and fan favorite LOUD. Fnatic is taking home the first Valorant international title of the year. The series went the distance and finished with a 3-2 victory for Fnatic over LOUD who put up a fight until the last round. Fnatic made it to the finals without dropping a single map. Fnatic started …
Here are all the abilities of Valorant agent 22 Gekko
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Finally, Valorant agent 22 Gekko is here. The green-haired initiator is everything Valorant needs right now! Let’s look at his abilities. Story-wise, Valorant’s current roster is too grim. With his green hair and chirpy personality, Gekko brings tons of laughs and cute monsters. After an unfortunate leak earlier, Riot has now officially ripped away the veil on agent 22, revealing a young boy in green hair and skinny jeans. After weeks …
Valorant agent 22 Gekko leaked, and Riot isn’t pleased
Fariha Bhatti
Valorant
Valorant agent 22 Gekko has been leaked, and developers aren’t happy. Recently, ValorLeaks did some digging and found the name of Valorant agent 22, Gekko. Nothing more was yet known, and Riot’s official teasers were doing a great job of creating hype. From Gekko arguing with Reyna over purple hair to annoying “Beard Papi,” the teasers gave away his chirpy personality but nothing more. Now, Valorant soothsayers have leaked the …
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.
